JCT Presents:
Once on this Island!
Once on this Island!
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Jamestown Community Theatre is pleased to announce our upcoming production of Once on This Island. The musical features book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty, a duo also known for their work on the musicals Seussical, Ragtime, and Anastasia.
Once on this Island is a musical based on the novel “My Love, My Love” by Rosa Guy. The novel, in turn, is itself a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little Mermaid.” Only there are no literal mermaids: in this tale of “two different worlds never meant to meet,” a peasant girl falls in love with a prince. As stories are told and retold, lives are made and remade. Ti Moune, is a peasant girl, who rescues a boy, Daniel, from the other rich side of the island, with whom she falls in love. Meanwhile the gods who preside over the island make a bet with one another over which is stronger, love or death, the stakes being Ti Moune's life. When she follows Daniel, back to his home and his fellow wealthy people, Ti Moune is shunned because of her lowly status. In the end despite her love it is not enough to win Daniel's heart, and Ti Moune pays the ultimate price. As a sign of respect the gods turn Ti Moune into a tree that grows so strong and so tall, it breaks the wall that separates the societies and ultimately unites them. The original Broadway script is set in Haiti and makes reference to racial conflict there. For amateur groups, however, the musical’s authors provide several line edits, conveying the story’s universal message using a fairy tale class divide. Performances will be held at 7pm on March 20, 21, & 22, with 2pm matinees on March 22 & 23. Tickets are on sale now! |
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