When I first wrote this web page in 1996 (?), I couldn't find any links to any pages that talk about "Once on this Island." However, I have since found a site that appears to be authored by the show creators themselves. Click here to jump to their OOTI page.
"Once on this Island" is an all-music musical stage show. The music runs from whimsical to romantic to haunting. The story (and it's really a story, with storytellers and the like) is set in the Carribean, sometime in the 20th century. It is about the love, commitment, and betrayal between a peasant girl with big dreams and a wealthy man who is hesitant to betray his delusions of class.
If you have a typical American accent (if there really is such a thing; we'll suppose that this "typical" accent is the kind possessed by the anchors on the nightly world news) and you read the libretto out loud, the words may sound mismatched and maybe even silly. But when you hear the songs sung with a Carribean accent, the words amazingly take on rhyme and rhythm.
"Once on this Island" upcoming stagings that I know of:
Peninsula Youth Theatre, May 4-May 13, 2001 (San Francisco Bay Area)
San Jose State, April 27-May 5, 2001 (San Jose, CA)
People:
Ti Moune - the peasant girl who wants a "Grand Homme" to carry her away
Daniel - the "Grand Homme"
Tonton Julian - Ti Moune's adoptive father
Mama Euralie - Ti Moune's adoptive mother
Andrea - Daniel's betrothed
Deities:
Agwe - God of Water
Asaka - Goddess of the Earth
Erzulie - Goddess of Love
Papa Ge - God of Death