"Once on this Island" brings tropical romance center stage
Cast members rehearse for the Indiana Memorial Union Board production of the long-running Broadway hit "Once on this Island," which opens this weekend in Bloomington.
Bringing the tradition of the fall musical back to Indiana University Bloomington, the Indiana Memorial Union Board will present the long-running Broadway hit Once on This Island at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater in Bloomington, Ind., today (Nov. 16) through Nov. 18.
Past Union Board musicals have included Smokey Joe's Café, Chess, Guys and Dolls and 2004's Man of La Mancha. The fall musical is completely student run, and the cast is almost entirely made up by IU students.
Once on this Island is a contemporary musical based on the novel My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy, a tropical retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's fable The Little Mermaid. The musical, which opened on Broadway in 1990 and ran for 469 performances, features Antillean Creole and island music, and addresses issues of social classes, true love and the choices people make in order to love and be loved.
"I think it's a show that both families and students can watch. It has a little something for everyone to enjoy and walk away with," said Director Cara Berg.
Once on this Island was honored with eight Tony Award nominations in 1991, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book, and received London's Olivier Award for Best Musical in 1995.
The musical tells the tale of Ti Moune, a peasant girl, and Daniel, an upper class man who is struggling with his obligations, who are brought together and sent on a fateful journey. It features the songs "We Dance," "Rain" and "Some Girls," written by the Tony Award-winning songwriting team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. Ahrens and Flaherty wrote the lyrics and music, respectively, for the popular Broadway musical Ragtime.
The Indiana Memorial Union Board has brought thousands of programs to the IU community since its inception in 1909. Union Board is comprised of 16 student and four non-student directors responsible for campus programming that entertains and educates the IU community.
The Indiana Memorial Union Board offices are located in room 270 of the Student Activities Tower in the Indiana Memorial Union. For more information about Union Board, call 812-855-4682 or e-mail ubpr@indiana.edu.
