Conejo Players' musical 'Once on This Island, Jr.' is concise transformation of classic Tony nominee
Play Review
By Cary Ginell soundthink@aol.com

ISLAND GIRL- Cast members of "Once on This Island, Jr." present a new twist on some classic folktales in production running through this weekend at Conejo Players Theatre, 351 S. Moorpark Road, T.O. From left, Dave Newcomer as Tonton Julian, father of Ti Moune; Erin Ticktin (the child Ti Moune) and Courtney Potter, who portrays Ti Moune's Mama Euralie. Beth Alison, not pictured, is the adult Ti Moune. The cast includes more than two dozen children.

"Once On This Island, Jr." as presented by Conejo Players, is the result of a recent trend in musical theater in which pared down adaptations of contemporary and classic Broadway musicals, designed especially for younger voices, are made available for performance by schools and community theaters.

The shows not only enable budding performers to get their feet wet in musical theater, but their shorter duration (usually under 90 minutes) is more suitable for the limited attention spans of younger audiences. This show is based on Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's first hit collaboration, "Once On This Island," which garnered eight Tony Award nominations in 1990, with the "Jr." version making its debut in 1998.

Based on the novel "My Love, My Love" by Rosa Guy, "Once on This Island, Jr." is drawn from classic folktales of catharsis and transformation, such as Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid." The twist is that the story takes place in the French Antilles, with Ahrens and Flaherty's score reflecting a Caribbean flavor.

The spare storyline concerns two halves of the island, one featuring wealthy descendants of English plantation owners (who are costumed all in white), and the other, native peasants who worship four gods (Earth, Water, Love and Death).

After a torrential storm, a stranded little girl, Ti Moune, is rescued and adopted by the kindly Mama Euralie and Tonton Julian.

The girl grows up, but becomes a pawn in a dispute between Papa Ge, the God of Death, and Erzulie, the Goddess of Love, as to which entity is strongest, love or death. To settle the argument, they decide to have a teenaged Ti Moune rescue Daniel, a young aristocrat from the other side of the island, who has been seriously injured in an auto accident.

Ti Moune offers her life in exchange for his, showing that love was indeed the stronger of the two. The catharsis occurs when, in a "Romeo and Juliet" plot complication, the two cannot marry because Ti Moune is not of Daniel's ilk. Having traded her life for Daniel's, Ti Moune dies and is transformed by Papa Ge into a beautiful tree, a legacy to others of her love and sacrifice.

The show takes on aspects of opera in that the actors sing all of their lines. The only spoken parts are performed by members of a children's ensemble, which acts as a "Greek chorus," introducing and commenting on the proceedings.

As the grown-up Ti Moune, Beth Alison is marvelous. She has a pleasing, melodious voice, and is especially terrific in her gypsylike dance number ("Ti Moune's Dance"). Arryck Adams served double duty, and it is arguable which was more valuable to the show: his excellent performance as the sinister Papa Ge, or his work as choreographer (along with Tami Keaton) for the large cast, which included more than two dozen youngsters.

The highlight of the show was the ensemble's work in the spirited gospel-flavored "Mama Will Provide," with Sarah Daley as the Earth goddess, Asaka, preparing Ti Moune for her journey to the other side of the island.

Other standout performers included Dave Newcomer and Courtney Potter as Ti Moune's loving peasant parents, and 10year-old Erin Ticktin, cute as a button as the young Ti Moune.

The hand-painted sets were attractive (it should be noted that the sizable set construction and stage crew, as well as the cast, are all volunteers) and the soundtrack, prepared by Sara Penman, reflected the exotic flavor of the Caribbean.

Director Erin Fagundes and producers Shawn W. Lanz and Deidre Parmenter should be commended for assembling such a talented group of youngsters in such a winning production.