"What a delight it is to enter the world of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND!" raves The New York Times. Time Out New York cheers, "After seeing this imaginative and dynamic musical, you may feel once is not enough!"
This is the sweeping theatrical power of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND - the universal tale of Ti Moune (2018 Tony Award nominee Hailey Kilgore), a fearless peasant girl in search of her place in the world, and ready to risk it all for love. Guided by the mighty island gods (played by Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, Glee's Alex Newell, American Idol's Tamyra Gray, and Cats' Quentin Early Darrington), Ti Moune sets out on a remarkable journey to reunite with the man who has captured her heart.
The groundbreaking vision of two-time Tony Award nominated director Michael Arden (Spring Awakening revival) and acclaimed choreographer Camille A. Brown (NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live) conjures up "a place where magic is possible and beauty is apparent for all to see!" (The Huffington Post).
Gather around for ONCE ON THIS ISLAND - the musical NY1 hails as "exhilarating theater! It's impossible to resist!" And where the timeless power of theatre brings us together, moves our hearts and helps us weather the storm.
This is a show that works on one heart at a time (yours). In so doing, the story of the peasant girl Ti-Moune, and her audacious capacity for love, homes in on the essential simplicity of the musical art and, especially, its place in the great human trajectory of assuaging life's crises through the collective telling, and the collective hearing, of pedagogical, allegorical and soothing stories. You do not need to spend much time with the current news to know that producer Ken Davenport has judiciously timed his revival of a show featuring a fearless female protagonist self-actualizing inside a story within a story, finding herself empowered by her community and thus able to take down the walls constructed by those with privilege.
This is an ensemble piece, and the superb cast is fun to watch cavorting across the sand-covered stage, occasionally playing instruments made of found objects. Choreographer Camille A. Brown lets them cut lose with energetic, ethnic-influenced dances, and as he leads the folk tale to its tearjerker of an ending, director Michael Arden beautifully embraces the message of 'Why We Tell the Story,' the show's emotional closing number.
1990 | Off-Broadway |
Original Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
1990 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
1990 | Broadway |
Broadway Transfer Broadway |
1994 | West End |
London Production West End |
2002 | Broadway |
Reunion Concert Broadway |
2017 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
2019 | US Tour |
Revival National Tour US Tour |
2023 | West End |
West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Choreography | Camille A. Brown |
2018 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Michael Arden |
2018 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Featured Actor in a Musical | Alex Newell |
2018 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Lea Salonga |
2018 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Leading Actress in a Musical | Hailey Kilgore |
2018 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Lighting Design | Jules Fisher |
2018 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Lighting Design | Peggy Eisenhauer |
2018 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Orchestrations | AnnMarie Milazzo |
2018 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Orchestrations | Michael Starobin |
2018 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Once on this Island |
2018 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Scenic Design | Dane Laffrey |
2018 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Sound Design of a Musical | Peter Hylenski |
2018 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Broadway's Backbone Best Musical Ensemble | Once on this Island |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical | Clint Ramos |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Kenita R. Miller |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical | Jules Fisher |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Michael Starobin |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Once on This Island |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Set Design for a Musical | Dan Laffrey |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | The LaDuca Award for Outstanding Choreography | Camille A. Brown |
2018 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Hailey Kilgore |
2018 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Alex Newell |
2018 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Once On This Island |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Hailey Kilgore |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreographer | Camille A. Brown |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Clint Ramos |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Michael Arden |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | AnnMarie Milazzo |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Once on this Island |
2018 | Theatre World Awards | Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance | Hailey Kilgore |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Clint Ramos |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Michael Arden |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Peggy Eisenhauer |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | AnnMarie Milazzo |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Hailey Kilgore |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Once on this Island |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Dane Laffrey |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Musical | Peter Hylenski |
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