At its best, theater should provoke thought and create emotional reactions while entertaining and providing a pleasurable experience. Much musical theater may be strong in the entertainment facet, but may not be very focused on the aspects of introspection and emotional content. That's fine, of course, sometimes it's great to be entertained for a couple of hours, and if there is a positive message that comes along with the laughter and applause, so much the better. There are musicals, however, that strive to accomplish more. While it is very important to be entertaining in order to capture the attention of the audience, a musical, like the great dramas, can make people pause to think about the world we live in and our lives and the lives of those around us; even more broadly, the human condition. When I approached the choice of a musical for this year, I was determined to choose something that was distinctly different from the shows we had done the past few years. Fortunately, I became aware of Once on This Island many years ago and, over the years, heard glowing compliments about this beautiful musical from fellow high school directors who have done the show and loved the show and the experience of performing it. Since I had never seen it, last May, I took a jaunt to see a community theater production. Though it was a bare-bones production done in a church basement with a cast of about 20, on a tiny stage, with literally cardboard scenery, there was something about the passion that the cast brought to their performances, and I knew that this indeed was the show that I wanted to direct this year. There is a tremendous heart and soul to this musical, and I knew that the Centennial kids would find the magic in this show and attach themselves to it as I'm sure the casts of many previous productions have done. And indeed they have.
In 2016, the themes conveyed are more important and relevant than they probably were when the play premiered in 1990. Its message about the power and importance of love is both universal and timeless, but its other messages reflect the issues that have seemed to dominate the front page and the evening news for the past few years. The difficulty that Ti Moune experiences in trying to be with Daniel, the boy she loves, is remindful of Romeo and Juliet, and makes us think about the struggles between social classes and various groups. The influence of the gods who control the lives of the people on this island make us wonder about how fate and things beyond our control influence our lives. While the play is definitely set on a Caribbean island, the themes are definitely not confined to a single locale. With the scenery and other treatments, we have tried to create a metaphor for "this island" which both respects the culture of the society that the play is based in while expanding the view to reflect how these issues are present in any society or country.
