Once on This Island, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Roberts Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, through April 16. bostontheaterscene.com or 617-9338600
"Once on This Island," as with all culturally strong musicals, speaks to a universal audience as well as to a particular people—in the case of this revival, the nation of Haiti. Quite fittingly, the SpeakEasy Stage Company edition of this Tony Award winner (2017 best revival of a musical) has a Haitian-American director—namely Pascale Florestal. In his playbill director's note, Florestal declares, "To me, "Once on This Island" is a love letter to Haiti and to the resilience of its people." He continues with observations about the 1990 striking blend of fable and storytelling in this musical (based on the Rosa Guy novel 'My Love,My Love'), one which Florestal and a first rate SpeakEasy Stage cast bring to spirited life at the Calderwood Pavilion.
That spirit will be immediately evident to audience members as they enter the intimate and atmospheric surroundings at the Roberts Theatre. In Florestal's thrust stage conception (with theatergoers sitting on three sides), the fine entering ensemble plays proud Haitians (the setting here 'Little Haiti/Haiti, Then & Now' while originally somewhere in the French Antilles). Cast members eagerly embrace composer Stephen Flaherty's vivid Afro-Caribbean Calypso music with high energy movement to Jazelynn Goudy's appealing choreography. The very engaging performers from Boston Conservatory (where Florestal teaches) will have audience members dancing in their seats as lyricist Lynn Ahren's compelling book tells an absorbing tale of love, loss and timeless caring.
That rich tale centers on two very different worlds—landowners known as grand hommes (French for 'upper class') and peasants. In a plot that may sometimes call to mind "Romeo and Juliet," an adopted peasant girl named Ti-Moune loves car-crashing grand homme Daniel Beauxhomme (French for 'beautiful man') and saves his life by offering to give up her own. Throughout this sometimes myth-like story, four deities—Asake (water), Agwe(water), Erzulie(love) and Papa Ge (demon of Death) have varying effects on Ti-Moune's destiny. Along the way, the brave heroine confronts class conflict originating in the Napoleonic era as well as unrequited love.
Director Florestal keeps this sweet, ultimately sad but always inspiring coming of age musical as joyous as its lively score and as moving as its love-embracing fable. Peli Naomi Woods is rivetingly winning as emotionally strong and touchingly vulnerable Ti-Moune. She delivers the signature number "Waiting for Life" with remarkable fire. Kenny Lee catches Daniel's combination of grand homme free spirit and cluelessness where Ti-Moune's feelings for him are concerned.
There are stellar efforts in support as well. Big-voiced Davron S. Monroe finds water god Agwe's benevolence with regard to Ti-Moune's fortunes and brings singular resonance to "Rain," an evocative number that calls to mind Alvin Ailey movement ('Revelations') at one point. Anthony Piros Jr. has all of adopting father TonTon Julian's ongoing support for Ti-Moune, and Lovely Hoffman matches his caring as adopting mother his caring as adopting mother Mama Euralie. Kira Troilo is properly aloof as Daniel's high class fiancée Andrea. Malik Mitchell catches Papa Ge's menace—especially with Ti-Moune.
SpeakEasy Stage is embracing Haiti with whole-hearted passion in its jubilant revival of "Once Upon This Island." Hub audiences should bring the same enthusiastic response to gifted Pascale Florestal.