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“Once on This Island” is onstage at Dogwood Dell’s Festival of Arts Aug. 8-10 and 15-17.
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A rehearsal for “Once on This Island”
Set amid the background of the French Antilles archipelago, the musical “Once on This Island” is a Caribbean mixture of “The Little Mermaid” and “Romeo and Juliet.” It comes to the Dogwood Dell amphitheater stage as part of the 68th Festival of Arts, with free performances beginning at 8 p.m., Aug. 8-10 and 15-17.
This isn’t the show’s first time at the venue. For an ambitious 45th anniversary season in 2001, the play went up in mid-June, directed by Joe Pabst. Thus, it’s been close to a generation ago since the fable played before a Dell audience.
For this season’s show, the 28-person cast is directed by Desirée Dabney, who is the head of musical theatre at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts. And, likewise, this isn’t Dabney’s first excursion to the “Island.” During COVID-induced lockdowns, at the prompting of her friend, Cedric, she narrated and assisted in producing and directing a virtual version.
“Our cast was filled with incredibly gifted individuals — some with Broadway credits,” she recalls, “and it quickly became one of the most powerful and rewarding creative experiences I’ve had.”
Her dream of staging a live production never left. When the opportunity came to bring it to Dogwood Dell, for Dabney, it felt like destiny. She describes how the story of “Once on This Island,” with themes of community, resilience and unconditional love, resonates in difficult times. The story is based on the 1985 novel “My Love, My Love, or, The Peasant Girl” by Rosa Guy, which is itself a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.” Guy reframed Andersen’s fairy tale in a post-colonial Caribbean context, adding layers of cultural history, race, class and identity. The acclaimed musical received a 1990 adaptation by writer and lyricist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty.
“Island” interprets community separations and tensions. Ti Moune and her family live in a smaller English Caribbean village that is viewed as lower class, and Daniel, whom she loves, comes from a higher-class French-influenced village. These two societies do not mix or interact. There’s all this, and mythic gods, too. The fable quality of “Island” is enriched by how it is entirely musical without spoken dialogue.
Dabney’s cast represents many different areas of Haiti and the Caribbean. She emphasizes how the production team, creative team and six-member show orchestra are all Black, and the cast is majority Black.
“This gives us the opportunity to explore the connections of the Caribbean to Richmond, Virginia, through historical figures and a deep-rooted history,” Dabney says. “So, we have been teaching our cast about Richmond, while honoring our ancestors.”
The cast of newcomers and stage veterans is headed by Aalyshia Bartley (Ti Moune), Kayen Wilborn (Daniel), James Whitfield (Armand), Brittany Slater (Mama Euralie) and Jovan Long (Tonton). Mara Smith is the music director, and the choreography is by Christine Wyatt.
Cameron Booth, recreation services supervisor for Richmond’s Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities department, credits Production Manager Molly Montgomery for suggesting “Once on This Island” as part of this year’s Festival of Arts programming. “They felt, and I agreed, that this was a perfect time to bring the show back,” Booth says.
Dabney says of the musical, “It’s more than a love story — it’s a powerful commentary on sacrifice, inequality and the human spirit.”
“Once on This Island” is presented at the Dogwood Dell Amphitheater as part of the 68th annual Festival of Arts. The free performances begin at 8 p.m. Aug. 8-10 and 15-17. For more information, visit rva.gov.
