REVIEW: once on this island captivates audience with fairy tale reimagining
02/06 @ theRep, Albany
Photos by Willie David Short V
“The spirit of a company telling a beloved tale with purpose, conviction and adoration is palpable.”
Great nights in the theatre can happen with alarming frequency in the Capital Region where the level of interest, opportunity, support and participation are exceptionally high. Then, there are the evenings which feel historic. Last night, as The Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY presented their first musical on theREP stage on North Pearl Street, it felt like we had entered a new stage in our development as a theatre loving community.
As Jean-Remy Monnay described in his curtain speech, the origins of BTTUNY over a decade ago were in response to when theatre companies would scramble to cast needed actors of color in specific roles. Monnay dreamt of a theatre that would create opportunities and find the people with dreams of being onstage and produce dozens of plays with diverse casts, willing a Black theatre community into existence and a diverse audience to support them.
After many years, many plays and many stages, flash forward to last night. theREP’s 14 million dollar stage was filled with 25 performers singing and dancing their hearts out in the fairy tale inspired, Tony & Olivier Award winning, Once on This Island, directed by the Broadway veteran stage wizard Hettie Barnhill. It all had the makings of an honest to goodness storybook happy ending!
The musical by Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime) is a retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid set in a fictionalized Haiti where a young, dark-skinned peasant girl Ti Moune (the radiant Stephanie St. Germain) saves a grands hommes (lighter skinned descendants of the original French planters and their slaves) young man named Daniel Beauxhomme (princely Justin Nadal) after a car crash by wagering her life with the gods. She nurses him back to health, follows him to his side of the island only to discover he is already promised to another.
St. Germain knocked me back with her performance. I’ve known Steph for a number of years and nothing prepared me for her ebullient, powerful life force of a presence. It must have been a lot of work preparing for this role (especially her thrilling “Ti Moune’s Dance,” superb choreography also by Barnhill) but she was having so much fun in the role, I was just blown away by her.
I loved Liana D. Martino & Hayes M. Fields II as Ti Moune’s adoptive parents. Martino had a big, beautiful voice that was a discovery for me and Hayes used his comic expertise to create this loving family scared to death for their daughter.
The Gods taking up four platforms Upstage (simple, effective and attractive set design by Nora Marlow Smith) were mostly new to me except for the masterful Jahmere Holland as Agwé, god of water, wearing my favorite costume (inspired design work by Anne Croteau) of flowing, rippling scraps of blue. Quanair “Qiana” Rice is the earth mother promising “Mama Will Provide” in a roof-raising performance to close the first act. Regina Robinson is the regal god of love, Erzulie, holding her position and headdress perfectly pointed to Heaven triumphant.
Vanessa Clay as Papa Ge, the demon of Death was another revelation for me. She was simply magnificent; fearsome, powerful and mischievously loving her complete dominion over all. Terrific.
Another standout was the entitled, arrogant-yet-demure Taylor Ramsey as Daniel’s intended, Andrea. The theatre patrons were great fun as the story turned to their wedding, calling out responses and making their displeasure known. When Nadal & Ramsey paraded in front of the audience tossing coins to us as peasants in a patronizing gesture of goodwill, one audience member tossed her coin back as if it was a home run at an opponent’s home field.
Ms. Barnhill used her whole cast exceptionally well. The dances were simple, beautiful and well-executed by the ensemble, filling the stage with joyous movement. Musical director Emily Rose Rivera gets everything out of her cast that they have. They don’t all have equally strong voices but they are all playing at the top of their game and, for some, that is paying off brilliantly with the best singing I’ve ever heard from them. The spirit of a company telling a beloved tale with purpose, conviction and adoration is palpable.
There was a 3/4 full house on Thursday and I can only assume (and hope!) that the run will sell out performances when there aren’t any snow storms predicted. Once in the Capital Region, their theatre reflected the life they were living with everyone present and represented… and we all attended happily ever after.
Once on This Island presented by Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY at theREP is playing through 2/16. Tickets: www.attherep.org orwww.blacktheatretroupeupstateny.org
