Once On This Island
Cranford’s CDC Theatre will open its’ 104th season with the Tony Award winning musical Once On This Island from the award winning songwriting team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Seussical, Anastasia, Ragtime). This highly original and theatrical Caribbean adaptation of the popular fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, earned eight Tony nominations for its Broadway run, including Best Musical, Book and Score.
The musical is the story of the fearless young girl, Ti Moune, in search of her place in the world. As an orphan, chosen by the Gods, she is taken into a simple and loving family. Though content, she feels she was destined for something more. After an accident caused by a terrible storm, Ti Moune falls for a handsome stranger whom she tries desperately to nurse back to health, and she is ready to risk it all for love. This sets her on the ultimate quest to answer the age-old question, can love conquer death?
CDC Theatre is happy to welcome Howard Whitmore as Director, who had this to say about the production: “I am excited to return to the Island once again! In 2002, this was the first community theatre show I ever directed, and the CDC production marks the 8th time I have worked on OOTI. Every single time, I find something new and deeper about the characters and their dreams. Once On This Island is built around storytelling, so we wanted to explore how hearing bedtime stories might translate to the mind of a child. Everything is staged from the perspective of how a 9-year-old might imagine the story and we do deal with some heavy topics from first love and family duty to betrayal and sacrifice. Our remarkable cast embodies the sense of community that is so integral to ancient storytelling traditions and is at the heart ofOnce On This Island.”
The show will run from Friday and Saturday nights from October 7-22 with a matinee on Sunday October 16. To find the best ticket selections and prices visit cdctheatre.org. Group ticket rates are also available.
