Theater Review—

Richter’s Latest Is Another Treat For The Eyes And Ears

By Julie Stern

DANBURY — This year Musicals At Richter opened its season with a smashing rendition of My Fair Lady, a show most people are familiar with in either its stage or movie version. Now for its second production the company has turned to something far fewer people remember or even recognize –Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s tale of star-crossed Caribbean lovers, Once on This Island. Not to worry, this one turns out to be every bit a treat for the eye and ear, and ideally suited for a summer picnic under the stars.

The story is told in the form of a dramatization of an old island legend: Little Ti Moune, a peasant child orphaned by a terrible storm, is rescued and raised by a poor elderly couple, Mama Euralie and Ton Ton Julian. Having been taught that by surviving she has cheated the gods of her life, Ti Moune pleads with them to explain what great destiny she is being saved for.

Intrigued by her courage and spirit, a quartet of native deities – the Goddess of Love, the Mother of the Earth, the God of Water and the Demon of Death – argue over what to do with her. Ultimately they resolve to test her mettle by forcing her to make a terrible choice.

The island is composed of two very different worlds – that of the peasants who live in rude huts at the mercy of the elements, and that of the “Beauxhommes,” the wealthy upper class descendants of the French, who originally colonized the island and imported African slaves to work their plantations. While the slaves eventually revolted and overthrew their masters (the “Island” of the play is a thinly veiled reference to Haiti), their modern day descendants are mired in poverty and ignorance, while the Beauxhommes (with some slave blood mixed into their ancestry) enjoy every modern luxury and privilege.

The gods arrange for Ti Moune to rescue Daniel, a young Beauxhomme playboy, from a burning car wreck. While her adoptive father goes in search of Daniel’s people, Ti Moune nurses him back to life, and prays to Papa Ge, the Death Demon, to let him live, to which he agrees only when she offers her own life in exchange.

When Daniel is ultimately taken back to his father’s grand estate, Ti Moune goes in search of him, knowing that he loves her as much as she loves him. What she discovers, however, is that the realities of class and racial prejudice are more potent than the magic power of fairy tales. Though this story has been described as a Calypso version of The Little Mermaid it is not the Disney version.

Director-choreographer Tom Cochrane, a longtime fixture at MAR, has put together a cast, nearly all of whom are new to the Richter stage, and gets terrific performances from all of them. Shorter and more operatic in form than My Fair Lady, the production is richly enjoyable because of the smooth harmonic blend of voices and the lively Caribbean beat of the musical numbers.

In addition, there is plenty of standout talent from the individual performers. Sixteen-year-old Amber Whitmire is charming and graceful as Ti Moune, with a radiant smile that brings to mind Serena Williams.

Other standouts include Cidalia Alves as Asaka the Earth Mother, John Congdon as the Satanic Papa Ge, and Jon Michel, who invests the part of Ton Ton Julian with such majestic presence, he dominates the stage like a youthful Paul Robeson.

Andrew Wheelock is by turns haughty and remorseful as the spoiled young man, and Bret Bisaillon is impressive as his arrogant father.

Cheaper and easier to get to than a real Caribbean island, this show is definitely worth going to, and you’ll leave clapping in time to the music.

(Performances continue on weekends until July 26. Call 748-6873 for ticket and optional chair rental details and reservations.

Richter Arts Center is at 100 Aunt Hack Road in Danbury.)