Island-Hopping On Broadway

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By Newsweek Editors

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Every season a big off-Broadway hit sticks its neck out on Broadway. Once on This Island is a perfect orchid of a musical, a small show with a big soul. First produced at Playwrights Horizons on 42nd Street's Little White Way, it now makes the terrifying three-block jump to the big time. This show crowds more entertainment into 90 minutes than most big musicals with lots of filler and please-love-me noise. And it even has a socio-esthetic issue for those who need one. Can a young, white songwriting team capture the tone, color and rhythm of another culture?

The answer is a somewhat amazed yes. Composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens have captured the reggae-calypso flavor of the islands in a nonstop score that gets under your skin and stays there, making irresistible trips to your heart and your feet. Based on a novel by Trinidad-born writer Rosa Guy, the show tells the story of Ti Moune (La Chanze), a poor peasant girl who falls in love with Daniel (Jerry Dixon), a rich kid engaged to local deb Andrea (Nikki Rene). The captivating all-black cast meshes beautifully under the magic wand of director-choreographer Graciela Daniele. Among the many delights are the big voice and bigger grace of Kecia Lewis-Evans as Asaka, Mother of the Earth, and the all-around charm of La Chanze, whose dance solo is the best since the glory Broadway days of Donna McKechnie and Ann Reinking.

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