Once On This Island (NYC) NYC Reviews and Tickets

"The ensemble is strong. The dance numbers by Camille A. Brown were the highlights for me. It is hard to believe that there are only four musicians because the sound is not skimpy at all...Michael Arden’s direction is assured. While I will never count it among my favorite musicals, I do have a new respect for it as a well-crafted work that creates a vivid world and offers some creative storytelling along with some appealing music and spirited dancing."
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"A life-affirming revival...Against this tragic backdrop, the magnificent company tells book-writer-lyricist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty’s joyous story of survival and spirituality...In its original Broadway staging, 'Island' was a charming bauble, now it’s a stirring, enveloping experience...Newcomer Hailey Kilgore is a spectacular surprise, displaying a rich, emotive voice, expressive dancing (Brown’s choreography is stunning), and an impressive acting range."
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"Arden’s vivid and transporting revival...It’s not a simple plot to stage...But Arden’s hyper-imaginative revival engulfs audiences in Ahrens and Flaherty’s elemental fable, and makes a convincing case for the power of storytelling extolled by the score...The presumed moral of the stor may not stand up to close inspection. But how the story is told, and who’s doing the telling—in this case, a phenomenally talented cast of color—is something to be inspired by."
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The idea of a poor dark-skinned woman sacrificing herself so that a wealthy light-skinned guy can live annoyed me so much that I sat there during the entire 90-minute running time asking myself the words of a famous lyric from the show 'why do we tell this story?'...Things only got worse for me when the production indulged itself in another of my bugaboos: the rousing gospel aria delivered by a large black woman...I can't complain about the performances, which were all very good."
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"This utterly delightful burst of Caribbean sunshine could not be more welcome as winter darkness descends on Broadway. A folk tale set to an irresistibly tuneful score...Arden’s exuberant and soulful revival is staged in-the-round...The tremendous ensemble cast is blessed with magnificent voices...Kilgore makes an exultant Broadway debut as Ti Moune, expectant with hope, hr open-faced vivacity crushed by the pain of her rejection. It’s quietly devastating."
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"Given new life with a novel design and staging that immerse us in the captivating world of the eponymous island...A stylistic amalgam that echoes the diverse cultures in the story, with the lively beat of Afro-Antillean song and dance, filled with passion, exuberance, and a communal spirit of hope and joy...The superb design, music, and choreography are matched by a stellar cast that tells the story with across-the-board powerhouse vocals, masterful acting, and potent movement."
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"For most of the musical, you are utterly enveloped and enchanted...If the music is wonderful—truly, every song—and the direction brimming with life and originality, what jars in 'Once On This Island' is the story. Race, racism, and colonialism are examined in the musical but glancingly...It's a terrible ending because it ill-serves the soaring music that has gone before it...But that’s the strange emotional place 'Island' leaves us, once its beautifully sounding storm has abated."
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“90 minutes of Caribbean fantasy, a romance of passion and a tale of renewal...Under Arden’s intense direction, the secret of falling under the spell of this sung-through musical is to forget reality and succumb to illusion...The energetic cast dives into the island culture...Unfortunately, much of the lusty singing is over-amplified and, while Flaherty's melodies are catchy and often lovely, Ahrens’ lyrics are not distinct, muddling her usual sense and clarity.”
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