Once On This Island (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre) London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (40)
See it if You like an intense storyline
Don't see it if You want something fluffy
See it if You want to see a show in Regent’s outdoor park that is not too long and well done.
Don't see it if You don’t like to sit outside to watch theatre or are looking for a deep play
See it if You want to see a musical with great songs and book
Don't see it if You want a novel interpretation of the source material, there’s no reason for any of this staging
See it if you like the open air theatre & want something colourful and exciting
Don't see it if you are wanting to see something more serious or you don’t like sitting outside!
See it if you want to see exquisitely sung musical, I was consistently in awe of the vocals from the whole cast, if only this were a concert.
Don't see it if you have an eye or ear for detail. The staging was lacklustre to say the least and the story is confusing and drowned out due to poor sound. Read more
See it if You like the music for this show, and a good atmosphere in the outdoor venue
Don't see it if Poor staging and forgettable performers made this revival nowhere near as good as the recent Broadway production.
See it if You like big, colourful shows with a good heart.
Don't see it if It was abit slow in parts and I got a bit confused with the storyline and some of the staging but the costumes were fab!
See it if The singing was incredible and the staging was good, the style of music is very different to other shows on the stage at the moment.
Don't see it if The story was a little bit confusing and as with all productions at this theatre the sound quality isn’t the best.
Critic Reviews (12)
"This production is full to the brim with splendid touches...A live band at the back led by musical director Chris Poon on keys gives the ever-vivacious singing a fine platform to reach the sky."
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" 'Once On This Island' is a brisk, energising piece of theatre. It’ll be even better on a hot night."
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"For all its charms, ‘Once on This Island’ feels caught between a Disney-ish over-simplicity and a desire to say something a bit more profound about class and race...But the score is glorious, and the talent on display here is undeniable."
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"If this brisk, 90-minute show has a flaw it’s that much of the simple tale is told through the lyrics. Given the outdoor acoustics it’s possible to miss details."
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"The band give us a vibrant rendering of the calypso, soca and reggae-packed score...So, a slightly uneven opening to the Park’s 2023 summer season, moodier in both tone and weather than might be expected, but it’s still well worth a trip to this thought-provoking island."
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"The entire ensemble is exemplary, generating enough heat and energy to keep proceedings afloat. But everything, from the characters to the plotting, feels surface-skimming; it leaves you intermittently beguiled, but longing for more depth."
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“It’s a shame that the book doesn’t quite hit the same notes as the music and lyrics, but ultimately this production of Once On This Island is eminently enjoyable and brings the French Antilles to the heart of Regent’s Park”
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"It’s not a massive musical in terms of scale and ambition, and this may not be the staging that admirers of the work thought they were getting, but it still packs a shattering double-punch of joy and raw emotion. Definitely one to see."
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