UCLA Freud Playhouse (Los Angeles, CA)
From the musical team that created Ragtime and Seussical comes this jubilant Caribbean fantasy in which a young girl must prove to the mythical gods of her island that the power of love is stronger than death. This colorful production features Grammy nominee Ledisi.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
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The last event was Sunday September 14, 2008 / 7:00pm. (view all dates)
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Overall, good production, but just missed 'great production.'
Vocals were inconsistent - some were amazing - and some very pitchy. The set worked better as the palace and less as the village. At times, actors were extremely committed and focused, other times they looked lost.
However, great as an ensemble piece and worth the goldstar price! Kudos to Reprise for bringing a new audience to theatre in LA!
A little boring, all the songs sounded the same and the heavy accents of the singers/actors made it difficult to understand the songs and words so that made the story harder to follow. Not once was there a high energy inspired reaction from the audience. I was expecting a finale that was at least somewhat spectacular and higher energy to perhaps compensate for the monotonous lower energy of the rest of the play, (and maybe bring the audience to their feet), but it never happened. It ended as low key and unexciting as it was throughout.
Weak play - strong cast.
The show was better than I expected. Not a fan of these Reprise shows in the past, but this production was well staged with a very talented cast of professionals. It was great to see what can be achieved with a stripped down, almost bare bones interpretation. If the singers remain at this caliber, then I will be back for more.
i was part of the original broadway cast. there was a lot of things i was looking forward to seeing again that wasn't included in the staging or direction. the talent was wonderful. i had a few friends in the cast so it was also a joy seeing them perform so wonderfully. i was pregnant during the show on b'way and wanted my daughter to see what i was part of while she was in my womb. overall, we enjoyed the show.
Spectacular cast, spectacular story, nearly spectacular music. From the moment Reprise Theater Company Artistic Director Jason Alexander walks onstage to welcome us to this great venue, to the last celebratory moments of this single-act musical, we know we’re gettin’ the uptown treatment tonight, boyhowdee.
Combine Disney’s “The Lion King” (both animated feature and live musical) with “The Little Mermaid,” particular “Under the Sea” from the latter, and you get a pretty good idea of the musical and production groove of this effort. Songs aren’t quite of that caliber of those illustrious antecedents, but how many are …? And these tunes come pretty close, especially launched with the power of a 7-piece band (onstage throughout) and a 12-member cast of uniformly outstanding singers and dancers.
I laughed, I cried … it’s a cliché, but this time I really did both. Most highly recommended.
The Freud Playhouse is a marvelous venue, but parking is $9 and pretty much mandatory since it’s located on the UCLA campus.
The entire cast was wonderful! This production lifted me out of my day and into another world. When it was over,
my date kept commenting on how much he had enjoyed it as well...
Good solid production, in good shape even on it's first performance. The show itself, on paper, is so powerful too!
The music and performances were great, though the show seemed under rehearsed. Can't go wrong with these actors and this material though.
The rest of the audience seemed to love it. I found it unbelievably dull.
A fable about a generic "Island" where the gods control the fate of the characters, and all the exposition takes place through narration. No real sense of a real place, real people, real conversation. It's more like a fairy tale or a myth. I don't care for that kind of thing unless the mythical place has a real character and specificity to it, like the Land of Oz. But this island, supposedly the Antilles, was generic Broadway island, filled with uninspired fake callypso music.
Generic songs, generic dialog. Formulaic Broadway style. Nothing wrong with the songs except the fact that there is no inspiration to them at all.
Strong cast, good choreography but a dull, pointless show, confusingly directed.
We loved it...incredible voices..simple but effective set...white costumes were impressive and elegant.
It was a wonderful show; very creative and unique!
Fresh, innovative....Fantastic performers. I was mesmerized from start to finish....and when it was over, I didn't want it to end.
The play was fabulous--the music, the singing, the dancing, the actors were all fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed this performance and had excellent seats
Seats were a disappointment and I don't think it was really a family event, but my teenage daughter and I enjoyed it very much and appreciated the excellent music, voices, and story. A wonderful musical experience.
One of the best Reprise productions ever, with a phenomenal cast! The show worked very well in the pared-down environment of Reprise.
I thought it was fabulous...actually it was FABU-LI-CIOUS! I couldn't understand a few of the lyrics because of either the acoustics in the theater or the artist enunciation of words. However, I still really, really, really enjoyed the play.
Great production...loved it!
Terrific show! The story made me cry and the music and dancing was lively and fun. We left singing the songs....always a good sign. Great performances!
It was very good, very heartfelt. The choreography was especially vibrant. But parking is $9!
Great production, have some issues with the forced tacked on happy ending at the end but other than that...
The Freud Playhouse is a 556-seat theater located in McGowan Hall adjacent to the main courtyard, on the campus of UCLA.
Get swept away by the spirited musical fable Once On This Island. Filled with the enchanting rhythms and melodies of the Caribbean islands, this mystical, magical tale will have audiences dancing out of the theater. Winner of the Olivier Award for Best Musical and multiple Tony Award nominations, it's a delightful show for the whole family.
Book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Music by Stephen Flaherty
Based on the novel My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy
Directed by Billy Porter
Music Direction by Darryl Archibald
Choreographed by Bradley Rapier
Featuring Grammy nominee Ledisi
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