once on this island - 1990

MUSIC: Stephen Flaherty
BOOK & LYRICS: Lynn Ahrens

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND is the Caribbean fairytale of Ti Moune, a young girl found orphaned after a storm. As she grows up, she dreams what her life could be. Saving a man's life, she falls in love with him - but he is of a different background to her. As she ventures to be with her true love, she is both helped and hindered by the Gods.

The musical is based on the novel My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy, which in turn was inspired by Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale The Little Mermaid. The book and lyrics are by Lynn Ahrens and the music by Stephen Flaherty - the team behind popular musicals
Ragtime, Seussical The Musical and Lucky Stiff.

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND was nominated for no less than nine Tony Awards and won the prestigious title of Best New Musical at the Laurence Olivier Awards in London. But although the show received this honour, audience numbers were low and it closed after only 145 performances compared to 487 on Broadway.

The show is now a firm favourite with schools and amateur groups, with professional productions appearing from time to time including a special concert version reuniting the original cast, and a brief run at London's famous Hackney Empire in 2009.