Last night gf_guruilla,
ellipticcurve, S&F and I went to go see “Once On This Island” at the International City Theatre in Long Beach.
The evening started out poorly, as S&F was in a mood from being overtired. This mood spread to gf_guruilla, so that part wasn’t pretty. We all got dressed up (my wife was beautiful in a black velvet outfit;
ellipticcurve was also lovely in a blue flowing dress; I wore my usual slacks, brown oxford cloth, tie and sportjacket, and S&F had one black pants and a nice red and black top… alas, in the craziness, we didn’t get pictures). However, although all of us were dressed up, we couldn’t get into a nice place for dinner. They all had wait times of 45 to 90 minutes. Later, we discovered why: The Reggae festival was in Long Beach the same weekend. Crowds, crowds.
On to the show. This was our first time at ICT, and we were impressed. The theatre is on the size of the Mark Taper Forum, with good sight lines throughout. As for the production: this was the second non-preview performance, and there were some kinks. Although the acting was marvolous (the entire ensemble was great), the sound was less than purpose. I don’t know if it was bad quality mikes or bad speakers, but things sounded speaker-ish, which is not what you want. You want to hear the actors, not the speakers.
For those not familiar with the story, here’s how ICT describes it: When peasant girl Ti Moune falls in love with wealthy landowner Daniel, the supernatural interference of four powerful deities catapults the star-crossed lovers into a fantastic swirling odyssey. Filled with hypnotic dancing, brilliant colors and beguiling music with a calypso beat, its infectious spirit and Caribbean charm are an uplifting tropical breeze that’s guaranteed to refresh! This enchanting tropical tale of romance, loss and redemption includes the songs: One Small Girl, Waiting for Life, The Human Heart, Pray, Mama Will Provide and Forever Yours.
I love the music to this show, especially the song Mama Will Provide. It is just a very uplifting show (and I could swear that the authors later reused music from this in Seussical). As I said above, the singing was great (and I got a chance to point out to Nicole that one of the singers was a UC Davis grad!)
Our next show is in early March: Annie Get Your Gun at CMT. Until then, I guess we’ll just be doing what comes naturally.
