Prejudice clouds paradise of lush, vibrant musical

There is an island

where rivers run deep,

an island called the "Jewel of the Antilles."

— "Once on This Island"

It's a theatrical passport to the Caribbean that's told in a 90-minute musical fable, a series of vignettes that wake up the senses. It's awash in vibrant color — oranges, blues, yellows, greens and purples. It's also awash in song and dance, with an emphasis on guitar, woodwinds and conga drums.

The Village Theatre will transfer its production of "Once on This Island" from Issaquah to Everett for performances Friday through Nov. 13 at the Everett Performing Arts Center.

Composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist-librettist Lynn Ahrens have set up tapestries of music recalling entire periods and cultures, whether it's turn-of-the-20th-century America ("Ragtime"), the child's world of Dr. Seuss ("Seussical"), or this 1990 musical, set on a timeless island in the Antilles — perhaps Hispaniola, maybe Martinique.

The story, based on a poem by Rosa Guy, touches on divisions of color and class in a world vulnerable to the elements.

Agwe, the god of water, "delivers the inciting action for the story: the storm," actor Timothy McCuen Piggee said.

The storm brings the show's ailing hero, Daniel (David Devine), into the warm, protective arms of Ti Moune (Lisa Estridge), an island girl who loves him back to health against the wishes of her adoptive parents, who see future heartbreak.

Ti Moune, who had been orphaned by a storm years before, believes "the gods spared her life for a reason, and this young man was the destiny the gods outlined for her," Piggee said.

Some have compared the fable to "The Little Mermaid." But the show's creators went further: There's a clear class and ethnic division between Daniel's heritage among the landowners and Ti Moune's peasant class.

"When we're talking about class, we're talking about color," Piggee said. "The peasants are dark-skinned, the upper-class aristocracy are mulatto — they're biracial — and Daniel is light-skinned."

Devine said his character "has his own personal struggle."

"Not only is he crossing the bounds, he's crossing race boundaries," Devine said. "I'm a child of a biracial couple. In the '60s, it wasn't as common as today. I hope those themes of acceptance continue to move forward."

Three weeks into rehearsals for "Once on This Island," Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Like the rest of the U.S., the cast and its director, David Bennett, paused in the face of the monumental destruction and saw it had a bearing on the show they were rehearsing.

"It added a lot more significance to what we were doing," Devine said.

The cast took up a collection for aid relief. Said Devine, 27, "It was one of the largest events, next to 9/11, in my lifetime."

Ty Willis, who plays the god of death, said, "We took a moment and actually spoke about what was happening, especially the socio-economics involved and the decisions by the politicians."

Willis knows something about the islands. For three years, he and his wife, Kelly, performed on the Royal Caribbean cruise line before settling in the Northwest more than 10 years ago.

Both of their daughters also perform. In this show, daughter Madison, 7, shares a principal role as the young Ti Moune with Lisa Estridge's 6-year-old daughter, Alexandria Gray.

Willis said the music is the key to the production. "It's a gorgeous score, and I think one of the things people will get is hearing music that they've rarely experienced," he said. "And it's less traditional, yet at the same time contemporary."

Diane Wright: 425-745-7815 or dwright@seattletimes.com