Customer Reviews

Once On This Island (1990 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

From the first song to the last, you will be enthralled my the amazing music and the very engaging lyrics (based on Rosa Guy's book "My Love, My Love') of this original Broadway cast recording of "Once On This Island." Written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the same duo who gave you musicals such as "Ragtime," "Lucky Stiff," "My Favorite Year," and the forthcoming "Seussical," and the soundtrack of the animated movie "Anastasia". The story of a young peasant girl enamoured to a young French-mulatto heir, it is a Caribbean Little Mermaid with touches of vibrant dance songs to tearjerkers that would make your heart heavy with sad emotion. I loved the musical so much that when I saw a local production of it, I could not help but watch it twice more, and order the CD immediately so that I would be the first one to have it in the Philippines; at least I would like to believe that. You won't regret buying this CD, and even the newer London cast recording. What a great musical!

This is a true treausre, and more people should discover it! The story is fantastic, and the music is so well-written. The characters come alive in the cd in such songs as "Rain", "Mama Will Provide", "Forever Yours" and "Human Heart". The reprise of "Forever Yours" is one of the highlights of the show, and it is even better experienced live. For broadway and pop people, this is gold.

One of Lynn Aherns and Stephen Flaherty's best work, "Once On This Island" defines originality while telling a story that touches on many levels. Themes such as love and redemption are captured through the life of Ti Moune, a poor peasant girl who's decision to save a rich boy's life clash the families and societies that come between them; a girl saved by the gods and sent through a journey to test the strength of love. The score for "Once On This Island" illuminates the setting of the French Antilles with a Carribean-feel, which bounces on sounds of world music, pop, and R&B. "We Dance" paves the platform for the characters and their lives, and is upbeat and exciting. "Waiting For Life" displays La Chanze's beautiful voice and power. "Pray" is a thrilling song of raw emotion that sets the plot for the rest of the storyline. "Ti Moune" is a poignant song about letting go, and the following "Mama Will Provide" is a brassy and wonderful song about nature. "Some Girls" is a moving song, while "The Human Heart" portrays intimiacy and a touch of romance. "The Ball" transcends the audience into the grandness of the wealthy Beauxhomme's, and the climax of the rest of the album are tragic yet uplifting, and "Why We Tell The Story" combines the moral surrounding it. It has been confirmed in my high school that this will be the spring musical, and you could only imagine how much more the experience will mean when the live orchestra and vocal, lighting, costumes, sets, and dance will accompany the score itself. Very ensemble supported, with a number of leads as well. This album is incredibly strong, one that is different from traditional musicals, and with that, refreshing and compelling and with universal appeal.

In this modern fairy tail, beatiful songs and a heartbreaking storyline make this one of broadway's best preformances. Ti moune, a peasent girl who wants more, is plucked from her village and sent on a journey by the gods to test the streangth of love against the power of death. I only give it four stars because the first time you hear it, it is hard to get used to. it is done in a different style than most musicals so you'll have to listen to it a few times to actually fully appreciated. This preformance is definently better than the london version of the show. My favorite song is forever yours. a beatiful mix of love, and the cruelity of death. I personnally play Papa Ge in my school preformance, and I think his character is great!

This show is one of those rare gems that can make you sob and yet leave you feeling uplifted. The songs are woven together to not only go through the circle of life, but also to tell a love story that is completely unpredictable. This show is writen with beautiful love songs and joyful songs that just want to make you get up and dance.

Every time I listen to this CD it gets better and better. The sooner you buy this, the sooner you will understand the incredible talent of this writing duo.

This is a completely wonderful recording of a completely wonderful musical. It is the definitive recording of the show, in my opinion cleaner than the London cast recording. The Caribbean music is upbeat and infectious, and, thanks to the nature of the show, this recording tells the entire story. And what a powerful story it tells! The show itself deserves broader recognition as an energetic, insightful and heartwarming musical. Wonderful music, fabulous show -- BUY IT, you will not be disappointed!

There is nothing worse than a weak story linked together with weaker tunes. However, Once on this Island is operatic in its beauty, organic in its execution (not a note out of place!) and is bound together with a strong story, stronger performances, and some of the most upbeat and uplifting music I have ever heard. The music brings you to the Antilles and establishes the place of this island, with its symbitioc relationship with nature and its gods. And you will root for Ti Moune and her faith in her place in the world, and even though she doesn't get the guy, it could be argued that she gets something even better.

Give it a listen....

The team of Flaherty and Ahrens truly blew me away with "Ragtime", and I didn't anything could come close to that power. While "Once On This Island" is nothing like "Ragtime" in terms of gandeur, it still is a wonderful work filled with some wonderful music. The ensemble on this recording sounds exactly as they should in my opinion, and they perfectly depict people on a magical island. The story is also one that I enjoyed in that it was very simple, yet had a great message. While the vocal work provided by the ensemble is great, it is LaChanze who truly makes this recording soar. Her voice is like that of a goddess, and she makes all of the emotions of Ti Moune come alive, especially in "Waiting For Life", which is this recording's star number.

It may not be big, bold, or grand, but "Once On This Island" is a magical recording of a magical little musical that proves to be quite effective. It's authenticty and clever musicality are what make it great.

This musical represents all that is RIGHT with new musicals. Flaherty creates musical themes that recur throughout the piece and Ahrens' lyrics are brilliant. Through this musical, which I saw in NY 7 times, I was introduced to the talent of La Chanze and now as the lead in Color Purple, the world is getting another glimpse at what a great singer she is. Listening to her interpret a song is beautiful. For those who never had the privilege of seeing the show, we can all thank our stars that the production lives on forever in recording. Many other notable performers from Milton Craig Nealy (Rain) to Kecia Lewis Evans (Mama Will Provide) to Jerry Dixon (Some Girls)to Eric Riley (in every stand out number), this cast recording is worth every penny. I am on my 2nd copy and rapidly working toward my 3rd.

I did this show a few years ago and as I got the score and listened to it alongside doing the production, I just fell in love with it. This show is just astounding for a number of reasons, primarily the fact that the score is so much fun to listen to. The show features fun upbeat numbers like "We Dance" (which is among my favorite prologues in musical theatre), "Waiting For Life", "Mama Will Provide", and "Why We Tell the Story" (Among my favorite finales in musical theatre). It also has many slower, beautiful numbers such as "Forever Yours", "The Human Heart", and "Some Girls". The concept of the musical along with the score make it among my favorites. I would say the one problem with the score is that in just about every song you hear the same musical riff that is the basis of "We Dance" and it can get somewhat annoying. However, on the whole, it is just an excellent show and I highly recommend it.