Tartan Theatre Presents Haitian Fairy Tale

The Caribbean gets a whole lot closer when Tartan Theatre debuts its new production April 13 at in Oakdale.

Written by the team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (“Ragtime,” “Suessical” and “Anastasia”), “Once on This Island” is an enchanting musical fable that tells the story of forbidden love between a peasant girl and a rich city boy whom she saves from death.

Originally inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” the Broadway show transports the story to a Caribbean island where social prejudice divides the island. A group of storytellers tell the tale of the young peasant girl, Ti Moune, who was saved from a flood by the gods as a child and raised by a pair of kindly old peasants. As she grows up, however, Ti Moune longs for a grander life than the one she faces and, inspired by the sight of a young and handsome rich boy driving past in a white car, prays to the gods to grant her wish.

The New York Times calls it: “A sugar-and-cartoon-free answer to ‘The Little Mermaid.’ A 90-minute Caribbean fairy tale told in rousing song and dance, this show is a joyous marriage of the slick and the folkloric, of the hard-nosed sophistication of Broadway musical theater and the indigenous culture of a tropical isle.”

In conjunction with the performances, Tartan Theatre is teaming up with Global Vision Citadelle Ministries (GVCM) to aid in their work in Haiti. GVCM is in the country working on making it a better place to the 7.3 million people who call Haiti home. They have built a school, provided funding, food and support for the residences of the island. 

“Teaming with GVCM only felt right in regard to the themes in our production,” said Director Ryan DeLaCroix. “The show talks about strife among the rich and poor residents of the island and the daily troubles they endure. GVCM is working on a daily basis to make the lives of the Haitian people better and to provide them the basic necessities of living and we couldn’t be more proud to assist them in their efforts.”

Tickets are available online through http://tickets.tartantheatre.org, or at the door beginning one hour prior to each performance. The show opens on April 13 at 7 p.m. with performances continuing on April 14, 20 and 21 at 7 p.m. and April 15 and 22 at 2 p.m.  Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and $3 for students (with a valid id).  VIP Seating, which will allow patrons to sit in the first five center rows are an additional $2 each. There will be a special matinee performance for seniors at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 15 with tickets for $3 each. Any patron who brings a pack of school supplies to aid our efforts with GVCM, will receive $1 off their ticket.