#Once on this Island

[awhitewomansinstagram]

If you ever feel like you’ve made bad decisions just remember that somewhere out there is a theatre director at an all-white high school about to choose the spring musical

[rainbow-femme]

If you like the idea of a black Little Mermaid but aren’t interested in the new movie, please check out Once On This Island

Aside from the actual mermaid part, it has many of the story beats of the original Little Mermaid but set in semi modern day on a Caribbean island

The fact that the characters are black matters as the story deals with struggles of colorism, there’s a Voodoo inspired pantheon of gods, and in general the music is really good and in parts both funny and moving

[oof-i-did-it-agaaiiin]

Thinking about how many musical tragedies feature the narrative almost as a character of its own. Like a force within the story, divided from the characters. Out of their control at times.

Orpheus had to turn around, that’s just how it goes. That’s the way the story is told.

Tony had to go and get himself killed. Of course he did. He’s Romeo. The story wills it so.

Jesus must die. No matter how much he wanted to live, no matter how much the people around him wanted him to live. It’s his role to die.

Alison can’t go back and change the events of that last car ride with her father. It’s set in stone, there in the past where it will always remain.

And then there are musicals like Once On This Island and Ride The Cyclone that embrace the role of inevitability in their stories and find joy anyway.

And then on the exact opposite side of the spectrum there’s the radical freedom from the narrative that’s seen in Into The Woods. The narrator is dead and now the story is no one’s but the characters. And there’s the lack of protection that comes with that, the chaos and confusion. But it’s theirs and it’s tragic but they make the best with it.

Those themes of Inevitability vs. Freedom and the meta understanding of story within a story. I can’t seem to get enough.

[filesbeorganized]

On love that triumphs even after death.

The Magnus Archives 167 - Rusty Quill Podcast // A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini // The Magnus Archives 161 - Rusty Quill Podcast // Love Wins All - Lee Ji Eun/IU // The Magnus Archives 200 - Rusty Quill Podcast // And The Gods Heard Her Prayer - Once on This Island // The Magnus Archives 200 - Rusty Quill Podcast // Love Wins All - Lee Ji Eun/IU

[owlpuddle]

[black-is-beautiful18]

The theater community needs to have a serious conversation about whitewashing. Black and brown performers and those that enjoy theatre already have these conversations, but white thespians are light years behind for some unknown reason. I literally almost got into it with some white lady about the Urchins in Little Shop purposely being Black cuz according to her Black characters are only important enough to remain Black if they’re there to teach lessons about racism. Then had the nerve to call me close minded and racist. This was in the comment of an article uncle addressing this very thing mind you🧍🏾‍♀️.

[fairytale-poll]

ROUND 1A, MATCH 2 OUT OF 8!

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Ariel:

It’s Disneys Little Mermaid, but on stage. With new songs and so fun!

she’s cute :)

Ti Moune:

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND MY BELOVED SUCH A GOOD MUSICAL please listen to it. It’s just over an hour long and it’s a sung through show so you can experience it just through the album. But if you’ve seen it, it’s even better. Ti Moune my beloved, she deserved so much better than what she got <3

sings some of the best songs in the musical theatre canon also she's cute as hell <3

[ruthey97]

[lin-archive]

[doyouknowthismusical]

[thewingedwolf]

the sad tale of the beauxhommes is the best song in musical theatre ever and the blocking for the revival is genuinely genius. papa ge mirroring armand’s movements, death and hate controlling him as he curses the peasant son he mistreated. beauxhommes looking down at his hand and the contrast to the much darker peasants around him as the curse is spoken. “they despise us for our blackness it reminds them where they’re from.” the SPIT at the ending. perfect song perfect musical.

[florals-cardigan]

For people who love The Little Mermaid remake that's comes out today,

I recommend go listen to the musical called Once on This Island, and a book called My Love, My Love; or The Peasant Girl by Rosa Guy, it's a retelling of the original story of The Little Mermaid that the musical is adapted from

[fireworkss-exe]

they'd be besties i just know it

[starchildrenofdustand-ashes]

My girl Ti Moune was on extra strength delulu pills prescribed by the gods themselves jfc

[theamityelf]

Ti Moune: Even the gods won't dare to cross this line!

Papa Ge: Bet.

[sisigull]

If you ever wonder what a C sharp sounds like and you’re a theatre kid + loves LotF, you can hear it in “Waiting for Life” from Once on this Island. It’s in A Major, which has 3 sharps, F#, C#, and G#.

The part where she sings “We’ll drive~~~~~!” (around 2:01 in cast recording), the note to belt drive is a C sharp and I can belt that 🤪🐚☝️🤓

Yes I am a fucking nerd