Taste of tropics a welcome escape

By Joe Brown

Monday, Aug. 17, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Everything seems so shouty! and strident! lately. With all the political and financial ruckus rattling everyone’s nerves, sometimes even Las Vegas’ most escapist shows can seem to agitate rather than entertain, coming at us full speed and full blast with their brights on.

What a relief and delight, then, to discover that “Once on This Island,” the third in Super Summer Theatre’s season of outdoor musicals, is so easy on the eyes and the ears. A small jewel of a musical, it sparkles modestly with Caribbean carnaval colors of turquoise and emerald, tangerine and amethyst, lulling and lilting with bright rhythms accented by marimbas and steel drums.

For those of us who can’t spring for an escape to the islands (or any place with a real beach), a trip to Spring Mountain Ranch may serve as a relatively affordable getaway.

For “Island,” which opened on Broadway in 1990, Lyricist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty adapted Trinidadian author Rosa Guy’s novel “My Love, My Love” into a musical fable. Almost entirely sung, it mixes elements of the Cinderella and Little Mermaid tales with the earth, wind and fire of the West Indies.

A group of island peasants huddle together to wait out a tropical storm. A young girl cries out in fear after a startling thunderclap, and to soothe her, the ensemble takes turns recounting the legend of Ti Moune, an orphaned girl who leaves her peasant village in search of her rich, handsome lover, who was sent by the meddling gods of her island to test the strength of her love.

A simply told lesson on the persistent power of myth in our lives, “This Island” includes the struggles between love and death, gods and mortals, peasants and bourgeois, city and country.

It’s playful about the many ways a story can be told — and the many ways it can be interpreted, depending on what’s happening in any particular audience member’s love life at the moment. Many people, for instance, will likely find in “Island” a paean to self-sacrifice and enduring romance; at this point in my life I’d say it’s a “too late” warning about running off with a good-looking stranger whom you’ve barely exchanged words with.

“Once on This Island” has been admirably staged by Signature Productions, the group that presented last season’s superlative “Aida.” Director Steve Huntsman hits an efficient stride after the somewhat muddled opening moments; the ending feels a bit rushed, though, diminishing the impact of Ti Moune’s fate and legacy.

Musical Director Keith Dotson opted to work with a prerecorded score in lieu of a live band, which affords a more controllable environment in the unpredictable outdoor setting. Solo and in ensemble the dozen singer-dancers are warm and joyous, and Casondra Davis-Brett is exquisite as Ti Moune, particularly captivating in the show’s most memorable song, the spiraling ballad “Forever Yours,” and in her moonlit solo dance at her beau’s ball.

Visually, “Once on This Island” may remind you of “The Lion King,” but “Island” preceded the Disney musical by several years with its inspired use of inventive masks, puppetry and classic theater conventions to convey character and natural elements.

Director Huntsman also created this production’s handsome costumes and scenic design, and his vision of the four island gods is inspired. Stalking the stage in his menacing regalia, Evan Walker, in particular, is amusingly sly as Papa Ge, the demon of death, though his appearances may be scary for some younger children.

“Once on This Island” is all about simple beauty, and it is ideal for this outdoor setting, which comes equipped with a special effect no Strip showroom can buy on an August night in Las Vegas: A soft, cool breeze caressing your cheek, while a meteor shower begins over the surrounding mountains.