ONCE ON THIS ISLAND Comes to SpeakEasy Stage This Month

From March 11 to April 16, 2022, SpeakEasy Stage Company will proudly present a rousing new production of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, one of the most beloved musicals in Broadway history.

Powered by a pulsating Calypso beat, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND tells the epic story of Ti Moune, a fearless peasant girl who, guided by the mighty island gods, sets out on a remarkable journey to follow her heart and find her place in the world. The musical is based on the novel My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy, and features a joyous, uplifting score by Tony Award-winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Anastasia). "A bewitching celebration of love, resilience, and the spirit of hope," (NY Daily News), the show was also honored with the 2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

Book writer/lyricist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty are considered to be one of the foremost theatrical writing teams of their generation. They won Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for their work on Ragtime, and were nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globes for the animated feature film Anastasia, which they also adapted for Broadway. Other works include: Lucky Stiff, My Favorite Year, Seussical, A Man of No Importance, Dessa Rose, The Glorious Ones, and Rocky. In 2014, they were awarded the Oscar Hammerstein Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2015, they were inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.

Haitian American director Pascale Florestal will helm this production, returning to SpeakEasy having previously directed its streaming production of TJ Loves Sally 4 Ever. Pascale is a director, educator, dramaturg, writer, and collaborator, and was recently named one of the ARTery's "25 Artists of Color Transforming the Cultural Landscape in Boston."

The artistic team also includes music director David Freeman Coleman, who previously joined SpeakEasy for Choir Boy and Violet, and choreographer Jazelynn Goudy, who is making her SpeakEasy debut.

Boston Conservatory at Berklee student Peli Naomi Woods will make her SpeakEasy debut as Ti Moune. She will be supported by an all-star Boston cast, which includes Becky Bass, Jonathan Gallegos, Kira Sarai Helper, Lovely Hoffman, Christina Jones, Kenny Lee, Reagan Massó, Malik Mitchell, Davron S. Monroe, Yewande Odetoyinbo, Anthony Pires Jr., and Kira Troilo.

The design team is Erik D. Diaz (scenic); Chelsea Kerl (costumes); Aja M. Jackson (lighting); and Andrew Duncan Will (sound). Deirdre Benson is the Production Stage Manager.

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND will run from March 11 to April 16, in the Roberts Studio Theatre in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St. in Boston's South End.

Ticket prices start at $25, with discounts for students, seniors, and people age 25 and under. For tickets or more information, the public is invited to call BostonTheatreScene Ticketing Services at 617.933.8600 or visit www.SpeakEasyStage.com.

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