Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre has announced full cast and creative team for their forthcoming production of the Tony and Olivier Award-winning musical Once On This Island (10 May-10 June, press night 17 May 2023).
Joining the previously announced Gabrielle Brooks (Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical, Olivier Award Nomination) as Ti Moune and Stephenson Ardern-Sodje (Hamilton) as Daniel are Courtney-Mae Briggs (Andrea), Jonathon Grant (Armand + US Agwe), Emilie Louise Israel (Erzulie), Chris Jarman (Tonton), Anelisa Lamola (Asaka), Natasha Magigi (Mama Euralie), Ashley Samuels (Agwe) and Lejaun Sheppard (Papa Ge). Further cast includes Bernadette Bangura, Hanna Dimtsu, Nay-Nay, Cassandra Lee, Cherece Richards, Mikel Sylvanus and Marco Titus. The role of Young Ti Moune is shared by Janai Bartlett, Lexi Kowlessar, Nesisa Mhindu, Kirsten Muzvuru, Nielle Springer and Olivia St Louis.
Directed by Ola Ince, Once On This Island has a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty, and is based on the novel My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy. The original West End production won Best New Musical at the Olivier Awards when it premiered in 1995 and the most recent Broadway revival won the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival in 2018.
Annemette Verspeak (Voice & Text Director) and Ingrid Mackinnon (Season Associate – Intimacy Support) complete the creative team alongside the previously announced Phil Bateman (Musical Supervisor), Niamh Gaffney (Associate Sound Designer), Jessica Hung Han Yun (Lighting Designer), Niquelle LaTouche (Associate Choreographer), Nick Lidster (Sound Designer), Georgia Lowe (Set Designer), Lindsay McAllister (Associate Director), Philip d’Orléans (Fight Director), Chris Poon (Musical Director), Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy (Choreographer), Melissa Simon-Hartman (Costume Designer) and Jacob Sparrow (Casting Director).
Astory of love, grief, faith and hope, Once On This Island tells of peasant girl Ti Moune, a boy called Daniel, and a union that prejudice forbids. Against the heat of the Caribbean sun and destruction of tropical storms, can Ti Moune settle the wager of the Gods, and prove that love is more powerful than death?
