Once On This Island

Sitting comfortably in my seat, I gazed at the single set of chequerboard sheets of various whites and fawns that ran around the stage. As the lights went down, it was apparent that the audience knew something that I didn’t. They cheered loudly at the opening night in the Chapel off Chapel, as the cast of Octave Theatre’s production of Once on this Island swept onto the stage and swiftly began their tale.

The set, complete with four musicians at the back, instruments piled on the floor, branches and a large coffin-esque structure in the corner were all used effectively. I know musicians are not technically part of the set but they were all pillars of salt and David George as percussionist had the most adorable facial expressions as he brought the rhythm of the Caribbean to life. All four seemed to jive and bop in time to the music, playing a wonderful range of instruments and the melodies and beats transported the audience to the lilting waves, the swaying branches and the balmy sun of the Antilles.

A young girl, scared by the storm is told a story by those around her, in a manner similar to that of elders around a campfire. Little time is wasted, and rightly so, as the whole production goes for about an hour and a half with no intermission. The timing feels right. Not too short though if in danger of going too long it was saved magnificently from this potential flaw by the cast. The story is revealed of a young girl who is trapped in a flood and held by a tree, spared from death and saved by love is brought to life by the ensemble. They demonstrate that the high calibre of the production and that the words "non-professional" or "amateur theatre" are surely misnomers for this company.

As young Ti Moune (little orphan) grows up with her new family she feels that the gods, Asaka – Earth, Agwe – Water, Erzulie – Love and Papa Ge – Death have got a plan for her. These four were a well balanced group, comedic, impassioned and full of energy. Mathew portrays Papa Ge almost as a maniacal feline, a Cheshire Cat of death. That being said, he is more mischievous than malicious. Younger’s goddess of the Earth is a force to be reckoned with. Joking about mangoes one moment and filling the room with her voice and commanding focus the next. Both Tsatsakis and Lai, who filled out the elements, shifted from powerful to playful easily. They begin a challenge to see if death or love is more powerful. The four of then decide to give Ti Moune her wish and another storm rises, this time, a young man, played by an energetic Maverick de Leon, is its victim. He rests, unconscious in her house, while she cares for him. One day, Papa Ge decides to take his life. She protests and declares that he should take her life instead. He accepts, and lets her live... for now. Without giving away anymore of the plot, it dramatically progresses at the whims of the gods. They play out their game with the two lovers in a Little Mermaid meets Romeo and Juliet manner but with the divine influence reminiscent of a Homeric epic.

The program stated that Gina Mets as Ti Moune has “learnt and grew whilst working on Once on this Island”. As a peasant girl she moved as though she was the Princess of the Island; she had poise, grace and a voice to match. Although she does seem very conscious that she is on stage and could relax more into the story. Her counterpart, De Leon, while not the primary focus, brought energy in his dancing and the steamy, open-topped- islander completely looked the part.

The costumes were not the cliché, flesh revealing garments that could have been an easy mistake for a company doing this show. With only one belly button ring in sight the clothes were free, loose, soft blended colours that enhanced the overall vision without being overbearing. Similarly, the lighting offered a range of sensations, from the raging storm to the sunlight trickling throughout the palms. Sometimes the action took place outside the light and while this can be used intentionally and to a nice effect, it occasionally was distracting; even more so when actors did not stand in their spots. I found myself questioning the lighting at times, but quickly realised that not everything has to make sense, sometimes things happen because they make the stage look beautiful. Props were used in a similar manner. The instruments became various apparatus, such as champagne pompadour heels, a pregnant belly, a knife and many others. The most impressive use of props was the tissue paper used to create the storm, the rain and the car.

The multicultural cast was uniformly excellent and as such lifted this performance to a stylistic triumph for the director and his production team. Special mention must go to thirteen year old Simone West who did a fantastic job as the Little Girl. I don’t think I’ve seen someone that young look so quizzical and she did not seem out of place surrounded by her more experienced peers. This is just another example of the balance within the show. The transition from acting to song and to dance was seamless, reflecting the cohesion of all aspects of the show and the director’s vision, which permeated throughout the action.

To judge the success of a show you have to look at the objectives. Octave Theatre puts forward that they aim to “promote an appreciation of the arts” and spread “enthusiasm for live theatre” with “the highest possible production standards with the resources available”. The audience reactions suggested this was accomplished on all fronts. Congratulations to all involved and we can only hope that with an unfortunately short season, many people saw this jewel of a show.

Angus is a second year arts student at the University of Melbourne. He has been involved in theatre since school; in areas such as writing, directing and acting. While still acting, he has produced the first of what he hopes will be many shows. He is currently Gangster 1 in Kiss Me, Kate and co-producer, has also been Juror 8 in 12 Angry Men which he produced and Petey in The Birthday Party all with Trinity College. He has been in numerous school productions including two one act plays which he wrote, directed and stared in winning best director, best script and best overall play.