Review: Once On This Island - In Concert (Theatre Royal Drury Lane)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐⭐

If there’s one reason to enjoy the rise of one-night-only concert productions of musicals in the West End, it’s the dream casting. Realistically, you would be unlikely to get such a large group of performers of this calibre sharing a stage for a prolonged run, particularly when it involves Broadway stars crossing the pond to reprise acclaimed roles years later. With that in mind, there was considerable excitement surrounding Once On This Island - In Concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Sunday nights at that theatre are fast becoming a habit, with this marking the third musical theatre concert in a row - and after last week’s stunning Love Life, also featuring two members of this cast, they would have a tough act to follow, but would the gathered Gods in this production provide, or would I be left waiting for life?

My own journey with Once On This Island goes back to 2018, when a delayed flight left me in New York for an extra night unexpectedly. With not many shows playing on Broadway on Mondays, I took a chance on a musical I knew nothing about. As Alex Newell delivered sensational vocals and a live goat ran through the audience (yes, really), I had never been so thankful for a delayed flight. That show stayed with me in the years since, but I had only managed to see it once on THIS island in the eight years that followed - that being the 2023 production at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Though fine in itself, it seemed to lack some of the magic I had remembered (and featured a notable absence of goats), but I had high hopes for this one-night-only spectacular, featuring the return of Alex Newell to the role… even if I had been advised to manage my expectations when it comes to goats at Drury Lane.

Once On This Island tells the story of Ti Moune, a peasant girl whose life was saved by the Gods during a great flood. Unbeknownst to her, she has become part of a bet to see which force is stronger: love or death. When a violent storm causes the wealthy Daniel to crash his car, Ti Moune nurses him back to health and falls in love with him, but this forbidden love comes at a cost, leading her to make a daring pact with the island gods. With passion, sacrifice, community and loss at its heart, would this pact pay off for Ti Moune, and which force would ultimately prove the strongest?

Written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Once On This Island is a triumphant tale full of hope and humanity, balancing an exciting and fantastical story with some stunning songs. It is interesting that for such a relatively large story, it has historically played out on smaller stages, such as Broadway’s Circle in the Square, so it was intriguing to see how it would land on the sprawling stage at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. This larger space accentuated the grandness of the story, though this was a concert production, not a full staging, which may have left certain elements hard to follow for those who weren’t previously aware of the story.

It is always worth taking the word “concert” with a pinch of salt when it comes to these one-off musical stagings, as history has shown us this can be interpreted in many different ways. While this Once On This Island has no props aside from a smattering of chairs, the production is much more staged than you might expect, thanks in no small part to the incredible and inspired direction from Annabel Mutale Reed. The love she has for this story is clear to see, and is exemplified in every smart choice. I witnessed a bit of this first-hand when I visited the rehearsal room, and the fact this concert was given a longer time to rehearse than most concerts is clear to see from the precise and explosive way the story comes to life. Thrilling choreography from Sarah Golding lifts the story, with a jubilant sense of movement, filling the stage and leaving me somehow alternating between grinning and leaving my jaw on the floor.

Though the show ran at a pacey 90 minutes with no interval, there was a slight dip in the story in the second half, with it not always being as easy to follow as the first, though this can largely be attributed to the concert setting and can most definitely be forgiven in the grand scheme of things. This concert also boasted a gorgeous use of lighting from Simisola Majekodunmi, bathing the cast and the stage in vibrant colours that matched the setting and music, though there were a few moments where missed cues lessened this impact. Musical director and conductor Jordan Li-Smith ensured Ahrens & Flaherty’s songs were realised in the best way possible, performed by a phenomenal orchestra, while Harry Greatorex’s sound design ensured the sound problems that seem to plague these one-off concerts were few and far between, allowing each line (and incredible talent delivering them) to be heard crystal clear.

At the start of this review, I mentioned the cast were the reason to see Once On This Island, and the theatre Gods more than delivered when it came to assembling some of the greatest talents in the world of theatre. Wendy Mae Brown and Ako Mitchell delivered some standout moments and top-notch vocals as Mama Euralie and Tonton Julian, while Waylon Jacobs gets a memorable moment as Armand Beauxhomme, performing ‘The Sad Tale of the Beauxhommes’. Jamael Westman doesn’t have as much to do by comparison as Daniel Beauxhomme, but still delights with his performance.

It is time to talk about the Gods. Never before has Theatre Royal Drury Lane seen four powerhouse performers coming together to create an out-of-this-world ensemble. Personifying Death on stage for the second time in mere months, Melanie La Barrie showcased her undeniable talents while demonstrating there is no limit to what she can do in a thrilling performance as Papa Ge. Cedric Neal’s vocals soared in early standout number ‘Rain’, with his presence felt throughout the performance, thanks to his fabulous larger-than-life characteristics. Marisha Wallace delivered a more restrained performance but was still as mesmerising as ever, melting all hearts with her gorgeous rendition of ‘The Human Heart’ - a huge highlight of the show, while a few simple but cheeky actions led to some of the surprisingly humorous moments of the night.

Since playing Asaka on Broadway, Alex Newell’s career has gone from strength to strength, winning a Tony for their performance in Shucked, and the excitement from the audience to have them on a West End stage was clear to see, resulting in the biggest cheers of the night, first from Newell’s entrance, and then again to the show-stopping standout that is ‘Mama Will Provide’. Newell has an effortless quality to their vocals with a range that seemingly has no limit (something they share with the other three Gods here), while their magnetic presence and comic timing made for a captivating watch. For the sold-out audience at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, we all knew we were witnessing something special as Newell reprised the role - the Gods really had heard our prayers with that casting.

Though all four of these Gods delivered incredible performances, the real star of the night belonged to Dujonna Gift for her astonishing turn as Ti Moune. Having seen her in several productions over the years, I can honestly say I have never seen her perform quite like this, taking her talents up a gear and delivering a fittingly huge performance for this looming stage. Demonstrating incredible vocals on ‘Waiting For Life’, blowing the audience away with her phenomenal dancing later on, and always showcasing her emotive and natural sense of acting, Gift is a real triple-threat of a performer, and this performance showcased her at her best. Her name and the characters she plays against makes for the best description as her performance in Once On This Island really was a gift from the Gods.

If I hadn’t quite felt the magic last time Once On This Island arrived on these shores, it certainly managed it this time. The heart and essence of the story was beautifully encapsulated both through inspired direction and knockout performances, while the stunning music had arguably never sounded better, with several of the standout numbers among the best I have ever seen on this iconic stage. Though it wasn’t quite perfect, it was still one of the better one-night-only concerts I have seen, and created a production that deserves to be seen more than once. The sold-out audience also shows there is a clear appetite for this story in the West End. With that in mind, if we do get this show back in the UK in the near future, this concert should be the blueprint for it, and if they want to get the entire cast to return for a full production, I can only pray.

Once On This Island played at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 8th February.

Photos by Danny Kaan