Once on This Island (Hayes) ★★★★½

Book & lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Music by Stephen Flaherty. Adapted from ‘My Love, My Love’ by Rosa Guy. Curveball Creative. Hayes Theatre Company. 2-31 Aug, 2025. 

It’s an old song. It’s an old tale from way back when. It’s a sad tale. It’s a tale of a love from long ago. It’s a tale of gods and men, and lovers thrown together and torn apart by the fates. No, Hadestown isn’t back, but if you’re craving a romantic musical with a bittersweet edge, then come way down to Hayes-town for Once on This Island.

In the French Antilles in the Caribbean, young local girl Ti Moune (Thalia Osegueda Santos) witnesses a car crash and rescues the young, rich Daniel (Alexander Tye). He is one of the grand hommes, the wealthy French descendants living on the other side of the island. She nurses him back to health, but not before his family whisks him back behind the high gates of the Hotel Beauxhomme. Ti Moune, convinced the gods have brought them together, walks across the island to be with him. But will the gods help her cross the cultural divide and find true love?

You could be forgiven for thinking Once on This Island is a Disney musical. There’s something cheerful, warm, and slightly formulaic about this 90s show. Catchy, pop-infused tunes with a regional inflection— in this case, a Caribbean beat— and a power-ballad love song. Perhaps it’s because there is common DNA tracing back to Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. But it’s hard to be cynical about the show when this production is filled with so much joy.

This rich ensemble’s vocals will wrap you up in a big embrace from the first note, aided by the beautiful harmonies of the score (it’s a great arrangement). While not every featured role is as strong as the others, the combined power of them all lifts the roof. But the star is clearly Thalia Osegueda Santos, who combines innocent charm with a dynamic, clear belt— my first thought was, “Has she been a Six queen yet?” Of the ensemble, I had a great time the quartet of gods, Rebecca Verrier’s nasty Papa Ge, Cypriana Singh’s elegant Erzulie, Paula Parore’s Asaka and Googoorewon Knox’s Agwe, who all brought great humour, heart and menace to the roles (some great costumes by Rita Naidu). Also noteworthy were Bash Nelson’s facial expressions in his many smaller roles.

Brittanie Shipway has quickly shot to the top of the “directors to watch” list; her handling of every aspect of Once on This Island is assured and clear. This production is the perfect blend of big voices and smartly scaled staging to fit the Hayes space. It’s clear that smart decisions have been made, with a directorial vision that has produced a very strong show. Véronique Benett’s lighting is highly evocative. And another round of applause, please, for Nick Fry’s layered, inventive stage design work— this is one of the best-looking shows I’ve seen at the Hayes, and that’s a very high bar.

The Hayes has had a very fun year of programming so far in 2025, from the quirky (Ghost Quartet), the zany (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), the safe and crowd-pleasing classics (The Producers, Being Alive), and the originals. Once on This Island sits firmly in the safe and crowd-pleasing camp— this is core Hayes stuff, a Broadway musical reinvented for intimacy. It’s a little scrappy, a little sappy, and very, very heartwarming.