Liana Au, an actress in “Once on This Island,” says she put life into her performance through diligent preparation
More than 150 chattering people filled the McKay Auditorium, gazing at the sunset-inspired scenery on the stage that cast pink, purple and gold shades across the auditorium. The lights went down and the audience got quiet as performers presented the musical “Once on This Island,” treating the audience to traditional merengue dances, reggae music and tantalizing Caribbean-inspired sounds.
“Once on This Island” is a Caribbean play derived from a novel titled “My Love, My Love” by Rosa Guy, said Bruce Duerden, the director of the play and a professor at Utah State University. Duerden said it is about a group of four gods presiding over an island divided into peasants and the wealthy class. He added the overall theme is about ancestry and preserving culture through future generations.
The play was showcased in the McKay Auditorium from March 20 to March 23 by the BYU–Hawaii theater program, he said.
Duerden said he was the lead director for the set when the play was performed 20 years ago at BYUH. He said he was called to fill in for some classes on campus and that it was his privilege to help the present students learn and enjoy the play.
He said the production of the play had 70 students who choreographed the dances and created the costumes, scenery, props, lighting, music and design. “The whole goal behind doing a large-scale musical like this is getting full participation from the students and community members who enjoy cultural plays,” Duerden said.
Brianna Frehner, a junior majoring in music from Utah, said she played the main character, Ti Moune, in the musical. She said her character is a young peasant girl full of life and ambitions about her future. Her character falls in love with a rich man named Daniel from a different area of the island, she said, and the gods end up forcing Ti Moune to choose between life and love.
Rachel Mae, a community member from New Zealand acting as a “stage mom," said it was a privilege for her to help the directors, students and her daughter with this upcoming play. She said the entire flow of the story catered easily to students since it was about ancient beliefs, traditions and being an islander.
Liana Au, an actress who portrayed one of the peasant girls in the play, shared, “Theater is so big to me, and being in a show gives my life color.” Au, freshman from Utah majoring in elementary education, said, “I always feel like I'm happier when I am in the theater.” Being a college student is sometimes hard, but the theater is a safe place for her, she said.
Regarding her preparation for the play, she shared she constantly reviewed the songs and dances for the musical and arrived 15 minutes early to every rehearsal. “I put life into this character, and being in the ensemble brings life to the play as well,” Au said.
Lenora Tautiaga, a sophomore from Samoa majoring in computer science, shared, “The show was by far my favorite musical because I felt happy. The suspense and tension while watching the play were so intense, which made it more exciting. ” She said she had goosebumps throughout the play.
“Honestly, my favorite part of the show was whenever the music came on, especially the opening scene because it was welcoming and engaging,” said Tautiaga. She said she loved the song, “Mama Will Provide” because the singer’s voice was “magical and melodious.” Tautiaga said the lesson she learned from the play was, “We shouldn’t set our expectations too high because we will never know what life might throw at us.”
Gracelyn Fotuaika, a sophomore from Tonga majoring in Pacific Island Studies, shared, “My favorite part of the show was when the gods made a bet with one another over which is stronger - love or death.” She explained the scene stood out to her because of the uncertainties and challenges of life and how we, as humans, have to choose between one or the other.
Fotuaika added, “I would want to be Ti Moune in the scene where Ti Moune’s parents were giving her reasons she shouldn’t be chasing after Daniel.” She explained she would want to listen to her parents and not chase after a guy that she just met. She said the end of the play, where the gods turned Ti Moune into a tree, made her very emotional and sad.