Continual waves of radiance, warming the blood and stirring the heart, flow forth from the sand-covered stage of the Circle in the Square Theatre, where an absolutely incandescent revival of the musical “Once on This Island” opened on Sunday. No matter where you sit in the theater — as is often the case here, the audience intimately surrounds a central playing space — the delights of this fable-like show, with a rapturous, rhythmically bewitching score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, will hold you entranced. If you’re looking for some much-needed emotional as well as literal warmth, as this grim year draws to a close, you could do no better than grab a ticket to this ebullient charmer.
Review — Once on This Island — BN+ — Stephen Flaherty — Lynn Ahrens — Audra McDonald — Hailey Kilgore — Isaac Powell — Lea Salonga — Merle Dandridge — Alex Newell — Quentin Earl Darrington — Michael Arden — Dane Laffrey — Clint Ramos — Lillias White — Emerson Davis — Mia Williamson — Phillip Boykin — Kenita R. Miller — Camille A. Brown — Alysha Deslorieux
