Fairport High School presents "Once on This Island" | Arts & Culture

Get ready to ride the wave of fantasy this weekend at Fairport High School as students bring the colorful musical "Once on This Island" to the stage. The show will take place March 3, 4, and 5 at the Fairport High School auditorium. All shows begin at 7:30pm.

Based on the novel “My Love, My Love” by Rosa Guy, it’s a story set in Haiti. Lead Megan Shortsleeve describes the mythological tale of a peasant girl learning to stay in the good graces of the gods while living her life among humans.

“It’s like the original Little Mermaid meets Romeo and Juliet,” said Shortsleeve.

The production is an energetic one with a good deal of interaction between the speaking characters and the ensemble, which moves and sways together like wind and water in its many dances.

Senior Mark Diven, who plays the water god, Agwe, who controls the way the humans on earth interact in the story. He says the story is told in an unconventional way but has the familiar them of overcoming obstacles in society.

“The objective of the musical is to see if a peasant can fall in love with a rich person,” he said. “The real message in the end is that love conquers all.”

Courtesy: Fairport-ERPost.com