ASST. COPY EDITOR
NICOLE RUSSO

Fisher Players has spent the past month preparing for its annual fall musical. This year’s show is titled Once on This Island. Performances will be in Cleary Auditorium on Nov. 17 and 18 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. Admission is free for Fisher students, faculty and staff. 

Senior Rob Goodwin, president of Fisher Players, said that this show will be different from others the group has staged in the past.

“It takes the club into a new direction,” Goodwin said. “The club has shown that it can successfully put on musicals such as Footloose and Bye Bye Birdie, but Once on This Island comes from a different mold. It allows the club and its members to showcase their range as actors.”

Once on This Island, set in the Caribbean, has been described as a retelling of The Little Mermaid. It is the story of Ti Moune, a peasant girl who rescues the rich Daniel Beauxhomme, sacrificing her own soul in the process. The two fall in love, but cannot be together because of social standing. 

Ti Moune will be played by sophomore Kathy Fallon; Daniel will be played by junior Mike Pasquarella.

“I’m Ariel, pretty much,” Fallon said. “I’m a pretty, naïve girl and just a life-loving girl. I will do anything to get the love of my life to be with me. I like the fact that she has such a positive outlook on life and feels like she can get what she wants. I don’t like how she is naïve.”

The show includes many songs that cast members feel are particularly moving.

“I really like my character because some of the songs that I get to sing are great,” said junior Angela Mayhew, who plays Ti Moune’s adoptive mother, Euralie. “There is one song that is…just beautiful. It’s about parents letting go of their child once they are grown up enough to go and find their dreams.”

The show is co-directed by juniors Erin Hurd and Amanda Lehman. Choreography was arranged by junior Alissa Armstrong.

Hurd said she feels all the time she has invested as co-director to be worthwhile.

“I feel that all of this time and hard work is worth it in the end because I am proud that Fisher Players is a completely student operated club,” Hurd said. “Every aspect that you see of the show is produced by us. I love every member of Fisher Players and we all have a great time during rehearsals.

“In the end, we will all look back on this experience to remind us of what great memories we had together. That’s what makes my job worth every second of my time,” Hurd said.

The members of Fisher Players are hoping for a solid turnout for the musical.

“We have put so much work into the production and it would be great to see familiar faces in the audience and have them see what we have to offer as a drama club,” Fallon said.

Sophomore Jeanne Fiano, who plays a storyteller, encouraged Fisher students to come and see the show.

“It’s a really fun show that pulls the audience right into it,” Fiano said. “It has a lot of catchy music and it just makes you smile, and who doesn’t love to go see something that makes them smile?”

The show is also representative of arts on campus.

“It’s a great way to support the school and your peers,” Mayhew said. “At the athletic games, we see many students come to cheer on their peers, and I think the arts should be included in that as well.”

Email address:
nmr08083@sjfc.edu