The Deal

• $15 for one ticket to Once On This Island (up to $30 value)
• Where: Daniels Spectrum in Regent Park
• Section: best available
• Ticket values include all fees.<p>

Available Shows

• Tuesday, January 21, at 8 p.m. Box office and lobby open at 6 p.m.; theater opens at 7:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, January 22, at 8 p.m. Box office and lobby open at 6 p.m.; theater opens at 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, January 23, at 8 p.m. Box office and lobby open at 6 p.m.; theater opens at 7:30 p.m.<p>

Once On This Island

A bittersweet tale of romance set in the French Antilles, Once On This Island combines elements of The Little Mermaid and Romeo and Juliet with Caribbean folklore. When the poor, dark-skinned Ti Moune rescues the light-skinned Daniel Beauxhomme from a storm, she nurses him back to health—and falls in love in the process. But when she follows him back to his high-society home, she discovers that Daniel is pledged to another. Heartbroken, Ti Moune must decide what part she will play in a high-stakes bet between Erzulie, goddess of love, and Papa Ge, demon of death.

Upon its premier in 1990, the musical’s themes of love, loss, and sacrifice charmed audiences and critics alike—the show garnered eight Tony nominations, and when it crossed the pond to London, won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical. The jaunty, Caribbean-inflected score presages composer Stephen Flaherty’s later work on such hits as Roagtime, while Lynn Ahrens’ book deftly plucks heartstrings like a country band’s private surgeon.<p>

Acting Up Stage Company

Dedicated to the art of the musical, Acting Up Stage Company thrills audiences with imaginatively staged productions of classic and new works. Their actors have trod the boards in such shows as Caroline, or Change, Parade, and The Light in The Piazza, all performed in intimate settings. And the group’s championing of musical theater extends beyond the footlights. Educational programs help develop the next generation of stars, while the unique NoteWorthy program gives up-and-coming Canadian writers and composers the opportunity to produce new pieces. That dedication to entertaining and enriching the local community has met with broad acclaim—the company has filled multiple mantlepieces with eight Toronto Theatre Critics’ Awards and six Dora Mavor Moore Awards since its founding in 2004.