Once on This Island

uly 1-15, Upper Merion Middle School, 450 Keebler Road, King of Prussia

by Steve Cohen

theater

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A musical story of love transcending ethnic hostility, Once on This Island is a timely choice for a revival. Theatre Horizon, one of the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia's newest members, brings it to the Philly area July 1. With its roots in Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Mermaid" star-crossed with Romeo and Juliet, Once on This Island was the first Broadway hit by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, who went on to write Ragtime and Seussical. Set on a Caribbean island, the show features colorful Haitian costumes and rousing dance numbers, and stars Ade Laoye, who played the washing machine in the Arden's recent Caroline, or Change. This will be Theatre Horizon's first production in the state-of-the-art Upper Merion Middle School, whose new stage is more modern than any high school or professional performing space in the western suburbs. Coincidentally, it is near the spot where the Valley Forge Music Fair raised a tent in 1947 and began introducing the Philly area to musicals-in-the-round.

July 1-15, $25, Upper Merion Middle School, 450 Keebler Road, King of Prussia, 610-283-2230, www.theatrehorizon.org.