Once On This Island: So I Hope That You Will Tell This Tale Tomorrow

After Daniel's people take him back to his side of the island, despite still being in near-critical condition, Ti Moune vows to make the journey across the island to be reunited with her love. While the song "Some Say" isn't the best number in the show (though there are no bad ones), I find it thematically interesting, since it reinforces the fact that the show is meant to convey emotions, not a narrative. The little girl asks the storytellers about some of the details of Ti Moune's journey across the island, and they respond that it took "as long as [she] suppose[s]". They also tell three versions of her trek, one that was extremely difficult, one in which she got a few lucky breaks, and one in which the gods do all the work for her (I love the imagery of the gods pulling up in a car and giving her a ride). It doesn't matter how she got there, what matters is that she had the determination to do it.

She eventually is reunited with Daniel, and in spite of the protests of Monsieur Beauxhomme and the negative whispers of the other Grand Hommes, the pair fall in love. All seems well; the peasants feared that Ti Moune would be rejected by Daniel because of her social status, but that is part of why he fell for her. He is tired of the phoniness he finds in most of the Grand Homme girls. But there is still a kink in the plan that the peasants warned Ti Moune about. It is not the way of the Grand Hommes to marry below their status. Even though Daniel would, there is the problem of Andrea.

Andrea Deveraux, the role my sister had, is Daniel's arranged wife, who has been "promised" to him for most of their lives. How will true love triumph? It does, but not in the traditional Disney sense. As with Wicked, skip to the next paragraph to avoid the ending. The story of Ti Moune comes full circle when Daniel tells her that he loves her but can't be with her. Papa Ge returns, telling her that her life is still forfeit, unless she chooses to undo the trade. If she kills Daniel, and along with him, "the love she feels", she'll live. However, Ti Moune can't bring herself to do it, proving that love is stronger than death. The gods are amazed, and take pity on the girl. Papa Ge takes her soul and gives it to Asaka, who reincarnates her as a tree (remember where her adoptive parents found her?); it is under her tree that Daniel's son meets the peasant girl he is destined to marry and break the tradition of Grand Hommes despising peasants.

The final song is called "Why We Tell The Story", which explains the power of storytelling. Ti Moune's tale is a good narrative, but an even better device to make us think about our own lives and how we live them. It conjures up feelings of love, pain, and hope. And it stays with us, helping to guide our lives in our own times of trouble.

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