“Make sure Trump knows that you guys are the ones who have bullied us, and have caused us to be in the state that we’re in.”
By Lee Moran
Conan O’Brien did not receive the warmest of welcomes during his recent trip to Haiti.
Angry locals berated the late-night talk show host and his camera crew while they were filming for the upcoming “Conan Without Borders” episode in the Caribbean country’s capital of Port-au-Prince.
“We’re
being told through our interpreter that when Americans come here they
only shoot the bad things, which obviously is not what we want to,” said
O’Brien, in a preview clip shared online late Wednesday. O’Brien
decided to visit Haiti after President Donald Trump reportedly called the country a “shithole.”
O’Brien explained to locals via a translator that the “reason I have come to Haiti is because I and a lot of Americans are angry at what President Trump said, so I wanted to come here and show positive, great beautiful things about Haiti.”
But one woman was not having it:
“Make
sure Trump knows that you guys are the ones who have bullied us, and
have caused us to be in the state that we’re in,” she added.
All
was not lost. O’Brien ended up charming his audience with a speech in
Creole - and then further bonded with locals, and the woman, with a
Trump-themed joke.
Check out the clip above. “Conan In Haiti” airs Jan. 27.
The beauty of Haiti not shown on television. When it comes to Haiti, the
international media always go to the worst area of Haiti giving the
country a bad image and scaring potential tourists. Although it is true
that Haiti is very poor but there are beautiful places to go, things to
do or to see. The country is beautiful and has a lot of potential. I
predict Haiti will be once again the pearl of the Caribbean in years to
come. The problem with Haiti is that it lacks a caring government and
investments. Haiti has been brain drained. Most rich and professional
Haitians have left Haiti. Hence the Haitian diaspora lacks caring people
who are willing to come back and help the country. There are 6 smaller
islands belonging to Haiti. All of them with impressive beauty and
pristine beaches.
Once on This Island is a one-act musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. Based on the 1985 novel My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl by Rosa Guy, it is set in the French Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The show includes elements of the Romeo and Juliet story and elements of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale The Little Mermaid.
It concerns a peasant girl on a tropical island, who uses the power of
love to bring together people of different social classes.
The original Broadway production ran from 1990 to 1991, and the West End production opened in 1994, where it won the 1995 Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
The musical is currently being revived on Broadway in a production that
opened on December 3, 2017 after being in previews since November 9,
2017 at the Circle in the Square Theatre.
Lynn Aherns and Stephen Flaherty’s Once on This Island is back! This gorgeous retelling of one of musical theater’s most beloved stories is bursting with Caribbean colors, rhythms and dance.
Synopsis
One stormy night in the Antilles archipelago, thunder booms, making a small girl cry in fear. To comfort her, the village storytellers tell her the story of Ti Moune, a peasant girl who falls in love with a grand homme, Daniel Beauxhomme – a story of life, pain, love, grief, faith, and hope.
rulean island known as the Jewel of the Antilles (also known as Haiti) where poor peasants worship them (Prologue/"We Dance"). The peasants, "black as night", live on one side of the island, and the grands hommes, lighter-skinned descendants of the original French planters and their slaves, live on the other. One day, Agwe unleashes a terrible storm upon the island, which in turn causes a disastrous flood, wiping out many villages. However, the gods save the life of a little orphan named Ti Moune by placing her in a tree above the flood's waves. She is found and subsequently adopted by the peasants Mama Euralie and Tonton Julian ("One Small Girl").
Years afterwards, a grown-up Ti Moune prays to the Gods to let her know her purpose, and to let her be like the fast-driving strangers on the roads near her village - the grands hommes ("Waiting for Life"). Hearing her plea, the Gods laugh at her. However, Erzulie says to give her love, because it is stronger than any of the other elements. Offended, Papa Ge proposes a bet to prove which is stronger: love or death. Agwe arranges for the car of Daniel Beauxhomme, a young grande homme, to crash during a storm so that Ti Moune may meet Daniel and restore him to health ("And The Gods Heard Her Prayer/Rain"). Despite the objections of the other peasants including her own parents, Ti Moune helps the intruder recover ("Pray"). Ti Moune falls in love with the stranger and as she cares for the unconscious boy, she imagines he loves her too. When Papa Ge comes to take Daniel's life, Ti Moune offers her
life in exchange for Daniel's so that he will not die ("Forever Yours"). Papa Ge is angry but leaves, hinting he will return – sooner or later, as her life now belongs to him.
Tonton travels to the other side of the Island to seek Daniel's family at the Hotel Beauxhomme. When Tonton returns, he brings with him the story of Daniel's people: Four generations ago, during the Napoleonic era, a French aristocrat named Armand colonised the island. Although Armand had a wife, he had affairs with several natives, one of which bore him a son, named Beauxhomme. When Beauxhomme grew up, war broke out between the peasant locals and the French. The peasants won the war with Beauxhomme's help. Beauxhomme banishes Armand back to France, but before leaving, Armand curses Beauxhomme and his descendents saying their "black blood will keep them forever on the island, while their hearts yearn forever for France." To this day the curse causes future Beauxhommes to alienate the peasants for reminding them of their homeland ("The Sad Tale of the Beauxhommes") as well as some of Daniel's people to take the boy back. Ti Moune is tearfully separated from Daniel and tells her parents that she will go after Daniel to marry him. Ti Moune's parents reluctantly let her go ("Ti Moune"). During her travels, she encounters the goddess Asaka who tells her not to fear as the Earth will give her everything she needs on her journey to Daniel ("Mama Will Provide"). Ti Moune travels across the island ("Waiting For Life (Reprise)"). The storytellers then relate the story of her difficult journey to the city (including being forced to wear too-tight shoes) through the hotel gates and finding Daniel's room ("Some Say"). Daniel, still ill and unable to walk, does not remember her but believes her after she describes the scar on his chest. As they stay together, Erzulie gives them the gift of love ("Human Heart"). Daniel ignores the townspeople's gossiping ("Pray (Reprise)") over the unlikely relationship of a rich Beauxhomme and a poor peasant. Daniel delights in Ti Moune's differences from the rich girls in his life, noting that "some girls you marry, some you love" ("Some Girls").
At a ball held at the hotel, Andrea Deveraux, a daughter of Daniel's family friends, cajoles Ti Moune to dance for them (her ulterior motive being to make her look bad in front of the grande hommes). Ti Moune does dance and gains the admiration of the rich society members. Afterwards, Ti Moune learns that Daniel is engaged to be married to Andrea ("When We Are Wed"). Daniel, reminded of his responsibilities, must go through with the arranged marriage, although he insists they can be lovers forever. Ti Moune is crushed. Papa Ge reappears and reminds Ti Moune of her promise to exchange her life for Daniel's – but says she can revoke the bargain if she kills Daniel ("Promises/Forever Yours (Reprise)"). Ti Moune enters Daniel's room with a knife, but she still loves him too much to kill him - proving love is stronger than death. However, Daniel finds Ti Moune with the knife. Appalled at the attempted
murder, the Beauxhommes throw her out of the hotel grounds.
She waits for days to meet Daniel at the gate. As Daniel and Andrea are married, they follow an old tradition of throwing coins to the peasants outside the hotel gates. Ti Moune calls to Daniel who places a silver coin in Ti Moune's hand and leaves. The storytellers tell how Erzulie took her by the hand and led her to the ocean where Agwé allowed her to drown peacefully. Papa Ge received her gently and brought her back to shore where Asaka transformed her into a tree ("A Part Of Us").
The tree becomes a celebration of life and love that cracks open the gates of the hotel, allowing those of all social statuses to become one.
Her legacy brings together another peasant girl and a new young grande homme,
Daniel's son, as they play in her branches. The storytellers share with them a retelling of the story how a peasant girl proved the power of love could bring together the people of the island. It helps us to remember, to forgive - and out of what we live and we believe, our lives become the stories that we weave. As the musical ends, the little girl who was frightened by the storm begins to retell the story herself ("Why We Tell The Story").
Characters
Ti Moune - A peasant girl.
Little Ti Moune - Ti Moune as a child.
Daniel Beauxhomme - A grande homme; Ti Moune's love interest ("Beauxhomme" means "beautiful man").
Papa
Ge - The sly Demon of Death who is the main antagonist of the show. He tricks the main character into giving her life for another. He is seen
as a skeleton and is very sneaky. The people on the island fear him
because of what he represents: the unknown that is death.
Erzulie - beautiful Goddess of Love; the foil to Papa Ge
Agwe - God of Water
Asaka - Mother of the Earth
Mama Euralie - Ti Moune's adoptive mother
Tonton Julian - Ti Moune's adoptive father
Andrea Deveraux - Daniel's promised wife; also "Madame Armand"
Armand Beauxhomme - Daniel's stern father.
"Armand" - The ancestor of Armand.
Gatekeeper - The Hotel Beauxhomme's fierce guard (commonly played by Armand).
The Little Girl - A young girl who is told the story of Ti Moune.
Daniel's Son - Daniel's young son (commonly played by Daniel's actor). Storytellers/Gossips
- Various Grands Hommes and peasants (in most productions, the
storytellers are shown as also playing the parts of the Gods).
Note:
The original cast was chosen along racial lines with darker-skinned actors portraying the peasants and lighter-skinned actors portraying the upper-class landowners. In the script, the writers provide small line changes that can be used to remove references to skin color to accommodate multi-ethnic productions, while preserving the storyline about differences between the upper and lower classes.
Production history
Once on This Island was originally staged at Off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons, running from May 6, 1990 through May 27, 1990. The Broadway production opened on October 18, 1990 at the Booth Theatre and closed on December 1, 1991, after 469 performances and 19 previews. With direction and choreography by Graciela Daniele, the musical featured LaChanze
as Ti Moune, Jerry Dixon as Daniel, Andrea Frierson as Erzulie, Sheila Gibbs as Mama Euralie, Kecia Lewis as Asaka, Gerry McIntyre as Armand, Milton Craig Nealy as Agwe, Eric Riley as Papa Ge, Ellis E. Williams as Tonton Julian and Afi McClendon as Little Ti Moune. In 2002, the original Broadway cast was reunited with special guest Lillias White to perform the show for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund.
The first Broadway revival of Once on This Island, planned by producer Ken Davenport and directed by Michael Arden, began previews on November 9, 2017 and officially opened on December 3 at the Circle in the Square Theatre. The choreographer is Camille A. Brown. The cast includes Hailey Kilgore as Ti Moune, Isaac Powell as Daniel, Alysha Deslorieux as Andrea, Phillip Boykin as Tonton Julian, Kenita R. Miller as Mama Euralie, Alex Newell as Asaka, Merle Dandridge as Papa Ge, Quentin Earl Darrington as Agwe, Lea Salonga as Erzulie and David Jennings as Armand.
Our team is conducting an unprecedented international casting search for the role of Ti Moune in ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, coming to Broadway November 9th, 2017.
Revived and RavishingNYT Critic’s Pick Broadway, Musical 1 hr. and 30 min.Open Run Circle in the Square, 235 W 50th St. 212-239-6200 By JESSE GREEN DEC. 3, 2017
I wasn’t expecting the goat in diapers.
Nor
did I arrive at Circle in the Square the other night anticipating the
panorama of village folk barbecuing on the beach, fishing in the lagoon
and going about their daily business in a joyful preshow panorama on the
theater’s lozenge-shaped stage.
Had the show never started, I would have been quite content.
But
then it did, and all I can say is that after a dismal theatrical fall,
in which even the highlights seemed ashen, what a delight it is to enter
the world of “Once on This Island.” The musical, first seen on Broadway in 1990, opened on Sunday in a ravishing revival directed by Michael Arden.
You may not know that name, though if you saw Mr. Arden’s reformulated “Spring Awakening” for Deaf West Theater in 2015, you’d remember his signature. It’s a big signature, maximally decorative and triply underlined.
Once on This Island is a joy-filled Caribbean escape on Broadway: EW review There’s a beach smack in the middle of Broadway, and it might just be the ideal break from the cold outside or the hustle and bustle of the holidays. The new production of Once on This Island at the Circle in the Square theater manages to put that post-vacation sea air swing right back into your step.
Learn About the Incredibly Vibrant Love Story Once on This Island - Sep 4 2017 Lynn Aherns and Stephen Flaherty’s Once on This Island is back! This gorgeous retelling of one of musical theater’s most beloved stories is bursting with Caribbean colors, rhythms and dance.
This was one of the most significant,
foreign contributions to the American Revolutionary War. This
French-colonial force had been established six months earlier and
included hundreds of soldiers of color in addition to white soldiers and a couple black slaves.
Despite stories to the contrary, slave Henri Christophe could not have served as a drummer boy as he was 22 years old at the time. He would later become the King of Haiti.
As He Defends Haiti From Trump’s Insults CNN anchor says Trump could learn from the dignity of Haitians. VIDEO
CNN news host Anderson Cooper gave an emotional send-off to the people of Haiti in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments on immigration from what he called “shithole” countries.
The comments from Cooper and Trump came one day before the eighth anniversary of the devastating earthquake that left over 100,000 people dead. Trump had been discussing a potential deal with a team of senators that would have restored protections for immigrants from Haiti, African countries and El Salvador, the Washington Post and others reported Thursday night. “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Trump asked senators.
“Why do we need more Haitians?” Trump reportedly said. “Take them out.” Cooper denounced the statements on his CNN show Anderson Cooper 360, calling them ignorant and racist. At the end of his show, Cooper got emotional when discussing his dealings with Haitians.
“I just want to take a minute to talk about Haiti, one of the places the
president referred to today as a ‘shithole’ country,’” he said.
“The people of Haiti have been through more… They’ve fought back against
more injustice than our president ever has.”
Cooper spoke of learning math from a Haitian immigrant (Yves Volel) and then visiting the country as a journalist to cover the devastating 2010 earthquake. “Haitians slap your hand hard when they shake it, they look you in the eye. They don’t blink,” Cooper said, adding: “They stand tall and they have dignity. It’s a dignity that many in this White House could learn from. It’s a dignity the president, with all his money and all his power, could learn from as well.”
If reading about the spicy-tart Haitian condiment called pikliz in our fall travel issue inspires
you to try one of the borough’s many Haitian restaurants, you’re in
luck. We’ve compiled a list of five favorites to get you started.
Thousands of Haitians live in Brooklyn; here are five kitchens serving them a taste of their West Indian home.
1.Immaculee Bakery 1411 Nostrand Ave., East Flatbush; 718.941.2644
This tiny takeout bakery specializes in pate (pronounced
pah-tey), a Haitian Kreyol word originally derived from the French
term for pastry. Similar to Jamaican patties but with a thicker, denser
crust and a squarer shape, pate are filled with everything from ground
meat and peppers to guava paste and cheese. They’re perfect with
a bottle of Immaculee’s housemade vanilla-spiked lemonade.
2. Kreyol Flavor 2816 Church Ave., East Flatbush; 718.856.2100
Kreyol Flavor is
brand new to a stretch of Church Avenue lined with
West Indian shops and restaurants, and most diners here create a heaping
platter from the many well-spiced stews in the steam table. Most come
with your choice of white rice, rice and red beans or the
mushroom-flavored black rice called djon djon, plus fried
plantains and a cold side like beet and corn salad.
Shown above: a
stewed mix of greens, chayote and vegetables called legume, made here
with lima beans and crab, and underneath, okra stewed with goat. To the
side is a cup of the spicy house pikliz.
3. La Caye
35 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene; 718.858.4160
La Caye — whose name is a riff on the Haitian Kreyol term la kaye,
meaning home — serves refined versions of the Haitian food the partners
in this two-year-old spot grew up eating at home in Brooklyn.
That includes chiktay, a flaky smoked fish spread spiked with Scotch bonnet chilies, a grilled conch dish called lambi boucane,
and the seafood creole shown above.
There’s also live music, a
backyard, a lengthy wine list and multiple fruity flavors of house-made
sangria. Better still, La Caye has a beautiful storefront spot just
across the street from BAM.
Beyond
traditional stews and platters served with rice, La Tranquilite makes
fritaille, the Haitian term for a multitude of fried offerings like the
pork confit called griot, and accra, the Haitian fritters made from the
yam-like tuber called malanga.
On Sunday mornings, La Tranquilite is
also a go-to spot for the bright orange soup joumou, a creamy bowl of
puréed pumpkin made with vegetables, poultry and tiny strands of short
spaghetti or another small pasta.
On
weekends diners often double-park next to Venus’ brightly painted
mural, hanging out till their order (perhaps stew turkey, the Haitian
meatballs called boulette, or fried whole fish
whose crispy crusts are seasoned with Scotch bonnets chilies) is ready
to go.
Entrees change daily — you have to wait and see what’s written on
the white board when you arrive — but most come with rice, salad and
Venus’ excellent Haitian macaroni gratin, which is a little like mac and cheese baked with a spicy, creamy pink-orange sauce.
Orestes Bouzon was born in Havana Cuba, February 20. Painting has been a
natural form of expression since early childhood for Bouzon.
As a young
child, Bouzon articulated his feelings best on paper and his life began
to revolve around his visions.
Bouzon was accepted in to San Alejandro
School of Arts in 1980. While attending San Alejandro, Bouzon began to
see the beauty in the art of life and has developed a sensitive, yet
dramatic style.
His ability to capture light through the use of vibrant
colors and to express varying moods and feelings in his paintings is
extraordinary.