our review of once on this island, written as we listened to it for the first time. 

abby:

reputation/preconceived notions: I've heard great things about this show! I know it is very popular and I've heard a few songs but don't really remember them too much. One of my favorite Youtubers (JonasAlmostFamous, go check her out! haha) loves this show, and we seem to have similar tastes in music and stuff, so I hope I'll like it as well! Also, Hailey Kilgore is gorgeous. I was rather impressed by their Tony and Macy's Parade performances, and so I'm excited to learn more!

anna:

reputation/preconceived notions: I've heard a lot about this show. Basically all I know is that it's a revival of a somewhat old musical, and that everyone who has gone to see it loves it. Also, apparently there's water involved and it's very immersive. Christy Altomare approved, so I probably will like it too. I have no idea what this is about whoops.

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song review:   abby, anna

We Dance: So far, this is very different. I'm loving the percussion! It has a very good beat. Everyone in this is already so talented, oh my goodness. I bet the choreography with this song was amazing!

one small girl: a couple seconds in and i already have frozen shipwreck vibes whoops WELL THE POWER OF DEATH THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY... this show seriously reminds me of something i can't quite put my finger on... rip me. timoune just also reminds me of lion king i'm sorry i'll grow up someday. i have to say that there's a lot of narration and i don't know how to feel about that, it's not bad but it's a little much sometimes  

Waiting For Life: yep Hailey Kilgore deserved that Tony nomination.

and the gods heard her prayer / rain: UNDER THE SEA IS THAT YOU?! aww i love the mango sound effects. side note: mangoes are really good. all the sound effects in this show are very cool & engaging. rain is a cool song, sounds more evil and piratey tbh. RaaaAAIIIIIAAAIIiiiNNNNN  

Discovering Daniel/Pray: OH NO HE'S HURT. oooo those harmonies. TiMonue is healing him, good for her. oof, I agree with anna, these songs are so long. this feels like it is taking forever omg. I really am enjoying it, though. I'm impressed, but honestly, not as in love as I thought I would be.

forever yours: i'm still getting some elphaba vibes, even ariel. she has a powerful voice, i like this song more than waiting for life. i still feel like there are some awkward phrases and the flow is interesting in this musical. there's a weird random string instrument that's kinda out of place toward the end. jeez that end is creepy...  

The Sad Tale of the Beauxhommes: wait this is in french now? also the beginning "bum bums" reminded me of 'roxie' from chicago. I don't do French, help. I can only say one thing in French, and that translates to "I am eating the orange." I gave up on duolingo after that. Anna just informed me that beauxhommes translates to 'handsome men' and i'm confused. what is happening in this story right now? i'll have to read the wikipedia summary later.

timoune: i'm getting some serious "older mentor" song vibes. it's a nice mood change from beauxhommes. the flute is A +. has a little 'i have confidence' feel (topic wise). nice harmonies.  

Mama Will Provide: oooo, tempo change from that last one. who is playing the mom in this? she is super good. "mosquitos?" "*screaming and clapping to kill mosquito*" i relate so much. ooooh that last note was 10/10.

some say: oooh i like the ensemble part in this. WHERE DID THE CHILD COME FROM? i'm a fan of the background instrumentals.  

The Human Heart: oooo, the beginning of this is sort of haunting, but cool. This one is prettyyyy. Lea Salonga is such a queen omgggg

gossip: this gives me some donkey kong soundtrack vibes with the mallets. props to whoever has that super low voice. 'stepsister's lament' from cinderella vibes (gossiping basically). ariel vibes with a displeasing father. NOO I WANT THEM TO GET MARRIED  

Some Girls: okay, these instrumentals though... ooooooooooo pretttyyyyyyy. this guy has a really good voice. awwwww this is sweet and pretty sad but an overall gorgeous song.

the ball: beginning drum just make me think about the star spangled banner. nice circusey vibes again. WAIT IS THERE A REVEAL FOR THE BALL cause if so aww  

Ti Moune's Dance: and the tempo is back up againnnnn. I actually love all of the the tempo changes in this. It keeps you on your toes. oh that was a short song.

when we are wed: i'm pretty sure i'm view 25,000 yay me. this reminds me of les miserables (eponine maybe) i'm not sure why. i want them to get married WAIT WHY CAN'T THEY GET MARRIED aww this is sad. the end gave me 'carrie' vibes  

Forever Yours (Reprise): this is intense guys. "THE GODS DEMAND YOU KEEP" those are some GOOD VOCALS. WHAT IS HAPPENING THIS IS ESCALATING OH MY GOODNESS. THOSE WERE SOME GOOD HARMONIES THOUGH. CUTE CHILD IS BACK.

a part of us: WAIT SHE DIED? NOO HECK. that child kills me. this is an amazing song. another one of my favorites. this is so sad. what a great message. this is beautiful. reminds me of a lot of the carrie finale. AWW A TREE that's cute!  

Why We Tell The Story: aw the tree is going to watch out for Daniel and AW DANIEL'S SON MEETS HIS LOVE UNDER THE TREE AWWWW this is one of my favorites from this album. This is such a good ending. I'm impressed.

bonus: why we tell the story, oart 2: who lives, who dies, who tells your storyyyyyy. just kidding i haven't even started listening. aww i like this. WAIT THEY DIDN'T DIE TOGETHER? but great imagery in this song. i like the vibe. another one of my favorites in this musical. OKAY THE CHILD JUST APPEARS OUT OF NOWHERE ALL THE TIME I'M A LITTLE SHOOK EVERY TIME. aww. also i'd like to point out that the last word is 'story' just like hamilton- i think if you stacked them on top of each other they'd make a chord? but i'm not an expert. 

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abby:

Conclusion: While I did like this album, I don't see myself ever getting obsessed with it. I think that if I understood the story more, I might like it better, and I would see if live if the opportunity ever arose (there's a VERY small chance it will... the theatre company that I see my summer shows with is considering doing it next year, but nothing is confirmed yet). I think my favorite songs were 'Some Say' and 'Why We Tell The Story,' but none of them really stuck out to me as being super duper memorable. I did like the beachy island vibes of it, and I guess Anna's comparisons to The Lion King and The Little Mermaid were pretty accurate. I could definitely see both of those in this soundtrack. I'm surprised that the same people who wrote this wrote Anastasia, because the two shows are so very different. I think Anna would agree with me in saying that we both like Anastasia better. Overall, the highlight for me was the vocal talent in each and every person up there.

Rating: 7/10 stars

anna: 

rating: 7.5/10 stars.

negatives: some awkward musical phrases, a little unclear musically as to what happens in the plot (probably makes sense onstage). at times the narration was a little overdone, especially if you were seeing it live. helpful online though. the beginning dragged on, and i wasn't as big of a fan of those songs.

positives: had a very unique, stand-out tone with a talented cast. props to the flute in the pit, especially. i liked the last three songs the most. i liked their lyrical songs and thought that the instrumentation and ensemble vocals really added to the quality of the songs.

conclusion: overall executed very nicely, but most of it is not my cup of tea. i agree with abby that there were no ICONIC songs that i really remember. if you're looking for an exotic vibe with a fairytale/disney storyline this would be a great fit!