ONCE ON THIS ISLAND is a colorful musical tale of love, loss and redemption performed in song and dance by a group of Caribbean peasants as they wait out a violent storm. The story they tell is of a young peasant girl who leaves her village in search of her love, sent on a journey by the gods of her island to test the ultimate strength of her love. Written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (who also wrote the music for Ragtime and Suessical), ONCE ON THIS ISLAND debuted Off-Broadway on April 6th, 1990, and the audience and critical response was rapturous. In The New York Times, Frank Rich raved that the lyrics were "simple, direct, and poignant," and that the audience was likely to "leave the theater ready to dance down the street." The show was quickly transferred to Broadway where it ran for over a year. The show garnered eight Tony nominations, including Best Musical, Score, and Book. In 1994, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND opened in London, capturing the Olivier Award for Best Musical.