November 16th, 17th, and 18th were three consecutive nights in which Malden High School Play Production graced the stage with an exquisite musical, delicately reproduced with an incarnated artistic finesse. This musical created by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty was first showcased on March 6, 1990, on Broadway. Though, it took twenty-seven years before landing on the Malden High School scene, it was worth the wait.
The story takes place in the Caribbean, specifically Haiti; named the Jewel of the Antilles. The musical shows that life on the island is good: the sun shines bright, the trees sing an incessant chorus, the birds recite lullabies, the water cradles the souls of the peasants and their troubles, but also contributes to the realization of their dreams, even the most daring. With the help of Erzulie, the goddess of love, one of the offspring of these peasants has dared to set their sights on Daniel Beauxhommes—a great son who has lost the self-proclaimed royalty of Armand Beauxhomme.
Ti Moune, the main character, is an orphan that was rescued after a terrible storm by two peasants too old to conceive children. The very epitome of the theatrical play lies in the hope of the peasants, hope in its most exciting and aggressive forms. A little girl condemned to be a cursed peasant who invokes the Goddess of the Earth (Asaka), Goddess of Love (Erzulie), God of water (Ague), and that of Death as well (Papa Ge) so that she can join Daniel, after saving him from a car accident in a storm like the one she was rescued, Ague. In this world, a peasant woman to take cares of a perfect stranger to the point of wanting to exchange her life for the sake of saving his. Humanity is mainly recognized by the complete forgetfulness of oneself, of one’s own interests for the benefit of the other. This moment when hope turns to complete forgetfulness of one’s person, accurately shows the generosity of peasant life.
Hope… hope in all its quintessence, all its dimensions. Rare as the philosopher’s stone. The hope that transcends, exalts, gives birth to this fiery courage that allows confrontation of the worst in order to reach the best, the dream, the love. Ultimately redirected to the worst, one can argue, but the bittersweet price of chasing a bold dream would be more accurate. A hope embalmed by the sun of the tropics, the sun of the Caribbean, which originated from the love of a “Negresse”, “Une beaute creole” the famous Haitian poet Etzer Vilaire would say.
Ti Moune’s enthralling love, enhanced by the generosity of Asaka, the delicacy of Erzulie floating in the foolhardy waters of Ague, triumphed over the abyss of Papa Ge, turning into a symbol of peace, fertility, rejoicing, and life.
