"Once on This Island," a tale of love and redemption in the Caribbean, marks a new beginning for L.A.'s leading presenter of old musicals.
"Island," which opens Wednesday at UCLA's Freud Playhouse, is the first show of Reprise Theatre Company's first full season under artistic director Jason Alexander, who is busily reimagining the 12-year-old organization.
"After more than a decade, we need a radically different vision," says the actor-director, best known for playing George Costanza on TV's "Seinfeld." "A vision defined mostly by the expansion of the kind of work we are willing to do and the people we hope to attract."
The nonprofit subscription series, formerly known as Reprise! Broadway's Best in Concert, will continue to specialize in revivals, especially of less frequently seen pieces, but will place greater emphasis on reflecting social and artistic diversity and making more adventurous choices about programming and staging.
Alexander says "Island," which ran on Broadway in the early '90s, is "more modern than what we usually do." Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens' reggae-calypso score will be infused with hip-hop, jazz and the blues. "The show gives African American actors an opportunity, but it's not just about the black experience; its Romeo-and-Juliet story is universal."
Besides preserving the past, Alexander wants Reprise to help define the future of the American musical by developing original work and expanding its education programs. (He hopes to establish a conservatory one day.)
Before all that can happen, Alexander says, he needs to fix a few basic problems.
Journalist-turned-producer Marcia Seligson started the company in 1997 as a West Coast version of New York City Center's highly regarded Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert. Encores' truncated rehearsal and performance schedules have proved attractive to busy Broadway stars. Limited production costs make it possible to mount works others couldn't afford to because of narrow box office appeal.
Reprise's inaugural show -- a staged reading of "Promises, Promises" that starred Alexander -- sold out its initial run as well as a return engagement. Over the years, the readings evolved into full-scale productions, albeit without any substantial easing of time and budget constraints.
"As a result," says Alexander, "our sets and costumes have been underwhelming. We've also been guilty of mixed quality in our work. One production would be extraordinary and one or two after that would not."
