Retelling of Mermaid Story Surfaces to Rave Reviews

Graciela Daniele, who directed and choreographed “Dangerous Games” at the La Jolla Playhouse in 1989 and co-directed and choreographed “Blood Wedding” at the Old Globe Theatre in 1988, will be directing and choreographing the national tour of “Once on This Island.”

The show sails into San Diego as a Nederlander production, Aug. 18-23 at the San Diego Civic Theatre. The tour begins in Chicago in March, with dates being penciled in through February, 1993.

“Once on This Island,” a contemporary version of “The Little Mermaid” story, drew raves from the New York Times and was nominated for eight Tonys (but received none). It debuted on Broadway in 1990 at the Booth Theatre, where it ran for a year.

Frank Rich of The Times called it “the most effervescent achievement” of Daniele’s career.

Book and lyric-writer Lynn Ahrens, working with composer Stephen Flaherty, adapted the show from Rosa Guy’s 1985 novel, “My Love, My Love, or the Peasant Girl.”

The Trinidad-born Guy took “The Little Mermaid” story of two lovers separated by land and sea, and set it in the Caribbean with two lovers separated by caste and money: a black peasant girl and a mulatto aristocrat.

Daniele and her artistic team then adapted the book into a 90-minute one-act with non-stop dancing, movement and mime.

Last year, Charlie Fedora was looking for a theater space for his homeless Mid-City Repertory Theatre.

Last year, Montgomery Junior High in Linda Vista was left with a beautiful but empty 750-seat theater facility. After budgetary cuts axed the drama and music classes, there were no student productions to put in it.

Mid-City and Montgomery joined forces in September, 1991. It has proved a match made in heaven.

Fedora’s company supervises student productions and teaches the students performing, singing, set design and production skills free of charge. In return, Fedora’s own company uses the school’s theater free of charge. “It’s been working beautifully. Much better than we expected,” reported Montgomery Vice Principal Paul Asbury.

“It has been well received by the staff and the students, and Charlie is a charismatic person with the kids,” Asbury said.

“We even have a lot of parent involvement that we had not had before. We have far less graffiti. He works especially well with at-risk kids; he puts them to work designing sets and painting. And it has cost us nothing.”

For Fedora, working with the students has fulfilled what he calls “the whole basis for our company.”

“That’s what we exist for.”

Fedora, whose company is now going into its fifth season, has put his all into making this relationship work. Not content to work on school productions (he’s already supervised the students through three), he has taught music at the school and had the new choral group sing at Sea World.

At the school’s Christmas show, he gave a free ticket to anyone who brought a toy for an underprivileged child--that’s a program he intends to continue year-round. He even works directly with the teachers on enlivening the academic program with performance skills. When one class was studying prehistoric times, he went into their room for several days dressed as a caveman.

The school’s next show will be “The Wizard of Oz,” March 12-15, with ticket prices of $5 (the money goes to the school’s drama fund). Fedora’s own company plans to put on “Quasimodo” (an adaptation of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”), “Camelot,” “The Elephant Man” and “Little Shop of Horrors.” Dates are yet to be announced.

Fedora’s company subsists on donations, and most company members have day jobs to support their theater habit. But the free rent makes a difference. That’s why Fedora thinks his relationship with Montgomery is a natural.

“What kills most theater companies is rent,” Fedora said. “Other theater companies who might be struggling for space or even a place to live should consider this. There are a lot of theater companies that are very good, and there are a lot of schools that have theater spaces available. Especially in middle schools, where they have no performing arts, no dance, no choral groups and no bands--that’s where the funds were cut. We came, and we put it back in the schools.”

Last year, the Old Globe Theatre began offering patrons a way to share the work they love with the larger community. By sending in $30 extra, subscribers could purchase three Globe tickets to be given to senior citizens and students unable to afford them.

The recipients, who are matched with individual donors, are asked to write thank you notes, which are forwarded by the theater to the donors.

The letters have been pouring in from recipients and also from donors, who have been moved enough by the recipients’ letters to write their own. Donors bought 100 of the three-ticket packages last year. The program, conceived by managing director Thomas Hall, will continue at least through 1992.

To donate tickets, send $30 to Make A Difference, Old Globe Theatre, P.O. Box 2171, San Diego, CA 92112-2171. Or call Janet Salus at 231-1941 for further information.

PROGRAM NOTES: Playwright-teacher-director Maria Irene Fornes will speak at the San Diego Repertory Theatre’s free Dialogue series Monday at 7 p.m. at the Lyceum Theatre. Fornes is directing her own play, “Abingdon Square,” in English and in her own new Spanish translation at the Rep. “Abingdon Square” opens at the Lyceum Space Wednesday. . . .

Tuesday marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of the new Old Globe Theatre, rebuilt after the fire. Artistic director Jack O’Brien, who was hired by the Old Globe in 1981 but dates the first season for which he was artistically responsible as 1982, is celebrating away from home. He is directing the Broadway production of “Two Shakespearean Actors.” The show opens Jan. 16.

CRITIC’S CHOICE

THEATER TALENT THRIVES IN THE BLOOM OF YOUTH

TOMORROW’S WRITERS: Catch a rising young talent at the Playwrights Project annual festival of new plays by youths 18 and younger. Each of the four works, which give insights into how the world looks through young eyes, was selected from 174 submissions during a six-month evaluation process.

From the Bishop’s School’s Elliott Kennerson, 16, comes a collection of monologues about adolescence called “The Line.” Leslie Grant, also 16 and a student at Bishop’s, wrote “Skateboards,” about a young boy coping with his best friend’s death.

The short one-acts are grouped two to an evening and will run on alternating nights through Jan. 19 at San Diego State University’s Experimental Theatre. Performances are at 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2. Information, call 238-5582 or 232-6188.