Winter Musical Premieres Saturday at OPRF
The Oak Park and River Forest High School production of Once on This Island is low on dialogue and high on song.
Its title may be Once On This Island, but for Jiana Odland, it won't be the first time. The statuesque high school senior first appeared on stage at the age of six in the Village Players Theatre production of Once on This Island. Her last performance before leaving for college will be in the same musical, premiering Saturday at the Oak Park and River Forest High School Auditorium. This time Odland plays the Goddess of Earth, one of four deities who lead the protagonist, Ti Moune, on a journey to save her one true love. Set in Haiti, the story shifts between two contrasting societies: the sarong-wearing peasantry, to which Ti Moune belongs, and the Grand Hommes, descended from French settlers. First-time actress Annie Riles landed the part …
