Broadway musical «Once On This Island»

   A Tony-winning musical returns to Saigon for three nights only. Impact Theatre Saigon stages «Once On This Island» under licence from Music Theatre International, so this is the full authorised production rather than a selection of numbers.

   In brief:

• — directed by Jay-Thien Nguyen, founder of ITS;
• — produced by Thao Ngoc, with Timmy as musical director;
• — adapted from Rosa Guy's novel «My Love, My Love (The Peasant Girl)», itself drawn from Andersen's «The Little Mermaid»;
• — the preview run opened in November 2025 on this same stage, played in the round on a 360° set, with costumes and scenery built from recycled materials.

   The story follows Ti Moune, an orphan saved by the island's gods after a storm, and her love for Daniel, a young man from the wealthy side of the island. Four deities — Asaka, Agwé, Erzulie and Papa Ge — take an interest in that love and turn it into a wager between desire and death. The score is sung through, Caribbean in rhythm and unusually direct.

   This is ITS's first full-length musical, and for anyone following independent theatre in Ho Chi Minh City it is a rare chance to see a licensed Broadway staging performed locally.

   Tickets: from 600,000 VND depending on the performance — buy tickets on Quickom.

   Three nights, then it is gone. Worth planning around.