(2 hrs 25 minutes 1 intermission)

By Angele Maraj & Brianna Pierre

ONCE UPON A CARNIVAL is a magical realism tale about grief, identity, and found family set in 1990s Trinidad and Tobago to a vibrant fusion of chutney, soca, calypso and musical theatre.

Once Upon a Carnival is an original musical set in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad & Tobago. When 16-year-old Bhavan is forced to move from New York City to his mother’s home country of Trinidad after his father’s death, he is faced with the task of overcoming grief and accepting his identity through a magical quest in the mythological bush land. Set to a vibrant score infused with chutney, soca and calypso sounds, Bhavan’s adventure will test his and the audience’s notions of grief, identity and found family while exploring the magical world of Trinidad at Carnival time.