Left: cast members of Once On This Island. Click on the image to enlarge.

Producing the musical Once On This Island will be quite a voyage for its young cast.

The colorful play, being presented by the Bexley High School Theatre Department, will transport audiences to 1930s Haiti for a Caribbean version of "The Little Mermaid."

The students, with director Todd Decker, will be taking their show to a different island - the British Isles - as part of the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, later this summer.

Decker, in his first year as drama director for the Bexley district, earned the privilege of taking a show to the festival competition as one of the top four high school directors in the country.

Many in the cast of Once On This Island also appeared in Decker’s production of The Scarlet Pimpernel, meaning they have been rehearsing two large-scale musicals most of the school year.

Cast members admitted that preparing for an international competition has placed some added pressure on them.

But Decker said they have been up to the challenge.

"This is a highly dedicated group, and I am very proud of them," Decker said. "We are going for a five-star rating, and they are well on their way. They will strongly represent Bexley, Ohio, and the United States."

Once On This Island - from the same creative team that produced Ragtime and Seussical, the Musical - follows the line of the Hans Christian Andersen version of the "The Little Mermaid," which is more somber than the Disney adaptation, Decker pointed out.

In the story, a peasant girl sees more for herself in life and falls in love with a rich boy, explained cast member Christa Price. The play follows her journey to be with him, she added.

In the meantime, island gods battle over the fate of the mortals.

While the play does not exactly have a happy ending, it is "uplifting, commented cast member Brock Forsblom.

The production is demanding because cast members, who play multiple roles, never leave the stage.

Mastering the vigorous movements of the play also presented a challenge, since most cast members did not have previous dance experience, Forsblom said. "We learned to be dancers."

They know the competition will be stiff, with high school students who practice dramatics full-time, as well as professional companies, taking part.

It’s an international competition, and every country in the world will be represented, Decker said.

The students will be judged on acting, dancing, musical quality, design and artistic interpretation, Decker said.

The company has cleared one major hurdle, raising enough funds to get the show across the Atlantic.

The production has met the minimum funding requirements to get to Scotland, Decker said. Donations are still being accepted to upgrade the production and the experience for the students. The students are paying their own traveling expenses.

Local audiences will have the opportunity to see Once On This Island at a senior citizens preview June 25, in the Cassingham Auditorium; June 26 at Franklin Park Conservatory; and June 27 and 28, also at Cassingham. All performances are at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $8, and $5 for the senior preview.

For reservations, call 237-4815.

For information about making a donation, contact Decker at 231-7611, ext. 5203.