The solution to the meta won the Tony Award for "Best Revival of a Musical."
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SamKat9 solved 2024-02-02T00:09:00.956Z
Mr Tex solved 2024-02-02T00:31:04.103Z
benchen71 solved 2024-02-02T00:41:17.212Z
hoover solved 2024-02-02T01:31:02.391Z
boharr solved 2024-02-02T01:32:54.052Z
Pair O Ducks solved 2024-02-02T02:20:53.122Z
KayW solved 2024-02-02T02:31:05.383Z
Hector solved 2024-02-02T02:36:32.778Z
whimsy solved 2024-02-02T04:09:13.398Z
MatthewL solved 2024-02-02T15:07:40.304Z
woozy solved 2024-02-02T16:57:21.898Z
AxelPlays solved 2024-02-02T18:10:15.390Z
DIS solved 2024-02-02T19:05:05.620Z
heidi solved 2024-02-02T19:51:51.625Z
Meg solved 2024-02-02T21:17:24.245Z
Laura M solved 2024-02-02T21:22:06.051Z
Chili solved 2024-02-02T22:17:23.795Z
markhr solved 2024-02-03T00:00:03.705Z
Alex Sisti solved 2024-02-03T06:20:49.611Z
paolo solved 2024-02-03T06:41:25.133Z
LarsCaine solved 2024-02-03T13:32:11.345Z
Philip Chow solved 2024-02-03T23:19:35.026Z
Abide solved 2024-02-04T04:33:43.688Z
Alvibu67 solved 2024-03-21T20:36:46.760Z
Comments
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SamKat9 19:01 · 2024-02-02T00:13:53.979Z
Nice first meta! I found the grid challenging (as you can see I used check/reveal), but I don't know how it plays for others. I didn't have much trouble with the meta but I'm not complaining. Thanks for sharing this!
Explanation: Just as 2-Down suggests, there are three islands in the puzzle: OAHU, ELBA, and CUBA, each clued with the word "this" at the start of the clue. On top of each island, you can find the letters 'ONCE', indicating that the solution is the 2018 winner for best revival of a musical "Once On This Island."
Other hints and easter eggs can be found at 10-Across, 21-Down (which comes very close to being a lyric from the show), and of course, the opening clue "Wee Dance?" is a reference to the musical's opening number "We Dance"
Mr Tex 🤓10:56 · 2024-02-02T00:31:32.383Z
That is a really amazing construction. It made me go "Wow!"
I had to use Google because I had never heard of this musical. But the combination of ONCE with islands was a nice touch!
boharr 3s · 2024-02-02T01:39:12.371Z
Terrific first puzzle. Some clever and original clueing and excellent construction. Music is nor my forte. I’m tone deaf! And I don’t know much about Broadway musicals. So I needed Google to find the title and I missed the other music clues and entries. But using “this” in those clues was a subtle hint. Look forward to more. Thank you.
KayW 🤓9:32 · 2024-02-02T02:35:31.420Z
Excellent debut meta! Nice cluing, well constructed. The clue at 2-down did tip me off, just as intended. Thanks!
whimsy 21:23 · 2024-02-02T04:16:07.422Z
Very clever! I had some difficulty with the grid also, and needed to google for the meta. Not very informed on recent Broadway shows so I also missed the hints in the grid. But I got there! Congrats on #1! Thanks, Danny!
MatthewL 🤓21:26 · 2024-02-02T15:10:47.297Z
Very nice first meta! Tough grid, but the ONCE thing jumped out fairly quickly, and then the islands. Like others, had to Google the title because I had not heard of it. Thanks for the puzzle, Danny!
hoover 9s · 2024-02-02T17:03:54.482Z
I left a non-spoilery comment on xword-muggles, but I realized I didn't say anything here! O! This was an excellent debut meta. The only problem I had with the grid was that I fat-fingered one of the letters on the top row. I did see the ONCE, but that made me think of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS and ONCE UPON A TIME. I had to Google the real answer. The part I missed was the "This" in the clues.
Top of the grid was tough. I had to google musical revivals although I should have had to. (I thought of "Once upon a mattress and looked to see if the letters below the ONCEs could spell mattresses and they couldn't..... Dope slap to me!)
DIS 🤓7:47 · 2024-02-02T19:09:00.940Z
Love the Easter eggs and the overall construction! Great first meta (of many, I hope).
This was really cool! Didn’t see the “ONCE” but I did find the islands and the awkward cluing for “this works” in the Elba clue… awesome puzzle thank you for sharing :)