Once (The Musical)

I know, I know, I haven't done nearly as much posts as I should, but I finally had the opportunity to go & see this show after planning on doing so for months last night!

Once
Starring: Ronan Keating, Jill Winternitz, Alison Harding, Tim Prottey-Jones, Brandon Ellis, Matthew Ganley, Loren O'Dair, Matthew Hamper, Daniel Healy

Based on the 2006 low budget Irish film of the same name (which I shall review separately), the story is essentially a boy meets girl plot set in Dublin as an Irish busker/vacuum repair man with a broken heart meets a quirky Czech single mother (they have no names & are referred to as Guy & Girl in the programme so I'll be calling them that) as they fall in love through music, despite the fact that she's helping him try to win his ex girlfriend back & she has an estranged husband. It may sound very cliched when writing it down, but the way it's executed onstage along with the chemistry between the characters & it is taken more seriously than you think (especially the resolution of it at the end) Like any stage version of a film, this does expand more on the story & characters, and considering the film only really had 2 characters it focused on, this makes more sense as the side characters like Girl's mother Baruska, the bank manager that gives them the loan to work in a recording studio & the music shop owner (now named Billy) are given much more personality & are mostly the source of the comedy along with the funny banter between Guy & Girl. It doesn't shy away from the main story, but I really enjoyed them as much as Guy & Girl & it is nice to see them have their own tiny subplots to give them some development. The story overall is as simple & charming as it was in the film & this is an example of a stage version of a movie can work very well & be it's own thing (I mean, I doubt any of you would know this was actually based on a film if you first saw this)

Well known as the lead singer of former boyband Boyzone, Ronan Keating in his West End debut, while arguably used as an example of stunt casting before the show closes, actually fits the role of Guy pretty well, even if most of the time he has to strum his guitar & sing songs about love & heartbreak, although he is admittedly more understated in his acting compared to his co-stars. American actress Jill Winternitz on the other hand was fun & charming playing the rather eccentric Girl while managing to give her more depth with her passion for music & her conflicted feelings for Guy. The ensemble cast I also have to give credit to as they all have to play instruments & remain onstage when they are not needed or to do the orchestrations, with the act 1 finale Gold shining in particular as they have to dance while playing their instruments simultaneously. And a special mention goes out to Tim Prottey-Jones as Billy because he made me laugh so much with his antics & banter along with understudies Brandon Ellis & Allison Harding as the bank manager & Baruska.

The set design, designed by Bob Crowley, takes a minimalist approach as the one set piece used throughout the whole show is a traditional Irish bar (which you can get a drink from before the show starts & during the intermission) including a wide mirror at the back & chairs at the sides for the musicians whenever they're not needed on centre stage & the occasional subtitles to indicate what language the characters are speaking or to translate what they are saying. The Tony Award winning lighting design by Natasha Katz also manages to convey an intimate atmosphere & is used to it's advantage when the characters are in different locations than the bar like Guy's room, Girl's flat & especially during the scene with Guy & Girl at the cliff. For something as simple as Once, this works in it's favour as it lets the music & musicians further the story & it gives out a very welcoming atmosphere.

The musical numbers, most of them composed by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova (who portrayed Guy & Girl in the original film) are definitely the highlight of the show, incorporating folk & rock music along with some very moving & beautiful lyrics which help move the story & show how the main 2 characters are feeling. Of course, the Oscar winning Falling Slowly makes appearances at the beginning & a heartbreaking reprise as the final number along with a few others from the film like When Your Mind Is Made Up which the actors sing their souls out for & Jill Winternitz's renditions of If You Want Me & The Hill were also very lovely to listen to. But honestly, next to Falling Slowly my personal favourite would have to be the act one finale Gold for me thanks to the beautiful lyrics & the choreography & orchestrations. The original songs are also very beautiful like Ronan Keating's versions of Leave, Sleeping & Say It To Me were simply amazing. However, the show does have the opportunity to add some light hearted songs into the mix like Abandoned in Bandon by the bank manager, Girl's flatmates & Baruska singing & dancing to Ej Pada Pada Rosicka & Guy hilariously rocking out to Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy. In fact, this is some of the best music I have ever heard for a musical as I do have a soft spot for folk music & the melodies & lyrics are all very beautiful to listen to! Heck, I immediately went to get the soundtrack when act 1 ended!

I am so glad I've finally seen this show because it really is something special. Like the original film, this is an example of less is more with letting the breathtaking music & actors tell this story of both the love main characters share for each other & a love for music. This really is something worth watching onstage & I really recommend checking it out before it closes on March 21st. And no, I didn't go to the stage door because it was late at night when it ended, I was exhausted from a day's work of studying & I just wanted to get back home as quick as I could to listen to the amazing music again!

Rating: *****