Once: The Musical - Theatre Review

I am a huge fan of the film ‘Once’, a simple and honest story set in Dublin, which revolves around two people who find each other through their music. In the original film the main characters were portrayed by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (neither of whom were actors) who had also written all the songs that made up the film’s beautiful soundtrack. This touch gave the film an extra layer of authenticity, as the performances of each song were imbued with honesty and raw emotion. 

I was a little apprehensive about how the songs would translate from the simplicity of their understated performances in the film onto the stage, especially since musicals typically focus on everything being grand in scale. Fortunately, Enda Walsh, the playwright who adapted the story for the stage, wanted to retain the understatement and simplicity that made the story so effective in the first place. As a result, certain elements of the story have been tweaked, and supporting roles have been enhanced in order to make the story more suitable for the stage. The songs themselves have been allowed to retain their integrity, rather than taking on a more typical musical-sound. The only changes that have been made to the soundtrack are cosmetic alterations, enhancing their sound with extra musicians and additional backing vocals. The result allows for the stage show to be a truly uplifting and inspirational experience.

The show certainly has a different feel to it than most musicals, and this doesn’t just relate to the soundtrack. As soon as the audience enter the auditorium they are more than welcome to walk onto the stage, order a drink from the bar (which is a part of the set) and bask in the warm glow of the stage lighting. Before the show starts the ensemble make their way onto the stage, all with instruments in hand (there is no orchestra, all the music is performed on-stage), they then proceed to fill the auditorium with sound as they perform rousing folk songs with a lot of enthusiasm, each performer taking it in turns to take the lead. Eventually the group opens up the floor to Declan Bennett’s nameless ‘Guy’ who performs a powerful rendition of ‘Leave’ which opens the show for real. By the time the song draws to an end, the lights have come down, the ensemble have retreated to the edges of the stage, and Zrinka Cvitešić’s nameless ‘Girl’ has made her way down the aisle towards the sound of the man pouring his heart out on the stage. It makes for a wonderful stage picture, especially since the back of the stage is dominated by a large mirror, which captures effective silhouettes and expressions throughout.

Both Bennett and Cvitešić do wonderful jobs as the leads, and the script has been adapted to allow the audience to become particularly invested in the blossoming relationship between the two. Consequently there is less focus given to their relationships with their previous partners; as such one of my favourite songs from the original soundtrack: ‘Lies’ has been omitted. Nevertheless, the songs that are present are all performed with sincerity and emotion, so it is hard to complain too much about what is not present. There is a gorgeous new addition to the soundtrack, which comes in the form of ‘Sleeping’ (written by Glen Hansard, but not used in the film) which is performed early into the second act.

The role of the ‘Girl’ has been expanded, and made more bold and humorous as she is a character who has a profound effect on everyone else within the story. That she is now a livelier and more direct presence makes her an excellent foil for the initially distant ‘Guy’. Other roles have also been expanded, such as the owner of the music store, the bank manager and all of the Girl’s Czech flatmates, amongst others. They all have their roles to play within the narrative, and there is a lot of very Irish humour, specific to Dublin, Cork and the north/south divide. There is also a very amusing, deliberately-awful song entitled ‘Abandoned in Bandon’ performed by the Bank Manager, providing a stark juxtaposition, following on from a powerful performance of ‘Say It To Me Now’.

There are a couple of small alterations that I was not as keen on, such as the reaction of the studio owner upon hearing ‘When Your Mind’s Made Up’ which was much more believable in the film-version due to it being downplayed. There was also a new inclusion into the storyline of the Guy’s Dad, which seemed underdeveloped and a little contrived. 

However, small criticisms aside, this stage production of “Once” is every bit as good as the glowing reviews emblazoned around the entrance to The Phoenix Theatre would suggest; it retains a lot of what made the original film so effective to begin with, whilst taking on enough of an identity of its own to be viewed as a separate entity. The songs sound fantastic, and are performed wonderfully by a more-than-capable ensemble of actor/musicians. As musicals go, it is not your typical fare, but it is certainly one that any music lover should see.