Once The Musical

I went to see this show for the eigth time yesterday. I’m really suprised, as the first time I went and heard a bit of the diddly diddly music before thje show, I thought ‘give me ten minutes, and i’m out of here’.
I’ve seen most things in the West End, and this is by far the best thing that is currently on. In fact it’s the best thing I’ve seen since Spring Awakening in 2008. The music is magic, the cast are all great. I cannot fault this production.
I really enjoyed ‘Book of Morman’, but Once was for me the best new musical of 2013.
I won’t go into the storyline, but I urge anyone who likes a musical to go, and with an open mind, you will love it!
You can drink on the stage prior to the start and during the interval.

Plastered all over London Underground are posters claiming that Once has it all: heart, soul, beauty, comedy and perfect perfect music, and guess what? Every ounce of it is true! And I should know as I’ve seen it twice already.
Once is an exploration and celebration of music and love in whatever shape or form that it comes in. If you enjoy live music, this musical is the perfect showcase of it for you to bask in. It includes the best live harmonies I have ever heard, and sung in a cappella too.
The musicians are all clearly comfortable with their instruments and passionate about music. They play and sing with vigour and class whilst extending their expression of the music through dancing at the same time, which is an impressive feat to do with such ease. It reminds me of some joyous musicians who perform with energy and enthusiasm in Covent Garden. But in some cases the dancing was distracting and unnecessary. Nevertheless, the raw musical talent throughout Once constantly carries you away in waves of rhythmic and harmonious perfection.
However musical talent does not necessary guarantee talent in acting; the acting is good but not excellent. Apart from Tim Prottey-​Jones who exuded charisma as the character Billy, the majority of the cast were noticeably better musicians than actors. Setting of the scenes was also lacking and leaving much to imagination as the stage and lighting was rather simple.
A unique highlight of this show is actually allowing audience members to go up on stage to buy drinks at the very beginning and during the interval. In fact, Once succeeds graciously at creating a homely atmosphere in which the audience can feel welcome and engaged in this sweet story of these poor souls in Dublin whose lives are intertwined and connected by music and love. So genuine in its portrayal of emotions that Once never comes across as cheesy or contrived; it is original, well-​scripted and blessed with heart-​felt music. I believe the film upon which this musical is based is marginally better in overall quality but hearing the music performed so well live alongside the beautiful storyline is a treat in itself.

I absolutely adored this show. I watched the film when it came out years ago though at the time I didn’t particularly enjoy it so I held off seeing the stage version. I wish I hadn’t waited. This is the best show I’ve seen in London all year. It was incredible. There were very unexpectedly funny parts, incredible music and lots of heart wrenching drama thrown in there too. All the musicians were incredibly talented and gave their all throughout the whole performance.
You also get the opportunity to use the on-​stage bar before the show and at the interval which was a very novel idea and really quite wonderful. It was almost like my childhood dreams coming true, standing on the stage of a West End theatre looking out at the audience. The set is very simple yet effective and I really loved that all the music was created right there on the stage.
The performers did a great job, and the accents were pretty accurate from my point of view. I attended with three others and we were all thoroughly blown away. A beautiful story. I got my tickets on
and we had really great seats. I’d love to see the show again, and have been playing the soundtrack on repeat the last four days! I highly recommend!

Interesting play about a guy and a girl who have other loves and end up falling for each other, only to go back to their other loves. While it’s not an original plot, the way in which it is performed is quite entertaining. It’s definitely worth seeing!

Recently opened at The Phoenix Theatre, Once the Musical is definitely a great edition to the West End.
Based upon the film of the same name and featuring music by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Once follows the interactions of an Irish busker (Guy) and a young Czech lady (Girl) who bond over their mutual love of music. We never find out their names but we find out a lot about their lives through the music that Guy has written. Girl encourages him to produce it and to follow his dreams whilst she uses the music to hide her own feelings about her situation.
In the film the songs are just interludes or background music to the scenes but in the musical they have been incorporated to really reflect each character and with the use of some interpretive dance they bring out emotions which would otherwise be hidden away.
The leads are brilliant, Guy being played by ex boyband Point Break member Declan Bennet, whose Irish tones resonate beautifully when combined with the gorgeous Eastern European voice of Zrinka Cvitešić who plays girl. She will have you crying through some of the songs. I recommend taking tissues. The main number, which is probably the most famous, ‘Falling Slowly’ is so haunting and moving, but when Zrinka sings ‘The Hill’, well I was a mess! Amazingly acted and very funny in places too. And all the chorus, as well as the leads play their own instruments and their instruments become part of their characters on stage.
As soon as you walk into the theatre you are transported to an Irish Bar where the cast are on stage playing traditional Irish tunes and if you are lucky enough to be in the stalls (which we were and will explain how later) then you can join them onstage and even buy yourself a pint which comes in a specially merchandised cup (of which is reflected in the price but hey). The bar comes up again in the interval but no music sadly.
My only criticism really was the interpretive dance. In some places it just felt a bit random and separate to the story. I would also say that this is not your typical musical, it’s not overblown or big band stylee. It is very folky and very Irish in places. The show certainly tries to big up the Irish, but in a good way!
Re tickets, if you have the time you can queue on the day for day seats. Apparently there are 10 day seats at the front for £20 and if those go they may sell off any other seats for slightly more money. We paid £25 and sat in the stalls and it was well worth it. If you haven’t got time I would still recommend going to see it. The Phoenix is not a huge theatre and the view will be fine.
So overall… one of the best things and best new shows on the West End at the moment. It did win 8 Tony awards (tony…tony…tony!!!) after all!