Once the Musical: A review

by ccallons | March 14, 2013 8:41 am

[1]
By CAITLIN CALLONS

As the audience enters from the cold they are greeted with a friendly staff dressed in everyday clothes and not the normal usher clothes. Once the audience has entered they usually grab a snack or drink at the bar of a theater, which is normally located in the lobby, but for this show, its home is the stage.

Those wanting a preshow-drink happily flock to the stage. The stage only holds 30 audience members and no more, so the line to enter the onstage bar runs through the two main aisles of the theater, but people are excited to wait. About a half an hour to show time the cast members from the show come on stage to strategically placed instruments in the center of the stage, and begin a mini concert of authentic Irish music concert for those who are seeing the show.

This is the opening set to Once the musical. And this unconventional opening is just one piece that keeps this show sold out night after night.

“It was such an amazing opening to a show, unlike anything I’d ever seen. It felt more like a concert than a Broadway show and I felt connected to the cast instantly,” said Alexander Glen, an audience member.

The Backstory

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Once the musical Broadway cast album

Once the musical shares a plotline and music with the movie(with a few added songs). It went into previews on February 28, 2012 and officially open March 12, 2012. The show was nominated for 11 Tony awards and it won eight of them. It also won the 2013 Grammy for best musical theater album.

“I saw the song ‘Gold’ on the Tony awards and the performance was so amazing that I cried watching it,” said Julie Lynn, girlfriend of Glen. “Seeing it live was like an outer body experience, it was simply breathtaking.”

Once on the Tony Awards

The movie Once was written by John Carney[3]. It starred Glen Hansard[4] and Marketa Irglova[5] who also wrote all the original music for the movie. The song “Falling Slowly” won the Academy Award for best original song.

Once Winning the Academy Awards

“I saw the movie and had such high hopes for the show. After seeing them (the cast) on the Tony awards I had even higher expectations,” Glen said. “And I can honestly say this is everything I thought it would be.”

Once is currently playing at the Bernard B Jacobs Theater
242 West 45st (Between Broadway and 8th)
New York, New York 10036
Here is a piece of the hit song Falling Slowly

[AUDIO Listen to a clip from Once: ” FallingSlowly “][6]
For ticket information click here [7]

Once is about a guitar-playing Irish singer (named Guy) who’s down on  his luck after his girlfriend has an affair. He meets a piano-playing Czech girl (named Girl) and they become entwined in each others live through music.

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: http://class1.ramaporecord.org/2013/03/14/once-the-musical-a-review/once-the-musical-1-2/
  2. [Image]: http://class1.ramaporecord.org/2013/03/14/once-the-musical-a-review/once-cd/
  3. John Carney: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Carney_(director)
  4. Glen Hansard: http://www.glenhansardmusic.com/songofgoodhope/
  5. Marketa Irglova: http://marketairglovamusic.com/
  6. FallingSlowly “]: http://class1.ramaporecord.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/fallingslowlyrevised.mp3
  7. here : http://www.oncemusical.com/tickets.html

Source URL: https://class1.ramaporecord.org/?p=12747