Evan Harrington News

BWW Reviews: ONCE Is One Of A Kind

ONCE doesn't start quietly, In fact as you enter the Majestic Theatre where ONCE opened Tuesday night, you'll notice that the show has already started as members of the cast are on stage playing music and singing classic songs of Ireland.

Despite the fact that I am a great lover of cinema, the film version of ONCE (2006) somehow eluded me; now, the musical stage adaptation, with music by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova and a book by Enda Walsh, is affording Memphians an 'off season' 'pub crawl' at the historic Orpheum Theatre - and though I have never been particularly fond of Irish whimsy (Barry Fitzgerald's coy old priest in GOING MY WAY is probably the source of that), and though PBS repeats of performances of clarion-voiced Irish lasses sawing away at violins and Riverdancers send me reaching for the remote, I am happy to report that . . . I finally 'get it.' ONCE is a refreshingly 'laid back' vehicle for a musical; its often wistful, incisive, perceptive numbers are an intimate alternative to the often overblown showstoppers of larger musicals.

Once: The Musical brings a taste of Ireland to Nashville this week as the national tour makes a stop at Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Once: The Musical, based on the 2006 indie film, is set in Dublin and centers on two characters known only as Guy and Girl. Their story is as much about the love and power of music as it is about the love between the two characters themselves. The movie's most famous song, 'Falling Slowly' won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Broadway production of Once: The Musical swept the Tony Awards in 2012, receiving 11 Tony nominations and winning 8 Tony Awards including the crown jewel, Best Musical.

A taste of Ireland comes to Nashville with the tour of the eight time Tony Award Winning musical Once. The story of a romance between a couple, surrounded by the music they both love, Once: The Musical is unique in many ways. Evan Harrington heads to Nashville with the touring cast this week. He's graciously agreed to answer a few questions for our Nashville BroadwayWorld.com readers.

Subtle and, at times, molasses-slow in execution---yet ultimately powerful in impact---ONCE is a beautifully-staged, soul-searing musical that interchanges romantic entanglement for creative fulfillment---and how the line that separates these emotions are often blurred. The eight-time Tony award-winning musical---featuring a book by Enda Walsh and music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova---continues performances in Costa Mesa through August 31.

On Thursday, July 17th, the Tony Award winning musical ONCE celebrated its L.A. Premiere in true Hollywood Fashion with a beautiful after party at Bardot Hollywood. This event was sponsored by FOX Searchlight Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment in celebration of Searchlight's 20th anniversary and the Blu-rayTM release of the 2007 Academy Award® winning film. Charles McNulty with the L.A. Times says "The staging of ONCE preserves the quality that helped set it apart - emotional eloquence in stillness." "Dani de Waal and Stuart Ward flourish when getting lost in the music." Check out a look at the opening night bash below!

On Thursday, July 17th, the Tony Award winning musical ONCE celebrated its L.A. Premiere in true Hollywood fashion with a beautiful after party at Bardot Hollywood. This event was sponsored by FOX Searchlight Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment in celebration of Searchlight's 20th anniversary and the Blu-rayTM release of the 2007 Academy Award winning film. Scroll down for photos from the festivities!

Once/book by Enda Walsh/music & lyrics by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova/directed by John Tiffany/Pantages Theatre/through August 10

ONCE, winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and winner of the 2013 GRAMMY Award for Best Musical Theater Album, is celebrating its Hollywood Pantages Premiere with a limited four-week engagement tonight, July 15 through August 10, 2014. Opening Night is Thursday, July 17th at 8pm.

ONCE, winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and winner of the 2013 GRAMMY Award for Best Musical Theater Album, is celebrating its Hollywood Pantages Premiere with a limited four-week engagement; July 15 through August 10, 2014. Opening Night is Thursday, July 17th at 8pm.

We all know the annoying trend of turning every well-regarded or sellable movie into a Broadway Musical. Do we really need a stage version of the popular film especially when that film is pretty much a musical already such as with the indie sleeper hit "Once"? Well, I don't know if we need it but in this case I'm actually glad we have it as they have taken this lovely romance and just simply let it be told through it's gorgeous music and some very simple staging and the result is a great big sigh (and maybe even a few tears) at the end of a truly entertaining evening.

Once, the 2012 Tony Award winner for Best musical, is one of the most nontraditional musicals to come along in quite some time. Based on the Academy Award winning film of the same name, Once opened on Broadway in 2012 to strong reviews and the momentum continued to build to a Tony win and the launching of a national tour. Once played in Des Moines last week and, based upon the reception, will be welcome back anytime in the future.

Falling slowly into a relationship with ONCE and its quirky characters stirred memories in the hearts and minds of lost loves and fleeting past moments. Catching this show at Minneapolis' Orpheum should be done pretty quickly with the run ending April 6.

This Saint Patrick's Day weekend, skip the riots and go see the national tour of the little musical that could, for a tribute to the modern Irish tradition of producing great singer-songwriters.

Once, winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and winner of the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, makes its Minneapolis premiere at Hennepin Theatre Trust's Orpheum Theatre, April 1-6, 2014. Tickets for Once are on sale now. Once is presented by Hennepin Theatre Trust as part of its Broadway Season. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit HennepinTheatreTrust.org or call 1.800.982.2787.

ONCE, winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and winner of the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, will play the Benedum Center for a limited engagement from today, March 11 through Sunday, March 16, 2014. ONCE is part of the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series, presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Broadway Across America and Pittsburgh Symphony.

The cast is brilliantly talented....Every member acts, sings, dances. AND plays an instrument. And sometimes they do ALL at the same time! BRAVO! The show gives us all hope and promise and a perfect Valentine reminder: 'What can be more important than Love'... GO SEE THIS WONDERFUL SHOW!

ONCE, winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and winner of the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, will play the Benedum Center for a limited engagement from Tuesday, March 11 through Sunday, March 16, 2014. ONCE is part of the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series, presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Broadway Across America and Pittsburgh Symphony.

The original film won an Academy Award, the Broadway show won eight Tony Awards, and now Once has come to the Triangle, spending this week at the Durham Performing Arts Center.