Review: ONCE will make you walk on moonbeams at The National Theatre

Once is never enough times to immerse yourself in the beautiful production, ONCE, which is why I went, again, to the performance at the National Theatre this weekend. I wondered briefly why bring a big show like this in for just a weekend, and then I went and the thought fled my mind. Of course you would bring this show in for a weekend. You should always bring this show in, no matter what. It's magical, and it's about magic.

Anytime a Girl (Mackenzie Lesser-Roy) meets a Guy (Sam Cieri) on the street who is run down and out of luck and they go off together and end up making beautiful music together (literally, not figuratively), it's pretty awesome. But what else makes this show especially amazing? I'm glad you asked.

Firstly, there is something of a pre-show at ONCE. If you arrive early enough, which I made sure to, you can be amongst a limited number of people who get to go up on the stage. The set is rather permanently structured as an Irish Pub, and that is what you step into when you go up. Once onstage, you can purchase a variety of drinks from the pub and mingle there with friends or your fellow theatre goers. About ten minutes before the start of the performance, most of the cast come out and join you onstage, where they each take up instrument and voice and begin to play and sing. The sense of community, the joy of the music, and the humility of the performers engulf and carry with you as you eventually head off stage several songs later to take your seat for the rest of the performance.

That is when the guy meets the girl. No names, just Guy & Girl. This is the sort of production you can slip into easily; find yourself there in the story. It's an ordinary story about an extraordinary thing-yet another reason to love it. The Girl reignites the music in the Guy; she takes him in hand (and hoover) to fall slowly back into song, back into hope, and back into love. (And if you have seen this show before, you might note what I did there just now - "Falling Slowly" is one of the primary songs of the production, and certainly a favourite of mine.)

Not only are you immediately pulled into the story, but you also quickly connect with the communities of the Guy and Girl - the dear, good hearted father of the Guy, Da (Bristol Pomeroy) and the allies and immigrant community of the Girl. Their stories and music spring up and envelope me, too; and again, the music and the stories are simple yet complex; beautiful but achingly raw.

ONCE is certainly a musical, and a musical about music, but it is a quieter sort of music. I love that it does not have the bombastic, that it lacks the quality of suddenly breaking out into a peppy song and dance number. Rather, each song rises slowly from a moment, it wells up and breaks out into fullness as one by one, the supporting cast rise up from chairs at the edges of the stage to play their various instruments. Then the fullness swells out into chilling harmonies, the type of music that makes the hair on my arm stand and and bend into the sound for the beauty and the soul of it. Each song not only helps me understand something in the story, but it makes me feel the emotions of the characters; it brings me in as one with the whole.

Cast often varies throughout Broadway shows and tours, and this cast was largely new to me. Their performances felt new, too; no one was trying too hard to fit a particular interpretation of their character; they simply stepped into a pair of well-cast shoes and were that character. Sam Cieri has a great set of pipes that reminded me a bit in tone of James Blunt, though the passion and fervor of his singing was quite his own. Mackenzie Lesser-Roy played the most lighthearted and child-like version of Girl I have seen yet, but it worked for the most part and her character was as delightful and surprising as ever. Her version of the song, "The Hill" definitely had a unique spin to it which drew me out of the story briefly, but her singing, harmonizing, and piano playing were all beautiful.

All members of this stand-out cast were wonderful musicians and certainly believable as characters. One thing that stood out to me particularly with this cast was the heightened humour. They let the laughs play longer, they drew out the funny lines and let the zingers zap a little more zestily than other casts I have seen for the show. Truly delightful, and not at all overdone. If you have seen it before, don't worry; it did not become so funny that it cost the heart and heartache. There were not a lot of dry eyes in the theatre by the end to judge from the surround-sound sniffling going on in the audience or a cursory glance around nearby seats.

Of course, it would be difficult to have a successful musical without the added and excellent skills of the technical crew. Lighting and sound work were spot on, with smooth transitions and skillful renderings. Nothing jarred you out of the story unintentionally.

While I am sad that this show was only at the National for the weekend and is already gone; part of the magic in ONCE itself is that it is something that only happens once, but that expands to impact every day forward. Why would you say no to that? And hopefully, it will come again, or another spectacular moment of magic, instead.

Running time: 2 hours and 20minutes with one 15 minute intermission
ONCE ran at The National Theatre Nov 25 - 27, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington D.C. but the tour continues and other exciting performances will be arriving at The National Theatre soon, so be sure to check the Box Office for information.

Photo: Bristol Pomeroy, Sam Cieri, and Mackenzie Lesser-Roy from the Once tour company; by Joan Marcus.