Once

I approached the musical adaption of Once with some hesitation, it is such a subtle and delicate film that I questioned how it could be translated to the stage.  However I shouldn’t have had any doubt, Once is a breath-taking, subtle, romantic and beautiful production with songs that make you laugh and make you cry. 

The set is that of a friendly pub, much like your local.  It even functions as a real bar for the audience during the interval and before the show starts, the opportunity to go onto a West End stage and get yourself a drink is certainly unique.  The show starts without you realising, as the cast are singing and performing during the 15 minutes before 7.30.  I’m not sure that I like this, maybe I’m a traditionalist and would rather have the obvious curtain drawing back to reveal the set. Then out of nowhere comes such a raw and powerful voice that I know I’m at the very least going to enjoy the music throughout the show.  David Hunter was the understudy for the main ‘Guy’ although had the little slip of paper not been in the programme I would have had no idea, he was sensational.  His voice had such an intense quality and it's depth reminded me of Tom Smith, lead singer of Editors.  The whole story of Once seemed to be encapsulated through his voice.

I don’t want to spoil the plot for anyone who hasn’t seen the film or the show, but it’s such a bittersweet tale and not your typical love story, which is refreshing.  The show demonstrates human relationships at their very best from families to strangers who find a connection through their music.  The show also acts as a tribute to Dublin, with many comments on the magic of the city; one of my favourite lines was a comment on how many broken hearts Dublin has produced, such a melancholy way to view any city.

One of the best features of the show is that all the cast are on stage constantly, excluding the adorable little girl who plays the ‘Girl’s daughter. They sit at the side when not actually in the scene providing subtle background music and watch the story unfold.  At first I thought that was their only purpose but as the show develops they are all actually characters in the story, from the Girls typically Czech family to the ex-girlfriend of the Guy who is in New York.

The music in Once is absolutely beautiful and not at all your average musical score.  The songs have obvious Irish influences as well as the Czech and Eastern European influences.  Occasionally a song is  predominantly with the Eastern European or Irish feel however the best songs were when these two merge together, to create something stunning.  The most spine tingling moment for me was an A Capella version of 'Gold', if anyone is familiar with Riverdance it had the same feel of ‘The Hearts Cry’.  You could of heard a pin drop in the theatre at that point.   The songs that 'Guy' had written reminded me of Gary Lightbody’s work, which could be the main reason I fell in love with them all so quickly.

Overall the show, despite my initial doubt, perfectly encapsulated the magic of the film and the decision to keep the main song ‘Falling Slowly’ in the show was a good move, although considering it won Academy Award for Best Original Song it would have been foolish to leave it out!!  I have to admit that I left with tears streaking my face, although I seem to be one of the few people it affected so much it really did move me and will be a while before I can listen to the soundtrack on public transport.