Once: A Bittersweet, Beautiful Musical
By Melody Udell in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 12, 2013 7:00PM
Once the Musical plays through Oct. 27 at the Oriental Theatre.
There’s a moment in Once, the Tony Award-winning production now touring through Chicago, where you suddenly realize just how deeply you’ve been taken in by this quiet, unassuming musical.
The cast, who all double as the show’s orchestra, is staring out into the sea and singing a cappella — their minds elsewhere, and their hearts just a little bit broken. You see, they’ve just recorded what’s sure to be a hit, but in order to fully serve the music, they must stop serving themselves. In Once, love is both an inspiration for--and a hindrance to--creating art.
The show is an adaptation of the 2007 indie flick starring Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, and follows the same plot: heartbroken guy meets spirited girl who revives his brilliant music. But unlike the splashy movie-to-stage adaptations we’re familiar with (think Hairspray and The Producers), Once doesn’t rely on campy dance breaks or big 11 o’clock numbers. In fact, it doesn’t have any. But what is does have is a sincere, restrained story and earnest music — and, of course, love.
We first meet Stuart Ward’s unnamed, heartbroken guy in an Dublin pub, where he’s performing for what he thinks will be the last time. His songs are all painful reminders of his longtime girlfriend who left him for New York City six months ago. But the aforementioned spirited girl (Dani de Waal), a Czech piano player hiding her own heartbreak, can’t stop herself from intervening into Guy’s life. His music, she begs, is too good to give up.
But Guy isn’t just a musician. By day, he repairs vacuums in his dad’s shop and wallows in his wasted potential. Lucky for him, Girl has a Hoover that needs fixing, and she plans to pay him in music.
One new vacuum motor later, Girl repays her debt and then some by helping Guy gather the courage — and a small bank loan — to record a demo CD. She wants Guy to move to New York and become a success. And, conveniently, he wants to win back his ex-girlfriend because he can’t just “walk through life leaving unfinished love behind.” Her rowdy Czech family make up the rest of the band, and the group records an achy ballad that is praised by the producer. Guy, it seems, is on the verge of stardom. But just before he leaves town to embrace success and win back his ex, it’s painfully clear he’s in love with Girl.
Under John Tiffany’s direction, Once is deliberately paced, and at times both moving and bitterly frustrating. The decision to forgo an orchestra for on-stage actors/musicians and intentional, fluid choreography by Steven Hoggett makes the show feel a little bit homegrown, a little more personal.
Luckily, the Oriental Theatre doesn’t drown out this folksy production, but a show like this is ideally made for a more intimate theater. (I'm looking at you, Broadway Playhouse.) Yet the venue doesn’t stop Ward and de Waal’s near-romance from infiltrating every corner of the theater. The two are heartbreaking, both together and apart. And if heartbreak is the prerequisite for a haunting, beautiful show like Once, then I’ll bring the tissues.
The show runs through Sunday, Oct. 27 at the Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., 312-977-1700 or online.