A Dublin street musician. A beautiful young woman. Music. Emotion. Dreams. Love. Heartbreak. Hope. "Once" is a Tony award-winning musical that will draw you in from the moment the cast members step on stage. It tells the story of the power of music and the complexity of love.
I had never heard of this musical until I came across discounted tickets to go see it at the Ellie Caulkins opera house in Denver. The University of Denver, through its Explore Denver initiative, provides discounted tickets for musicals, museums, zoos, aquariums, concerts, among other things happening locally to its current students. I had only seen two professional touring musicals in my entire life: "Book of Mormon," which I had won tickets to, and "Wicked," which my best friend bought me a ticket to for my birthday. But even so, I've always held a deep love and appreciation for Broadway and for musicals. Despite knowing nothing about the musical, not even the plot, I impulsively purchased two tickets, one for me, and one for my best friend. And I'm so glad I did. If you ever have the opportunity to see "Once" in your area, take it, because you won't regret it. And if "Once" isn't coming to your area anytime soon, I discovered that there is also a movie, and unlike with most musicals, the musical is based off of the movie, rather than vice versa. I haven't seen the movie, so I can only speak for the musical adaptation.
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Just check out the Broadway cast's 2012 Tony Awards performance. I can't express how difficult yet so well done that performance was.
If you're still not convinced, let me provide you with five reasons that you should see "Once."
1. The musical numbers
All of the musical numbers in "Once" are so raw and emotional, and portray such deep, complex meanings than what appears on the surface. One of my favorite numbers from the musical is "Falling Slowly" and I admit that I listen to it on repeat. I heard it once in a Starbucks and I couldn't even deal with it. My other favorite number is "Gold." There is so much in that number, musically, emotionally, and physically. The vast majority of the cast is in this number, and the instrumentation, synchronized movements, and the atmosphere created by the music is awesome.
Also, the cast performs an incredible a cappella version of "Gold" later in the show, which is so raw, and so well performed, that it will give you goosebumps.
2. The cast members play their own instruments
This is not something you see with your average musical. Usually, music is seen as supplemental to the story, but in this musical, it is front in center. All of the cast members play their own instruments throughout the show, on stage, while acting. There's not some orchestra playing music from a pit. You are seeing every stroke, every movement, every instrument being used. And the fact that these cast members are not only great actors, but also fantastic musicians, adds so much to the story.
3. The set
The set of "Once" is so simple, yet so lovely and fitting. In many musicals, there are scene changes to bring out a ton of different props for each number. But in "Once," it's just the set, a couple of chairs and tables, and the instruments. And that, to me, makes the show so much more fabulous.
4. The structure of the show and the unfolding of the story
Without knowing anything about the musical, you might assume that it follows the same structure of your average story. The guy and girl meet for the first time and it's love at first site. The guy plays the role of prince charming, and the girl plays the role of the princess waiting to get swept off of her feet and carried away. But this musical doesn't follow that at all. The girl is the one that first approaches the guy. She's serious and awkward, and strong and confident, and I love that. She helps him to not give up on music. She knows that she doesn't need a significant other to bring her happiness, as her daughter does that for her, but she's open to the possibility if it happens to come along. And she helps him move on with his life, in whatever fashion that may take. It's not the girl meets the guy and she falls head over heels for him, and I very much appreciate that departing representation. Also, though love plays a role in the musical, it's actually not the central theme whatsoever. There is also lot of humor intertwined in the show, especially a lot of subtle jokes that might go over your head if you're not paying attention. Along with that, the two main characters actually don't have names while the rest of the cast members do, which is extremely different from what you see in your average musical, and is awesome, because often times less featured characters are seen as unimportant, and are subsequently undervalued, which was not the case in this musical. And my favorite aspect of the story is that it ultimately centers around the music, the healing powers of music, and the motivation behind the creation of the music. Music is not used as a supplementary source of explaining the story, but as the main point and the story itself.
5. The ending
After seeing the show, my best friend and I couldn't help but dwell on the show's ending. Not to give too much away, but you would not expect "Once" to end in the way it did. In most musicals, there is a definitive resolution, but in "Once," you don't have that. It is left up to the audience to determine how the story ends. And even though I am the person who really wants a definitive end, even I admit that the musical closed the exact way it was supposed to. I really like that, because in many musicals, love is the central theme, and whether love is gained or lost, you have a definitive resolution to that conflict. But because music was the central theme of the show, and love served as a secondary idea, the musical reflects the continuity of music, and how music is interpreted differently by different people, and that there is no resolution to music; it will always be around. And though I love closure, the lack of closure was actually very fitting to this musical.
To learn more about "Once" and see their tour date and locations, visit oncemusical.com.
