ONCE SHOWTIMES
Ticket Link: Once | KCRep
September 4 7:00PM
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We’re falling quickly and all over again--
The eight-time Tony Award-winning musical, “Once,” based on the boy-meets-girl busking in Dublin film (written/directed by John Carney) with music and lyrics by The Swell Season (aka Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová) has found new life in Kansas City, as KCRep presents the production through September 22, at the Spencer Theatre on the UMKC campus.
The modern classic tells the story of two seemingly wandering spirits brought together by music and circumstances, as he sings for donations and she peddles flowers on Grafton Street, a busy retail area of the city. Artistic dreams and unspoken emotions are both re-kindled and spur the pair to carry on in trying to realize their dreams, even though the true reality of the situation may not be as ideal as the potential fairy tale coupling, it’s been made out to be.
Featuring a Book by Enda Walsh and directed by Artistic Director Stuart Carden and heartfelt and poignant songs like the Oscar-winning “Falling Slowly,” it’s the music that drives the narrative of this simple love story made fresh and appealing and entices the viewer to be emotionally invested in what happens next.
Our own history with ‘Once’ is lengthy; from pre-ordering the soundtrack ‘blind,’ only knowing it contained music written by the lead singer of The Frames, to seeing an early preview of the film, then catching The Swell Season live in Minneapolis in May 2008, not long after they won the Best Song Oscar, even having a chance to briefly speak with Glen and Mar following the show.
We caught the first national tour of the production as well, in 2014 when the stage was also a fully working bar and the audience was invited up before the show, and at intermission, to purchase a Guinness, and make some new friends as the band played.
This smaller production unfortunately did not have the onstage bar, but did feature the musical cast playing a few songs informally before the actual show got underway. Additionally, in the lobby pre-show (and on every upcoming Friday), Dublin-born area musician Eddie Delahunt entertained with his own songs, all getting the audience ready for the production.
The actors playing Guy (Ben Ferguson) and Girl (Tiffany Topol) both are affable and very relatable in their lead roles (she somewhat more confident and less sheltered than Irglova’s part in the film), and both are expressive in showing two characters trying to realize their creative aspirations while not sure whether to follow their heads, or their hearts.
The supporting cast is solid- most also play an instrument and the transitions between scenes especially worked well, as all of those had a short musical interlude while cast members organically moved to new spots and replaced set furniture. The company’s collective harmonies are showcased late in the second act, to a honed perfection which kept the crowd absolutely silent and in awe.
Dan Weschler is the production’s music director and also plays Billy, the owner of a small shop they rehearse in, and who provides enough comic relief and lightheartedness, he often steals the scene (in a good way). The venue works well for this seemingly simplistic tale as well, taking advantage of its size to bring the audience in closer, with many of songs becoming interactive clap-a-longs as well.
We liked just about everything in KCRep’s production of “Once”, a quietly stirring story of human emotions and the overwhelming power of music, all driven with honest and memorable Irish folk songs at its core. KCRep’s production runs through September 22.
(photos by KCRep- Don Ipock; Click on any image to enlarge and see in full)
john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / Twitter.com |
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