Enjoy Celebrity Radio’s Once The Musical Review…..
Once The Musical is the iconic musical adaptation of the Irish film ‘Once’ which opened on Broadway in 2011 and won almost every Tony Award going in 2012, a massive 11 in total – on par with some of the biggest hits of all time on the Great White Way.
Last month Once The Musical opened in the West End to huge applause at the Phoenix Theatre.
This unique show celebrates its Stars by using all of their talents as musicians, vocalists, actors and dancers collectively. A rare show offering the ‘quadruple threat’!
Enjoy Alex Belfield’s audio review:
Once is the antithesis of most musicals of late, it does not have a multi-million pound flashy sets & even bigger marketing budgets to convince you that it is worth the £65 ticket. This show simply has a hugely talented team of actors who tell the story of poverty, break-up, angst, spirit and love.
What I found lovely was that Once offers a ‘pre-show’ of fabulous Live Irish music. I highly recommend you get to the Phoenix Theatre to take advantage of this feel-good theatrical amuse-bouche (although avoid the ales at the bar coming in at a record £11 for 2 drinks – I don’t think that would be acceptable in your average Dublin pub)! Anywho, the team looked as if they were having an absolute ball on stage and this sets the mood perfectly for a music led performance.
This show tells the story of a lonely vacuum cleaner repair man and busker in Dublin who meets a young Czech single mother who sees the spark in his music, personality and even his humanity….thank God, he certainly can’t see it in himself.
Once has massive heart and soul. The lead roles were executed superbly by Declan Bennett and Croatian Zrinka Cvitesic. Declan’s voice was especially powerful and moving, he certainly stole the show vocally. Both actors have incredible charm, warmth and beautifully controlled vocals.
The script is a little cheesy at times with random clichés scattered throughout, however, you quickly forget once the cast crescendo into many of the beautifully written numbers that thankfully appear as often as the laughs / titters throughout the show.
It is lovely that the Phoenix Theatre is home to this play with music, opposed to musical spectacular, as so many are. It is just what the West End needs right now as an alternatively to the vacuous song book power-houses.
Once The Musical is definitely worth a heart lifting night out.
I truly hope this show can find an audience big enough to last the course, amidst the current overkill of other productions with seemingly infinite marketing budgets.
Review 20/4/2013
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