Once Review

Once

The Phoenix Theatre, London

Like The Book of Mormon, this musical has received critical acclaim and many of awards over in America before transferring to the West End. It follows an unnamed Irish guitarist, the Guy (Declan Bennett), whose life consists of playing music in a local bar and repairing hoovers. He meets an unnamed Czechoslovakian Girl (Zrinka Cvitesic) who asks him to repair her hoover. In return she offers to accompany the songs he has written for his girlfriend, who now lives in New York. The girl is enamored by his songs, and suggests he records his music and take it to New York. As they work to get the Guy's recording the pair start to fall in love with each other.

Sadly however, I can only describe the pair as the best of friends. On that level the writing exceeds, especially with the two actors playing them. During their first meeting, the girl laughs at the idea of destiny after fortuiously bumping into a hoover repairman when she needs her hoover repaired. She comes off as a lovable, hilarious character who will not take no for answer when persuading the Guy to play his music. Declan Bennett as the Guy is indifferent at first, but he begins to soften as he plays his music to her. When it comes to the romance, there are moments that show the pair falling for each other, particularly at the end of the first act. Yet there is no sense that the romance is developing and the complications at the end did not resonate with me.

The playwright, Enda Walsh says in the programme that he wanted "the music to be central to (the characters') storytelling. There is a sense of a bond between the pair as they play some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard. Their voices compliment each other wonderfully. My favourite song would have to be Falling Slowly because just listening to the harmony itself almost had me shedding a tear. Unfortunately the lyrics are not audible enough, and I could only catch phrases here and there, making it difficult for me to understand the subtext.

I have mentioned before how the audibility of previous musicals I have reviewed makes it hard to hear the lyrics clearly, Legally Blonde in particular. Instead, these musicals used spectacle and dancing to get the point across. This musical is going for minimalism and intimacy. When I went up onto the stage before the musical started (which I recommend) to hear the band play some songs I could hear them clearly. Yet when sitting in row L of the stalls it was not the case. A smaller theatre would have been better for this musical, otherwise they should work on the sound system so that the actors can be heard clearly.

Another problem I have with the musical is the sub-plot where the Girl gets together the locals to help record Guy's music. The musical diverts away from the main story to show this divided band of musicians, with different backgrounds and personalities, coming together. Yet the story feels underwritten. The actors get some brief moments each to put across who their characters are. Aidan Kelly is over-reactive to everything as the Girl's tetchy neighbour, Billy, whilst Jez Unwin plays a nervous Bank Manager. It is enjoyable to watch the few moments where the two argue over capitalism. Ryan Fletcher meanwhile plays up the insecurity of caffeine addict, Svec. Nonetheless, it is such a shame that the musical does not explore these characters further.

The set comprises of an Irish pub, since the musical is staged to the backdrop of the rich Irish tradition of storytelling and music. Indeed when I went onto the stage to listen to the musicians playing some songs, I got to hear all sorts of stories being sung. The musicians are full of passion, rhythm, charm, laughter, nostalgia and spontaneity, which is such a joy to watch.

The set itself is quaint. The walls are covered in mirrors, which allows the audience to see the action from different angles. Nearly every setting is created in this pub. There is the occasional clever touch, such as a scene where the couple are looking over the bay of Dublin, which is beautifully done. However it is at times hard to tell whether there is a scene transition. A change of lighting would have helped, and simply pushing on a hoover suddenly does not help.

I have recently listened to the Original Broadway Cast Recording and have a better understanding of the songs. I now like the musical more, though I wish I can say the same for the production I saw. On a technical level, I thought the production struggled to get the story across and I do think that the story is not one hundred percent perfect. That said, the main characters are wonderfully well-written and the music alone is a treat to listen to. I would say see Once at a high Bargain, but recommend sitting at the front to appreciate the musical more than I did.