ONCE… AGAIN
The Irish jig of a musical, Once, celebrating the sweet sorrow of love lost, is set to open in Australia once again.
As theatres reopen around Australia, many will be pleased to see the return of Once, the award-winning musical about Guy, a Dublin busker, and Girl, a Czech flower-seller, whose romantic journey unfolds through the medium of folk rock. The show has won eight Tony Awards, a Drama Desk Award and Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album. The song Falling Slowly won an Oscar for the 2007 original film version, which starred real life writers of the score, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.
Now, with the help of a RISE grant from the Australian government, Sydney’s Darlinghurst Theatre is launching a 21-week tour of the popular musical.
Directed by Richard Carroll, both Toby Francis (Kinky Boots) and Stefanie Caccamo (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) have reprised their roles after the successful 2019 run at The Eternity Playhouse.
“Once came at a hell of a time in my life,” says Toby Francis. “I was shattered emotionally from massive changes, personally and professionally.
“Loss was a running theme, as was heartbreak, and I connected with Guy on those terms. That feeling of having missed out on the love of your life and being left bereft. The rest of the world has the audacity to carry on as if yours hasn’t ended. I just lent into what my life was at that time.“
The show’s intimacy is considered one of the reasons for its worldwide success. Using a minimalist set, akin to Come From Away, the small cast with powerful voices, instruments and infectious music prove just as compelling as any crashing chandelier!
“There’s something about the show that is unspeakable but understood,” says Francis. “It seems like a story about some guy who meets some girl, they make music for a week and tangle their lives up a bit, but it’s so… honest and real! It isn’t a musical like Wicked or 42nd Street with big song and dance numbers. It’s something else. There’s still spectacle in the big band numbers, but it’s like you’re living there watching something you shouldn’t – something meant to be private.”
For director Richard Carroll, who helmed the 2019 production, the revival comes during the era of COVID-19 uncertainty.
“So much of what’s involved in mounting a show in the covid era happens outside the rehearsal room,” he says. “It relies on support from so many people, particularly the producers and theatre staff. From risk assessments to cleaning and covid-sensitive scheduling, it takes even more collaboration than usual. We’re lucky with the support we get, not least of which is from the audience, attending the theatre in masks and observing protocols that allow the show to keep going.”
Having run on the West End, Broadway, Toronto, Seoul and Buenos Aires, and with Australians travelling interstate just to attend the Sydney production, there’s no doubting this musical has impact.
“It’s a story about compassion and vulnerability that speaks to the soul,” says Carroll. “It’s at times unsentimental and gloriously sentimental, which I find endlessly fascinating. Above all, like any great musical, it has stunningly beautiful, incredible music, transporting audiences night after night.”
“The story is something you’ve felt before and understand,” says Francis. “I hope that’s what audiences will take from Once. A feeling of something they’ve felt before, where the wound in them doesn’t quite ever heal. That thing we all carry from some hurt to our heart long ago and I hope the audience knows we all feel that.”
Powerful voices, instruments and infectious music prove just as compelling as any crashing chandelier!