Friday 14th March 2014 by Jack Newman
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| The cast in full swing |
The murmur of the crowd as the audience anticipates the rise of the red curtain is a familiar experience for theatre goers. As people find their seats and buy their drinks the buzz of excitement is hidden amidst the quiet chattering and patient queueing. A very different atmosphere greets arrivals at the Phoenix Theatre. The excitement is overt and electrifying as the show starts the moment you walk through the door. On stage the cast are already in full swing, playing their array of instruments in improvised harmony. The queue for the bar is not in the lobby, but on the stage itself, alongside the highly talented musicians. Just before the performance starts, a moving rendition of the classic Irish ballad, On Raglan Road, is performed by one of the supporting cast members. The air is thick with drama and music before Once the Musical has even begun.
As for the show itself, it is as rich, innovative and charming as the posters claim. The meeting of cultures, in this case Czech and Irish, is just one of the many complex and nuanced themes that this show deals with in its insightful and delightful storyline. The tale revolves around the relationship of the two principle characters, a Czech with a broken Hoover and an Irishman who works in his father’s vacuum repair shop. As the two principle (nameless) characters discuss their music, sparks fly almost instantaneously and their friendship blossoms, as Girl shows Guy the joys of life to which he is blind.
For those who are used to musicals on grand scales, with huge casts, lavish costumes, epic set pieces and intricately choreographed dancing, there may be a degree of disappointment with Once. If you like your musicals to be mammoth productions, perhaps you will be looking in the wrong place and may be better off booking Les Miserables, Wicked, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or one of the many other blockbuster musicals in the West End. However, if you are willing to take a chance, you may find that the low-key staging and intimate performance of Once will take you by surprise.
An unexpected element of the show for this theatre goer was the wit of the script. The play it littered with gags and quips from the most subtle references to the most howling of puns. Either way, there is a playful fun to this show, one that harks back to the carefree years of childhood. For me the valuable gem to take away from the experience is that apprehension, anxiety, or fear of failure should never be reason for inaction. This message was clearly part of the decision to stage a production that is very much against the grain of most West End musicals, and should also influence prospective audience members as they wonder whether they may be better off playing it safe.