Photo by Joan Marcus
Adapting movies into musicals for the theatrical stage is a tricky business. There’s a built-in audience if the movie’s a hit, like the musical Once, which ran at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts last week. But converting the work for live performance relies on capturing the heart and soul of the original story to engage as well as entertain in a completely different creative universe. Once does it splendidly and in a touching, heartfelt manner.
The storyline is classic: Czech immigrant girl meets Irish musician boy in hometown pub. They have (somewhat) significant others yet bond and create great music—each encouraging the other to follow their dreams, all in a week’s time. But while love is fleeting, music lasts forever. And simple folk ballads and straightforward guitar rock frame this heart-shaped setting based on the award-winning 2007 film.
The ensemble cast is a talented group of actors and musicians who fiddle, dance and play the night away. And when they’re taking a break, they watch Guy (Sam Cieri) and Girl (Mackenzie Lesser-Roy) find their way into each other’s hearts and lives. Having seen the original Broadway show and first national tour, this production holds up just as well. It’s all the more impressive given the non-Equity status of the actors and musicians, who follow the original choreography and direction of the Broadway staging, yet make it their own.
