ONCE is based off of an awesome 2006 Irish musical-movie that was directed by John Carney. It starred musicians Glen Hansard (from the Irish folk band The Frames) & Markéta Irglová, who collaborated musically prior to the film & performed/composed all of the movie's original numbers. The movie's surprisingly supple skeleton of a storyline matched with a quietly striking dynamic between the actors & heightened by stunning/haunting musical score made for a revolutionary film. The film was produced for only $160,000, but received enthusiastic reviews & a number of awards (2007 Independent Spirit Award for best foreign film, a Grammy nomination for the whole soundtrack, & the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Falling Slowly." ONCE's shift from a movie-musical to one created for the stage has proven even more successful & beloved than the film version. Enda Walsh adapted the screen play, John Tiffany served as director, Bob Crowley crafted the set/costume design & Steve Kazee & Cristin Milioti were cast as our Guy & Girl (both performers were nominated for Tony Awards but only Kazee won; Milioti was robbed.). It was named the Best Musical of 2012 by The Outer Critics' Circle, Drama League, The New York Drama Critics' Circle, & The Tony Awards. Winning Best New Musical by any of these groups is impressive, but to sweep them all is pretty exceptional. [Falling Slowly also served as the soundtrack for my sister's first dance with her husband]
BEN HOPE as GUY
Clearly, I did not see Steve Kazee in his Tony Award-winning performance. But I don't mind. In the olden days, I would have been frustrated at missing out on seeing this awesome guy in a part in which he obviously ruled, but I've grown up. If I want to see Steve Kazee play Guy, all I need to do is plug his name into a YouTube search. There is something inherently refreshing & awesome about seeing an understudy. Even though the audience might register an initial feeling of disappointment, that disappointment is apparent in tri-folds by the excitement & adrenaline by the actor who gets to finally play the role. The pressure & excitement always comes through & that factor has been known to outshine the tired routine of an actor who has become comfortable in the awesomeness of his luck. The understudy never takes a performance opportunity for granted; for that reason, I have rarely been disappointed by the performance & Mr. Hope's performance quality was no exception. I had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Hope after the performance & found out he had not played the role of Guy in 3 weeks; his most recent understudy role was as the actor/drummer. For having not played the role regularly/in almost a month, Mr. Hope still presented a rich & enriching performance & the quality of my experience was not even slightly compromised by the presence of an understudy in a leading role. After reading his bio in the Playbill, I found out Mr. Hope is an accomplished musician whose strengths transcend being pigeon-holed into one role. Lesson (re)learned: sometimes there is something underneath the understudy that makes the show.
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| Cristin & Me. |
CRISTIN MILIOTI as GIRL
To be honest, I didn't think she [or anyone] would be able to climb this mountain of a role. It's not that the role is exceedingly difficult, but Markéta Irglová crafted & created this role so impeccably in the movie that it had to be impossible to re-imagine. Luckily for us, Ms. Milioti has no interest in seeing the film until her run has ended. Her approach is clearly a clever one because she dominated this role. She brought a new level of charm to this role that is so essential in live performance; she portrayed an understated quirkiness, a cute/quiet humor, & the imperative infusion of intrigue. Her performance had a lot to live up to & she still managed to portray confidently humble impeccability.
P.S. I have mad respect for this actress because, although this role's cornerstone is her ability as a pianist, she had no piano skills prior to the audition process to this show. She was director John Tiffany's hands-down favorite, so they gave her 10 days to practice piano, become impeccable, & come back to impress them. And impress them she did.
P.P.S. After the drive back to DE from NYC, I was watching a 30 Rock rerun & who was the guest star? Ms. Milioti herself!! I knew I had seen her face before, but wigs can really distort a girl's memory. Seeing her play a ditzy, comedic blonde after watching her dominate as a strangely smart Czech pianist just reaffirmed my opinion that this broad from Cherry Hill, NJ is the real deal.
The Decline of Design: The Broadway of today tends to utilize more stationary sets & singular costumes. The days of Miss Saigon's helicopter & the Phantom's lair have been left in the 90's; contemporary Broadway is stream-lined, stylized, & smartly executed. I'm a definite fan of this paring down, but I'll still never turn down a twirling barricade.
Instrumental Actors: Sam Mendes' 1998 revival of Cabaret started this trend while simultaneously introducing the idea of a an orchestra/band being suspended above/behind the stage (in a world where they orchestra had never lived anywhere but the pit). This choice provides the audience a fresh perspective & appreciation regarding the musicians, as well as a much more engaging production.
The Breaking Down of the Fourth Wall: This trend first became apparent to me during Spring Awakening. They had two sets of mini-bleachers set up on the outer edges of the stage (perpendicular to the audience). I didn't sit in these seats (and did think sitting in them would be be too visually restrictive). During the 2008 production of Equus on Broadway, the stage-seating was suspended in a semi-circle behind & above the stage; the effect was cool & I appreciated sitting closer to the action than I ever would have been able to afford in a standard seat. Once figured out the best way I have seen so far to allow audience members to break through the fourth wall: their stationary set was a bar that served as a cash bar for the audience before the show & during intermission. It was pretty cool; plus, I got a bottle of water AND got to set food on an actual Broadway stage for only $5!
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