Girl
A determined and witty dreamer. Girl has come from the Czech Republic to Dublin for a new life. She is passionate about playing the piano and making music.
Gender: female
Vocal range top: B4
Vocal range bottom: F#3
Guy
A down-on-his-luck musician in Dublin. He is lovesick and lost. I loves making songs and playing guitar but is ready to give up.
Falsetto up to C#5
Gender: male
Vocal range top: G#4
Vocal range bottom: F#2
Billy
A music store owner who allows Girl to play piano in his shop. Opinionated and loyal to those he cares about. Plays guitar.
Gender: male
Reza
Girl's vivacious and flirtatious roommate. Plays violin.
Gender: female
Vocal range top: A5
Vocal range bottom: D4
Baruska
Girl's mother. Loving, generous, and idealistic.
Gender: female
Bank Manager
Corporate on the outside, but artistic on the inside. Plays guitar and cello.
Gender: male
Vocal range top: B4
Vocal range bottom: G3
Da
Guy's father. A caring man who loves his son.
Gender: male
Vocal range top: E4
Vocal range bottom: G3
Svec
Girl's quirky roommate. Plays drums and guitar.
Gender: male
Andrej
Girl's roommate. A big dreamer. Plays guitar and bass.
Gender: male
Vocal range top: F#4
Vocal range bottom: A3
Eamon
A Dublin music studio manager. Plays guitar and piano.
Gender: male
Emcee
Host of an open mic at a Dublin pub. Plays guitar.
Gender: male
Vocal range top: D4
Vocal range bottom: C3
Ex-Girlfriend
Guy's ex-girlfriend. Wanting a better life, she's moved from Dublin to New York. Plays violin.
Gender: female
Ivonka
Girl's daughter.
Gender: female
Inspiration
Once, a musical with a book by Irish playwright Enda Walsh and a score by Glen Hansard and Markta Irglov, is a stage adaptation of the 2007 musical film of the same name. The film is a naturalistic drama that stars Hansard and Irglov (for which they wrote all the music, as well) and tells the story of an Irish man who falls for a young Czech woman. The song, "Falling Slowly," won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Going along with the resounding theme of music that exists throughout, the actors in Once doubly functions as the orchestra, picking up a variety of instruments to play throughout the show.
Productions
Once premiered at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA. It then moved to the New York Theatre Workshop in New York City, where it opened on December 6, 2011. The production only ran until January 15, 2012, but its success in its limited run prompted a Broadway transfer. It opened on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on March 18, 2012. A North American national tour launched in Providence, Rhode Island, on October 1, 2013.
Once has also made an impact internationally. The musical made its West End debut at the Phoenix Theatre on April 9, 2013, after a limited engagement at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. The Melbourne Theatre Company put up the Australia premiere on September 26, 2014. On February 10, 2015, a "sit down" production of Once opened at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto, featuring an entirely Canadian cast.
Trivia
- The Off-Broadway production of Once was nominated for seven Lucille Lortel Awards, including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Director and Outstanding Choreographer. It also won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical.
- The Broadway production of Once was nominated for eleven Tony Awards in 2012, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Choreography and Best Direction of a Musical. It was also nominated for six Drama Desk Awards (including Outstanding Musical, Music, Lyrics and Director of a Musical), as well as Drama League and New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards for Best Musical. The album for the Broadway production also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2013.
- The West End production of Once was nominated for six Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical, Outstanding Achievement in Music and Best Theatre Choreographer. It was also nominated for five Whatsonstage.com Awards, including Best New Musical, Best Original Music and Best Director.
- Celebrities who have appeared in Once include: Cristin Milioti (Girl), Arthur Darvill (Guy), Steve Kazee (Guy), Elizabeth A. David (Reza), David Patrick Kelly (Da), Paul Whitty (Billy) and Joanna Christie (Girl).
"Once uses song and dance in a way I've never experienced in an American musical (even if its sound will be familiar to alternative radio listeners): to convey a beautiful shimmer of might-have-been regret. ...What lends a special, tickling poignancy to Mr. Hansard and Ms. Irglova's songs is their acceptance of loneliness as an existential given."
– The New York Times
"Pure, moving and inventive... a study in how to beautifully adapt a movie to the stage. In many ways, in fact, this Once is better than the original Once."
– The Huffington Post
"It is a rare feat... to express such unabashed romantic feeling, such yearning emotion, without stooping to sentiment or wallowing in cliche."
– The Chicago Tribune
"Wins you over with its simplicity, charm and air of sweet melancholy."
– The Guardian
"The sweetest and most romantic show on Broadway.... Book writer Enda Walsh found smart ways to expand the narrative."
– New York Daily News
"A gem of a show. ...Once wins its standing ovations the old-fashioned way: with a love story, great songs, compelling characters and inventive stagecraft.... downright revolutionary."
– The New York Post
"Unusually fun and heartfelt musical theatre."
– The New Yorker
"A love story played with fierce sincerity and unexpected honesty."
– The Wall Street Journal
"Wonderful music! ...Raw and real and better than anything you're likely to hear in the theater all season."
– TIME Magazine
"Pure, moving, invention and irresistible. ...Once makes a lasting connection."
– The Associated Press
"Gorgeous. ...Once charms us with a rare combination of intelligence, warmth and musicality."
– Bloomberg News
"An exquisite reminder of theater's singular capacity to transport us."
– The Hollywood Reporter
Inspiration
Once, a musical with a book by Irish playwright Enda Walsh and a score by Glen Hansard and Markta Irglov, is a stage adaptation of the 2007 musical film of the same name. The film is a naturalistic drama that stars Hansard and Irglov (for which they wrote all the music, as well) and tells the story of an Irish man who falls for a young Czech woman. The song, "Falling Slowly," won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Going along with the resounding theme of music that exists throughout, the actors in Once doubly functions as the orchestra, picking up a variety of instruments to play throughout the show.
Productions
Once premiered at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA. It then moved to the New York Theatre Workshop in New York City, where it opened on December 6, 2011. The production only ran until January 15, 2012, but its success in its limited run prompted a Broadway transfer. It opened on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on March 18, 2012. A North American national tour launched in Providence, Rhode Island, on October 1, 2013.
Once has also made an impact internationally. The musical made its West End debut at the Phoenix Theatre on April 9, 2013, after a limited engagement at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. The Melbourne Theatre Company put up the Australia premiere on September 26, 2014. On February 10, 2015, a "sit down" production of Once opened at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto, featuring an entirely Canadian cast.
Trivia
- The Off-Broadway production of Once was nominated for seven Lucille Lortel Awards, including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Director and Outstanding Choreographer. It also won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical.
- The Broadway production of Once was nominated for eleven Tony Awards in 2012, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Choreography and Best Direction of a Musical. It was also nominated for six Drama Desk Awards (including Outstanding Musical, Music, Lyrics and Director of a Musical), as well as Drama League and New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards for Best Musical. The album for the Broadway production also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2013.
- The West End production of Once was nominated for six Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical, Outstanding Achievement in Music and Best Theatre Choreographer. It was also nominated for five Whatsonstage.com Awards, including Best New Musical, Best Original Music and Best Director.
- Celebrities who have appeared in Once include: Cristin Milioti (Girl), Arthur Darvill (Guy), Steve Kazee (Guy), Elizabeth A. David (Reza), David Patrick Kelly (Da), Paul Whitty (Billy) and Joanna Christie (Girl).
"Once uses song and dance in a way I've never experienced in an American musical (even if its sound will be familiar to alternative radio listeners): to convey a beautiful shimmer of might-have-been regret. ...What lends a special, tickling poignancy to Mr. Hansard and Ms. Irglova's songs is their acceptance of loneliness as an existential given."
– The New York Times
"Pure, moving and inventive... a study in how to beautifully adapt a movie to the stage. In many ways, in fact, this Once is better than the original Once."
– The Huffington Post
"It is a rare feat... to express such unabashed romantic feeling, such yearning emotion, without stooping to sentiment or wallowing in cliche."
– The Chicago Tribune
"Wins you over with its simplicity, charm and air of sweet melancholy."
– The Guardian
"The sweetest and most romantic show on Broadway.... Book writer Enda Walsh found smart ways to expand the narrative."
– New York Daily News
"A gem of a show. ...Once wins its standing ovations the old-fashioned way: with a love story, great songs, compelling characters and inventive stagecraft.... downright revolutionary."
– The New York Post
"Unusually fun and heartfelt musical theatre."
– The New Yorker
"A love story played with fierce sincerity and unexpected honesty."
– The Wall Street Journal
"Wonderful music! ...Raw and real and better than anything you're likely to hear in the theater all season."
– TIME Magazine
"Pure, moving, invention and irresistible. ...Once makes a lasting connection."
– The Associated Press
"Gorgeous. ...Once charms us with a rare combination of intelligence, warmth and musicality."
– Bloomberg News
"An exquisite reminder of theater's singular capacity to transport us."
– The Hollywood Reporter
Billing
Requirements
(100%)
|
Book by
ENDA WALSH
(50%)
|
Music & Lyrics by
GLEN HANSARD & MARKÉTA IRGLOVÁ
(50%)
|
Barbara Broccoli John N. Hart Jr. Patrick Milling Smith Frederick Zollo
Brian Carmody Michael G. Wilson Orin Wolf The Shubert Organization
Robert Cole, Executive Producer
New York Theatre Workshop
Diane Paulus, Artistic Director, Diane Borger, Producer
Video Warning
The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibitedIncluded Materials
| Resource | Quantity |
|---|---|
| FULL SCORE | 1 |
| LIBRETTO/VOCAL BOOK | 16 |
| PIANO VOCAL SCORE | 2 |