ONCE – Book by Edna Walsh; Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova; Directed by Carrie Colton; Music Direction by AbdulKarim Islam; Choreography by Carrie Bolton. Produced by Town Hall Arts Center (2450 Main Street, Littleton) through April 27. Tickets available at 303-794-2787 or townhallartscenter.org.
If I told you that I could take you to a play that was as sturdy as a shillelagh, as tasty as colcannon, as lyrical as a Friday night in Paddy’s Bar, and as rowdy as Saturday night in Paddy’s Bar, wouldn’t you want to go? Well, then, be taking yourself down to the local on the stage in the luvly Town Hall Arts Center for a bit of the auld Irish yourself now. You’ll see a feisty bunch of those actor fellas singing and dancing like they knew what they were doing. Oh, there’s a bit of an almost love story going on as well.
Seriously, folks, from the moment you walk in and hear the singing and stomping, it takes you home again. You’re offered a drink and a sit down to enjoy the music. But then it gets all quiet and the lone feller stands in the middle of the stage and sings a sad sad song, sets his guitar on the floor, and starts to walk away. You just know his heart is breaking. But suddenly, there’s this girl and she’s askin’ him what does he think he’s doing. And they’re off. The story goes on from there.
Oh, but it’s luvly. They sing to each other and bring some other folk into the mix as well. There’s all kinds of friends hangin’ around, trying to get these two together and makin’ a lot of music in the meantime. There’s her Mam and his Da and a bunch of good natured foreign folk to play all kinds of instruments. It’s a fecking wonder how sweet the music is. There’s this one song that the Guy has wrote about “Falling Slowly.” I swear it’ll break your heart.
They’re not really Irish, of course. I mean, what kind of name is Syracuse? That’s Andy, the nice lookin’ fella with the broken heart. His would-be girlfriend (if she weren’t married already) is named Isabella (that could be Irish) Duran (but that isn’t). Oh, she’s got a luvly voice, she does. The rest of the lot sort of shuffle around on the stage playing all their friends and all. There was that Drew Bradley who thought he was a bartender but didn’t know how to keep the foam low; there was this Emma Rebecca Maxwell who tried to play a loose woman, but I could tell she had a good heart. They all played half a dozen instruments each – I even saw some flutes and clarinets and such. What kinda bar is this anyway??
But you’ll be truly sorry if you miss the party. And you’ll be rootin’ for those two kids to figure out what’s important in their lives. And they kinda do. But the music goes on.
I’d be given it a 9 out of 10! Go see fer yourself, now!