The Musical Debuted at the Coronado Stage in 2018
You cannot go wrong with ONCE. It is such a beautiful musical. Yet, some people consider it to be “too folkie.” Based on the 2007 film of the same name by John Carney with music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. The book for the musical was written by Enda Walsh.
Set in Dublin, Guy (Michael Louis Cusimano) starts playing his guitar and singing “Leave” in the middle of the street. As he puts the guitar back in the case to leave it there, Girl (Caitie Grady), a Czech woman who saw the act, comes to him and asks questions about the song, its reasoning, and how he sang it with all the feels. Guy lives with his dad (Kent Brisby) above their Hoover vacuum repair shop. Girl has a Hoover that needs repairing and tells Guy she will pay him with music as she is a masterful piano player. As they get to know each other, Girl tasks herself with recording Guy’s songs so he can get a record deal in New York. Along this journey, there are surrounding characters like Girl’s mother, Baruska (Deborah Gilmour Smyth), and her daughter, Ivanka (Gia Glenn in the performance I saw). Considering the times and what is happening daily, I was not surprised when a few cackles were heard when Girl mentioned that her daughter’s name was Ivanka.
Girl also lives with Réza (Angela Chatelain Avila), Svec (Arusi Santi), and Andrej (Morgan Hollingsworth), who are musicians as well. And she gets to play the piano from Billy’s (Manny Fernandes) music shop. They land a 24-hour studio deal to record all the songs, and the magic continues.
I saw the 2018 production, which was terrific, just like this one. Kerry Meads, along with G. Scott Lacy in the musical direction, directs this multi-threat cast that sings and plays instruments while dancing to Colleen Kollar Smith’s choreography in Sean Fanning’s two-story set that houses a bar where audiences can go get a drink before the show and during intermission, as well as Billy’s shop, the recording studio, and Guy’s living space. David Rumley, who we usually see playing instruments and giving a line here and there in Lamb’s productions, was part of the cast this time as Eamon, with great delivery.
Musically, ONCE is complex to perform. Patrick Duffy took on the whopper of this sound design and made it Lamb’s own. Michael Cuisimano and Caitie Grady rendered amazing notes, keeping audiences in their seats with a moving, heartfelt performance. Jemima Dutra’s costume design stayed faithful to the Broadway original, including Girl’s skirt, jacket, boots ensemble, and Guy’s coat and scarf. Kent Brisby is sweet as Guy’s dad, Deborah Gilmour Smyth is fun and mighty as Baruska, and Manny Fernandes is hilarious as Billy.
I have a note, which is a constant in American theatre, and frankly, it is getting annoying. Billy is half Spanish (like from Spain) and is an ongoing joke in the plot. There is a point where he shows off his “Spanish” moves, and he is really dancing to an Argentinian tango, both in steps and music. That was certainly not a Spanish Paso Doble. Again, I see it over and over across productions, and I appeal to the creative teams to indeed do their homework. Spain, Argentina, and Mexico are all different countries with different music and folk dances. It needs to be done right if they are being captured in a production.
Continuing with the performances, James McHale is charming as the bank manager, Vanessa Dinning is a mean cello player, and I loved the violin harmonies Abigail Alwein performed with Angela Chatelain Avila; they were beautiful.
Fun fact: Steve Kazee, who originated the role of Guy on Broadway, is currently performing in San Diego at The Old Globe’s production of Appropriate. You can have a full circle moment and support both productions.
ONCE is playing and has been extended thrice until May 11.
And remember, theatre is not expensive when gifting yourself. There is always a way to find good seats at a price that fits every wallet.
