My Day at the Theater

This past weekend, I went to go see a play with my parents. The play we went to see was a new musical called Once. In case you haven't heard of it, this is a story about a boy and a girl who make beautiful music in Dublin. This is a show that has won Tony Awards and kind of turned Broadway on its ear, so I was excited to see it. I am also always a little scared to see new shows, because I definitely love Old Broadway, and sometimes new stuff just...isn't that great. (Case in point: Jekyll and Hyde, the rock opera.

I was doubly  excited when we got there and they were letting people up on stage to look at the set close up! Cool! My dad and I immediately joined the queue. The stage was set up as what looked to me like an Irish pub, with a gleaming wood bar (that was actually selling drinks!), mirror-covered walls, and a big piano sitting center stage. It was beautiful. I took a good look around and chatted with my dad while we tried to spot my mom in the audience and wave to her. I couldn't find her.

 Then someone started playing a piano. Then a few people picked up guitars, a few others picking up violins, and one vibrantly redheaded woman started playing an accordion. They formed a circle in the middle of the stage and started singing. And I realized that this was not just pre-show fun. This was, in fact, the start of the performance. And my father and I, and a group of other audience members, were still standing on stage, holding coats and bags and cocktails. Now, to some this might be charming. But I hate audience participation. I am not a performer, and I don't enjoy the spotlight. If I were to work on a movie, I would want to be a director, or producer, or someone behind the scenes critiquing performances and telling people what to do. It's the reason that by and large I prefer to edit books rather than write them. I like to be prepared when making a presentation or performance, and I hate being put on the spot. So needless to say, I was horrified. As the audience (the lucky ones who were still in their seats) started clapping along with the music, I immediately began looking for an opportunity to run off the stage.

Eventually we made a (very awkward in my opinion) exit, and the play really started in earnest. Once is an incredibly music-driven show. In fact, the story itself is barely concrete. The plot points are vague, and the motivation behind the characters' actions seems sometimes random and sometimes simply emotional, but despite these decidedly floppy characteristics, the show is arresting and even enthralling thanks to a fantastic, almost endless soundtrack and excellent dialogue.

Boy and Girl from the Tulsa performance.

The two main characters, Boy and Girl, are perfect foils for each other, he a stereotypical tortured Irishman, and she a worldly but incredibly optimistic Polish woman. The interactions between them are sincere and often funny, and the incredible singing and instrumentation create an atmosphere that is truly alive. It is very much a love story, but more about a woman helping a man regain his love of music than about the two of them falling in love themselves. The tone is melancholy but genuine, as the Boy and the Girl learn about each other, and the Boy begins to play music again after having his heart broken, finding the strength to pursue both a career and a love life thanks to his new friends. In the Tulsa performance, all the actors did an amazing job. Their emotion was raw, their musical capabilities stellar (there is no orchestra--all the music is played on stage by the people in the cast), and their accents totally believable. It was clear that the affection between them was real, and that the music really meant something to them. And that made the show come alive.

The music (ah-such music!) is not that of a typical "musical". In fact, the show has been described as "a play with songs," which is a more accurate phrase. The songs are more akin to something you might hear at an Indie Rock show, or at a coffeehouse. The kind of music that becomes popular through word of mouth rather than intense radio play. The kind of music that college students listen to while creating pretentious world views. Which is not to say that it isn't good, because it is. Just that you will not find any jaunty singalong music and dance numbers in this show.

You won't come or stay for the story itself, but you will become immersed in a beautiful, emotional musical performance. It is a beautiful if somewhat shallow show, and while I doubt it will become a timeless Broadway classic (it strays too far from the typical Broadway formula for that--at least, that is my prediction, despite all theTonys it won), it will definitely stick in the mind of anyone who sees it.

And I will definitely be purchasing the soundtrack.