Broadway in Cincinnati presents "Once" - The Little Things Journal

Tuesday night was opening night for the hit musical “Once”presented by Broadway in Cincinnati at the Aronoff Center for the Arts in Cincinnati. My friend and I left our children behind and started our evening out by having a delicious dinner at Arnold’s, which is Cincinnati’s oldest bar and one of my favorite restaurants downtown. After dinner and some great local brews we walked to the Aronoff to watch “Once”. I’m going to start by saying that I saw this movie years ago, but it was two children ago, so I don’t quite remember all the details. What I did remember was the music. When I started hearing the songs from “Once” on WNKU I started getting really excited to go see the show. The Broadway version did not disappoint. The show was fantastic! And after I watched it the movie details came back to me. And now that I’ve seen the stage version I want to re-watch the movie again to re-live this love story one more time.

The Broadway version of “Once” is wonderful, and I felt like we in the audience were part of the world of the characters. This feeling began when we walked into the theater and the actors were on stage entertaining the pre-show crowd with music. Not only were they singing, but they played their own instruments, as all of the actors did throughout the show. How cool is that?!? And behind the pre-show singing the bar was serving drinks to the theatre-goers…ON STAGE! Have you ever been to a Broadway show where they welcomed the audience onto the stage? When 7:30 came around the bar closed down and the audience returned to their seats, but the music kept going. The show seamlessly went from the pre-show to the actual show. One minute the supporting cast was entertaining us with Irish drinking songs, and the next minute the house lights were going down and the star of the show was strumming and singing. So as I said, I felt like we were a part of things…like an audience of a small concert in a pub in Dublin.

The set of “Once”is a pub in Dublin, but the scenes take place in many different locations, so you have to use your imagination based on the context of the conversations between characters. This confused me at first but once I figured it all out I followed along with ease. The set was gorgeous, and really did resemble a pub (says a girl who’s drank in more than a few Irish pubs). The music and story-line of “Once” are beautiful, and made even more magical because as I said, the actors and actresses are not only singing, but playing their own instruments. They were all phenomenal in playing their roles. You could almost believe that they were portraying their own personalities instead of acting a part. The storyline is is sweet, & the love story will pull at your heartstrings. This show has has it all: passion, comedy, angst, drama, melancholy and happiness. And music. Lovely music. I plan on purchasing the soundtrack soon so I can harass my children by singing Broadway show tunes on the drive to and from school.

“Once”will be in town until November 23rd, so get your tickets now for a great date night or a lovely ladies night out. Side note, this show is not child-friendly as there’s a fair amount of cursing. So hire a sitter for the night and then head downtown for a lovely evening of theater at the Aronoff!

More Details About Once ::

ONCE, winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and winner of the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, will play the Aronoff Center for a limited engagement from November 11-23, 2014. Tickets for ONCE are now on sale and can be purchased at the Aronoff Center Box Office downtown at 650 Walnut Street, online at CincinnatiArts.org or by phone at 513.621.ARTS. ONCE, which was also named Best Musical by the New York Drama Critics’ Circle, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards, is currently running on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre where it started performances on February 28, 2012 and opened March 18, 2012.

ONCE is the celebrated new musical based on the Academy Award-winning film. It tells the story of an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant drawn together by their shared love of music. Over the course of one fateful week, their unexpected friendship and collaboration evolves into a powerful but complicated romance, heightened by the raw emotion of the songs they create together. Brought to the stage by an award-winning team of visionary artists and featuring an ensemble cast of gifted actor/musicians, ONCE is a musical celebration of life and love: thrilling in its originality, daring in its honesty… and unforgettable in every way.

ONCE will play the Aronoff Center from November 11 – 23: Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30PM, Friday at 8:00PM, Saturday at 2:00PM and 8:00PM and Sunday at 1:00PM and 6:30PM. Tickets for ONCE start at $29. They are available at the Aronoff Center Box Office downtown at 650 Walnut Street, online at CincinnatiArts.org or by phone at 513.621.ARTS. For groups of 10 or more, contact the group sales department at 513.369.4363. Performance schedule, prices and cast are subject to change without notice. For more information, please visit www.BroadwayInCincinnati.com.

Here’s a video about the Broadway production in New York, it will give you a good picture of how beautiful and moving this show is: