Once at Pitlochry Festival Theatre Review
Dylan Wood and Lydia White in Once. Photo by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
Written by Kerry for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own
Once tells the story of two nameless musicians, one Irish and one Czech, in the city of Dublin. Known only as Guy and Girl by the audience, the musical weaves its way through their meeting on the streets, armed with a guitar and a hoover respectively, to their partings of ways in their final moments, gearing their lives in different directions.
The production value of the piece feels exceptionally high, enclosing the stage in a pub/bar set which itself feels encased by a multitude of mirrors across the curved wall. The main one of which gives the audience a secondary viewpoint, almost like a new perspective on the story, creating in itself its own character. The surroundings feel familiar, like a space we have all been before, but can’t specify where or when. That sensation moves with the audience throughout the show, even when there are quick changes in locations, but nothing moves on stage; there is a clear mental divide, aided in most scenes by the use of (I believe) overhead lights forming squares on the floor. Yet at any point in the show, the stage always seems to be engulfed in a warm, clean yet weathered glow. Even as the show begins, the house lights are instantly turned off. Instead, with the ensemble on stage, performing a pre-show set, the lights slowly and softly fade, gently moving the audience into the world surrounding the show instead of the normal quick jolt. An extra note has to be added for the sheer brilliance of using not just the set, but one of the ensemble, to create a nighttime lightscape of Dublin in the second act.
It is hard to distinguish a standout actor within this cast; each brings their own personal flair to the piece, leaving a bit of themselves on stage every night. Dylan Wood’s Guy is portrayed with a rawness, with a broken heart that just can’t seem to be mended and a void that nothing can fill, even music. That is until Lydia White’s Girl, an extroverted, say-it-how-it-is, pianist comes along, with a somewhat pushy nature that works so well for the character, helps him flip his life around, but really so she doesn’t have to deal with her own personal traumas. I haven’t yet watched the original 2007 film, but from a quick letterboxd check, it seems that Girl’s character may have been simplified for the stage adaptation.
This isn’t entirely down to this particular production since Once has been performed since 2011, but there does feel like a bit more focus on Guy’s life than Girl’s and has the potential to come off with a manic pixie girl gimmick that the show doesn’t really meld with. Every movement made by the cast feels intended; nothing is added just for the sake of looking good, which does seem to be becoming an issue with some modern productions across the board. This flow creates a stronger connection between the two main characters to the ensemble, making a level playing field made even stronger by the fact that the cast all play live instruments throughout the show, which does seem to become a lot more common, so it doesn’t come off as strongly as it would have when the original production began, but is still impactful nonetheless.
One complaint that did seem to linger throughout the show was the use of Czech subtitles projected onto the set whilst the actors spoke English. In all honesty, it would have been nice for the Czech characters to be speaking their own dialect whilst having English subtitles instead of using it once in one of the main emotional high points. But I can also understand that this might not have been possible with the timeline from rehearsals to opening night.
A musical that feels like a different breed, Once exudes an energy that feels like a warm, comforting hug that lingers with you long after leaving the theatre.
Once plays at Pitlochry Festival Theatre until 27 June.
★★★★
