Review: ONCE at Neptune Theatre

For the final show at the main stage of Neptune Theatre, ONCE is being presented through May 28th. ONCE is the story of a young man in Dublin giving up on his hopes of becoming a professional musician and sharing his stories of love with the world. He runs into Girl; a recent immigrant from Czech Republic who has been moved by his songs. Together, they collaborate to share their stories in a show that is known as an "unconventional love story".

Neptune Theatre's ONCE has a beautiful simplicity. You could say that the story and songs speak for themselves and are backed up by actors who have had to dive deep to reach the ever-changing emotions of the show; complete with a wonderfully thought-out Georgian style bar by John Dinning.

Peter Deiwick plays the role of Guy; in his words, Guy is "pensive and is looking for his next step. He has a Hamlet quality where he fails to take action". Guy is proactive and finds love within his music and the love to move forward in his life.

Amanda LeBlanc, a Maritimer herself, plays Girl. She gave performance resulting in several goosebumps during her rendition of "The Hill" in Act Two. With every note, you could feel Girl's pain that she expresses. In LeBlanc's words, "It takes a lot to crack Girl open." She is determined to help Guy to put his career on the right path, but masks her stories; compared to Guy who shares his stories through songs to everyone.

Donna Garner graces Neptune's stage after being the first Canadian actor to have been a part of the ONCE national tour. She plays Baruska, the upfront and outspoken mother of Girl. Garner portrays an interesting presence of this serious mother who has nothing but love for her daughter and shows a fiery passion while playing the accordion.

Laura Caswell's choreography is a showcase where actions truly speak louder than words. Her organic movements are connected to the songs that Guy sings. A lot of thought went into Caswell's work as she had to consider how each actor could dance with their particular instrument. The actors were able to move in perfect unison yet showcasing their individual styles.

What is wonderful about having ONCE in the Maritimes is its connection with the East Coast life style. George Portitos, Artistic Director, speaks of ONCE as being similar to that of a kitchen party. "The music alone speaks to a population"; relating to those in our area who are of Irish descent and also those of us born in the Maritimes who carry on these traditions. ONCE brings home our traditions from folk music and kitchen parties to being a tightknit community.

The cast sparks a lively energy between one another creating a stellar ensemble piece. When you enter the stage prior to showtime, you can witness the pre-show where this is showcased. You are invited to join them on stage and grab a drink to feel a part of the gang. Though audience members are invited on stage for the jam session, I have noticed the musicians seem to be so "in the zone" with one another that audience members who arrive on stage are not fully acknowledge. From seeing a production of ONCE in 2013 where the cast fully immersed the on-stage audience during the pre-show, it felt slightly unsettling being on the stage and not being able to join in with the cast. However, my interpretation of the direction is that it is to demonstrate the closeness of the cast and that we get a look into their world rather than our world colliding with theirs. Therefore I accept that interpretation but I would prefer more interaction.

To quote Peter Deiwick: "If art is mirrored with humanity, the audience will be able to see a lot of themselves". That I believe to be true; especially with a show such as ONCE that thrives on being human and outwardly expressing ourselves through music.

I highly recommend ONCE to audiences in Nova Scotia because it is a beautiful story with roots similar to ours. My wish is for audiences to fall in love with this show and to experience something that is not your typical traditional piece of theatre.

*Photo of the cast of Once. Neptune Theatre. Halifax. By Timothy Richard

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