ONCE Celebrates 500th Performance on Broadway Today

ONCE, the Tony and Grammy Award winning Best New Musical celebrates its 500th performance on Broadway. Once is based on the 2007 Academy Award-winning film and plays on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th Street). The production opened on Sunday, March 18, 2012.

ONCE won eight Tony Awards including Best Musical. The production was also named Best Musical by the New York Drama Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critic Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards. ONCE is the winner of the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

ONCE features a book by award-winning Irish playwright & screenwriter, Enda Walsh (Penelope, Hunger, The New Electric Ballroom), the Academy Award-winning music and lyrics of Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, direction by the acclaimed John Tiffany (Black Watch), movement by Steven Hoggett(Black Watch, American Idiot) and music supervision and orchestrations by Martin Lowe (Mamma Mia!).

The set and costume design are by six time Tony Award winner Bob Crowley (The Coast of Utopia, Mary Poppins), lighting design is by three time Tony winner Natasha Katz (Aida, The Coast of Utopia), and sound design is by Clive Goodwin.

The cast of ONCE features Arthur Darvill as 'Guy' and Joanna Christie as 'Girl.' Also in the company are David Abeles, David PatRick Kelly, Jillian Lebling, Katrina Lenk, Eliza Holland Madore, Anne L. Nathan, Lucas Papaelias, Andy Taylor, Carlos Valdes, Erikka Walsh, Paul Whitty, and J. Michael Zygo.

Arthur Darvill and Joanna Christie are appearing with the support of Actors' Equity Association. The Producers gratefully acknowledge Actors' Equity Association for its assistance of this production.

ONCE is now playing in London's West End at The Phoenix Theatre where it opened April 9 after premiering to critical acclaim in Dublin in February 2013.ONCE will begin a US national tour launched by The Road Company in the summer of 2013.

Featuring an impressive ensemble of actor/musicians who play their own instruments onstage, ONCE tells the enchanting tale of a Dublin street musician who's about to give up on his dream when a beautiful young woman takes a sudden interest in his haunting love songs. As the chemistry between them grows, his music soars to powerful new heights... but their unlikely connection turns out to be deeper and more complex than your everyday romance. Emotionally captivating and theatrically breathtaking, ONCE draws you in from the very first note and never lets go. It's an unforgettable story about going for your dreams and the power of music to connect us all.

The 2007 Academy Award-winning film, ONCE, was written and directed by John Carney, and starred Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, with original music and lyrics by Mr. Hansard and Ms. Irglová.

The Oscar winning independent Irish film, Once was made for $150,000. Shot in 17 days, it went on to gross $20M worldwide becoming a critically acclaimed international smash. It stars Glen Hansard, from the popular Irish Rock band The Frames, and Markéta Irglová. Glen and Markéta won the 2007Academy Award for Best Original song for "Falling Slowly," the Los Angeles Film Critics Award for Best Music, and the soundtrack was nominated for two Grammy Awards.

ONCE was originally developed at the American Repertory Theater (Cambridge, Massachusetts) in April 2011; Diane Paulus, Artistic Director; Diane Borger, Producer.

A developmental run of ONCE at New York Theatre Workshop (James C. Nicola and William Russo) began performances on November 15, 2011 and opened December 6. The production broke box office records and concluded a sold out engagement including a two week extension through January 15th, 2012.

The original cast recording of ONCE is available via MASTERWORKS BROADWAY, a label of Sony Masterworks. Visit www.MasterworksBroadway.com for more information.

ONCE is produced by Barbara Broccoli, John N. Hart Jr., Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo, Brian Carmody, Michael G. Wilson, Orin Wolf, The Shubert Organization and Executive Producer Robert Cole, in association with New York Theatre Workshop.

Tickets for the Broadway production are now on sale via Telecharge.com or by phone at 212-239-6200. For more about the musical, go to: www.oncemusical.com.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus