Review: ONCE Enchants New Haven

Guy meets girl. They make some music. And they either end up together or apart, delighting or devastating their respective audiences. It's just as typical a story as the romance of the Broadway musical (and usually has a similar effect).

Production comes to Broadway. Fans are ecstatic, producers and investors are more ecstatic, and Tony Awards are distributed accordingly. The stint is so successful that the masterpiece earns its wings and tours regionally, nationally, internationally. Perhaps it's because the original cast heartthrob bailed. Or the traveling ensemble is exhausted. Or even maybe just because the exit doors don't lead straight out to Times Square anymore, but tour productions tend to lose some of that Great White Way glint.

Well, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's Once is hailed for dashing the typical boy meets girl tale, and its North American tour installment does not seem to do typical either. Magic was made at New Haven's Shubert Theatre last night as the cast of Once took their first bow of the weekend (and received the first of what are likely to become many standing ovations).

Once's stage adaptation (it's also a quirky, cute film) works well because it simply invites the audience in. Literally, members are encouraged to come onto the stage for a raucous Irish pub pre-show that gets both first timers and "Falling Slowly" followers stomping on the red-checked floor, sipping beers, and desperately yearning to decorate every room they ever call their own with tarnished mirrors and fairy lights (or maybe that's just me). The ritual became enormously popular on Broadway, so much so that a theme park-esque line only allowed a once-around (get it?) the Bernard B. Jacobs stage space as 2012 Tony time neared.

The perk of bringing this Broadway blockbuster to cities across the country? For one, the pre-show is a pleasant surprise, not a reputable mob scene; everybody gets a turn to stage mosey and the ensemble savors every song, clearly enjoying themselves as well. Another reason Once works so well on tour -- it's not a Broadway blockbuster.

You won't find children shouting at you about being revolting (although little Theodora Silverman is adorable), a masked man rowing a cumbersome boat around a fog machine, or a set that is the kind of elaborate that makes you lose 20 pounds just by looking at it. Instead, a bar space that becomes a music store and a home (sometimes at the same time) allows for focus on its (Grammy-winning, nacht) score and the enchanting cast who sings it in every way imaginable. Bathed in gold light, a Once cast member can get laughs, act as orchestra, and play stage crew (often in one gorgeous, sweeping motion -- while also playing something stringed).

There is something to be said for a Broadway ensemble that looks like they want to be up there repeating the same story for hours every week. This one is euphoric, and it translates in their retelling. Dan Tracy (Eamon) gave a rockstar jump and rebel yell at the end of "Chandler's Wife" that set a tone that was echoed by Bristol Pomeroy (Da), Angel Lin (Emcee), Isaac Haas (Andrej), Marlene Ginader (Reza), Nyssa Duchow (Ex-Girlfriend), Liam Fennecken (Svec), and Patricia Bartlett (Baruska).

For Sam Cieri, Guy is a close-to-home character; music is the first love of this Florida native, who used to play in the New York City subways to pay the bills, according to his show bill blurb. This is apparent in his punk singer sound, which blends serendipitously well with Mackenzie Lesser-Roy's (Girl) Disney princess level polish. (Lesser-Roy is a Boston Conservatory grad who has also sung through the Spring Awakening score as Wendla on the regional tour.) It's a noticeable shame that "Falling Slowly" is their only true duet.

Of course, Cieri impressed with "Leave" and "Gold," but even his rendition of "Sleeping" sticks. His gorgeous vocal clarity does not always follow suit in his speaking; diction often falls to the wayside of the thick Dublin dialect, getting a few words (and unfortunately moments) lost. However, the rest of the cast (and let's get real, the original Broadway cast) are not innocent on this front either. John Hays' character Billy's one-liners usually leave Once sojourners in stitches when they are not in awe during a musical number.

This is not to say associate director Shaun Peknic's cast has not made Once their own. Cieri hams up "Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy" with welcome pomp, landing laughs Tony winner Steve Kazee missed out on in the role. The Bank Manager (originally played by Andy Taylor) is female this time around and endearingly portrayed by Jenn Chandler.

Of course, what need not be changed about Once (and hasn't here) is the simplicity of a story told about beautiful circumstance. Once is a show with songs that appeal to far more than just the standard razzle dazzle Broadway set. It is a stunning testament to the fact that, just like theater, love is something that, if only experienced for a brief time, is not any less powerful.

Photo by Jeff Busby.

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