Cast Of ONCE Celebrate St Patrick's Day!

This past weekend the cast of the Grammy award and eight time Tony award-winning Dublin based musical Once joined together to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. On stage in the show's fully functioning bar at The Phoenix Theatre in the West End proved to be the ideal setting for their celebrations.

Following a sold out run at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin, Once began previews in London on Saturday night in front of a full house where the show received a standing ovation.

Based on the much-loved Oscar-winning film, Once is a celebration of love, friendship and music. When an Irish busker and a young Czech mother meet through a shared love of music, their songwriting sparks a deep connection and a tender, longing romance that neither of them could have expected.

The London production of Once is now previewing at The Phoenix Theatre ahead of its opening night on Tuesday 9 April and is currently booking to 30 November 2013.

Once has book by award-winning Irish playwright and screenwriter Enda Walsh. Based on the 2007 motion picture written and directed by John Carney, music and lyrics are by Academy Award winning Glen Hansardand Markéta Irglová who, for Falling Slowly, won the Oscar for Best Original Song. Scenic and costume designs are by Bob Crowley, with lighting by Natasha Katz, sound by Clive Goodwin, musical supervision and orchestrations by Martin Lowe and movement by Steven Hoggett. Once won the 2013 Grammy award for Best Musical Theatre album. The Martin Guitar Company is the proud sponsor of Once.

The cast comprises Declan Bennett and Zrinka Cviteši? as Guy and Girlrespectively, joined by Valda Aviks, Ryan Fletcher, AiDan Kelly, Gareth O'Connor, Michael O'Connor, Miria Parvin, Jos Slovick, Flora Spencer-Longhurst, Jez Unwin and Gabriel Vick. Alternating the role of Girl's young daughter Ivanka will bePoppy-Lily Baker, Mia-Jai Bryan, Pacha Anna Green and Nancy Ann Jeans.

Having received the most nominations (35) in the 2012 theatre award season, Once went on to become the recipient of 21 awards, the most on Broadway that year. As wellas winning eight Tony awards including Best New Musical, Once was named Best Musical by the New York Drama Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards. The Broadway cast recording of Once was named Best Musical Theater Album in the 2013 Grammy Awards. The New York production of Once, the fastest Broadway musical to recoup in 16 years, opened at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in March 2012 where it continues to break box office records.Oncewill begin a US national tour launched by The Road Company in the summer of 2013.

Once was originally developed at the American Repertory Theater (Cambridge, Massachusetts) in April 2011. A developmental run of Onceat New York Theatre Workshop began performances in November 2011. The production went on to break box office records and concluded a sold out engagement including a two week extension. The Oscar winning independent Irish film was shot in 17 days and was made for $150,000. It went on to gross $20m worldwide becoming a critically acclaimed international smash. The soundtrack was nominated for two Grammy Awards.

The original cast recording of Once is available via Masterworks Broadway, a label of Sony Masterworks -www.MasterworksBroadway.com

The Producers of the West End production are Barbara Broccoli, John N. Hart Jr., Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo, Brian Carmody, Michael G. Wilson, Orin Wolf and Michael Rose Limited in association with New York Theatre Workshop.