The World Beyond BetterMost > The Culture Tent
The Movie "Once"
Aloysius J. Gleek:
To see the trailer, click, then again where indicated:
Click for tickets:
Aloysius J. Gleek:
As you may have noticed, ALL the reviews were like this. Can you imagine how the cast and crew must have felt that day? Awesome!
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/theater/once-a-sweet-primal-original-musical-1.3370468
'Once,'
a sweet, primal original musical
By LINDA WINER
Published: December 6, 2011 3:25 PM
Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti in a scene from broadway's musical "Once," directed
by John Tiffany, at the New York Theatre Workshop.
It's getting to look a lot like next year and, all autumn long, there hasn't been a new musical to gift wrap and celebrate beyond the New Year. But wait. Just under the wire comes "Once," a peculiar, original, altogether enchanting little show at the New York Theatre Workshop through Jan. 15 -- with Broadway producers circling for a spring transfer.
You may quibble about the musical's originality, but only in the most literal way. This is adapted from the 2006 indie film about a romance between a Dublin guitarist and a pianist from Czechoslovakia. The movie had songs by Glen Hansard, the real-life Irish guitarist who played Guy, and Markéta Irglová, the Czech immigrant and pianist who played Girl. Their song, "Falling Slowly," won an Oscar, and their breakup was the subject of the 2011 documentary "The Swell Season."
Now, they are offstage as composers of this strangely wonderful, folk-pop, Irish-Middle European chamber musical, set in a big, circular, dark-wood tavern where the audience can buy drinks and get to know the 13 extraordinary actor-musicians before the story begins. (Simple set and perfect cross-cultural costumes by Bob Crowley.)
This time, Guy is played with endearing slacker sweetness by Steve Kazee. Despondent over his career and love life, he is approached by pushy, fast-talking, delightfully solemn Girl -- played with unpredictably lovely forthrightness (if, at times, a bit too much winsomeness) by Cristin Milioti.
He fixes vacuum cleaners. She has a broken one. As directed by John Tiffany, with movement direction by Steven Hoggett (the wizards from Scottish war-masterwork "Black Watch"), her vacuum cleaner mysteriously appears. Cue the song called "Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy."
The book, by prolific Irish playwright Enda Walsh, makes this all seem natural -- including the 11 friends and relatives, all virtuosos on fiddles and banjos and more exotic instruments. We get to know bits of everyone's life in this quietly primal, dreamlike show with the rousing, stomping dances and the odd, silent, ritualized ballets for hands and hearts.
Even when the lyrics get a little banal, the harmonic blends are gorgeous. Remember that "Rent" started in this tiny theater. "Once" is smaller, but destined for big -- we hope not too big -- things.
WHAT "Once"
WHERE New York Theatre Workshop, 79 E. Fourth St., Manhattan
INFO $75; 212-279-4200; nytw.org
[email protected]
Aloysius J. Gleek:
Meanwhile....
--- Quote from: Aloysius J. Gleek on January 08, 2012, 01:02:08 pm ---....The movie had songs by Glen Hansard, the real-life Irish guitarist who played Guy, and Markéta Irglová, the Czech immigrant and pianist who played Girl. Their song, "Falling Slowly," won an Oscar, and their breakup was the subject of the 2011 documentary "The Swell Season."
--- End quote ---
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1722476/
The world fell in love with Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová when their songwriting collaboration in the film Once culminated in a jubilant Oscar win. But behind the scenes, where Glen and Mar's on-screen romance became reality, a grueling two-year world tour threatens to fracture their fated bond. Gorgeously filmed in black and white, this music-filled documentary is an intimate look at the exhilaration and turmoil created by both love and fame.
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT02bar2zms[/youtube]
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyG6h10hJb8[/youtube]
Aloysius J. Gleek:
Meanwhile meanwhile--in Once the musical, if Cristin Milioti ("who has said she purposely didn't see the [original] film when she got the role, to avoid imitating Irglová") doesn't finally watch this new documentary (at least) and learn something from the amazingly real life 'Girl,' Markéta Irglová, to try to elevate her (Milioti's) buffoonish performance, well, she's a fool.
Aloysius J. Gleek:
.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version