Playing at Chapel Off Chapel in Melbourne, Once reminded me to appreciate the right things again.
This started already in the foyer where people bustled and pushed past each other and I couldn’t help but think how good it is to get squished in a happy crowd again after all the rules of the pandemic.
A company should not choose lightly to perform this show as it needs a quadruple threat cast. And if you start counting how many different instruments people could each play it would be even more. Not only could they sing, act, dance, and play, but they could do all four at once! Line dancing whilst playing a cello or violin and singing was impressive and just thinking about the coordination required made my head hurt.
Set in Dublin, the show kicks off with audience interaction, a party on stage, and folk style music, all of which reminded me of Lord Of The Rings and Come From Away.
The story moves in and out of serious and lighter moments, with just the right amount of humour to keep the balance.
The first Act is really strong. The performance of “Girl”, played by Sian Fuller is actually hard to describe. I mean that as a compliment. She is a warm and complex character with a lot going on. But how Fuller combines all those elements makes you so drawn to her disarming nature that you feel you’d also tell her your deepest secrets.
Mark Taylor played “Guy” with the authenticity and vulnerability needed and the whole cast complemented each other such that you feel a constantly growing connection to them.
After half time, things become heavier and, one by one, the characters are exposed for who they really are, normal people with weaknesses and complications. Even the previously optimistic and romantic “Girl” starts to crumble, and well into Act Two, you still don’t know how the story will end. I liked this realism and relatability.
I didn’t fully understand the purpose behind the occasional Czech subtitles that appeared on the wall. I presume it was to indicate when certain characters were meant to not be speaking English, even though the actors were. For me though, they could have left that out.
In closing, my hands down favourite parts were two short moments towards the end: one when Girl waves goodbye to her growing daughter, the second when Guy’s aging, humble father is so proud of his son. They were only brief moments, but were acted brilliantly, making them incredibly powerful. They made me reflect, made me think about relationships as we all get older, made me value what I ought and about what sort of person I want to be. I particularly thank Don Bridges for his first class and compelling performance as “Da” in this regard.
I wish all the people behind Once the successful season it deserves.
