Once Gives Miami One Brief Glimpse Of It’s Brilliance

With eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Broadway show Once provided attendees a once-in-a-lifetime experience at the Adrienne Arsht Center with showings from Feb. 4 through 9.

The Broadway show is an adaptation of the 2006 film also titled Once, directed by John Carney. A year later, “Falling Slowly”—a song featured in the film—won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

When the lights dimmed in the Ziff Ballet Opera House, they focused your eyes to the breathtaking stage dressed as an old-fashioned pub, which stays the same during the entire show—except for the occasional extra chairs and tables.

Once shows that you don’t need a bunch of glamorous sets and eccentric lighting when you a talented group of performers. When it was time for a certain song pertaining to certain cast, the rest of the ensemble sat alongside the shadowy edges of the pub waiting for their cue to step into the light for their next act.

Once tells the story of a down-in-the-dumps Irish musician, played by Stuart Ward, on the verge of walking out the door (literally) and giving up his dream.

Dani de Waal plays a lively Czech girl who walks into his life and convinces him otherwise. The romantic-comedy musical explores the connection they share channeled through their passion for music, as well as the reality of heartbreak.

What really makes Once so charming, is the emotion within the story that compels the audience to feel nothing but satisfaction in the end.

During Act II, Girl confesses her love for Guy in Czech, but when asked to translate she replies “it looks like rain.” The audience chuckled, embracing the love that had developed on stage. They also laughed with comedic relief from Evan Harrington’s character, Billy the pub owner, who also has a crush on Girl and doesn’t give Guy an easy time.  

The talented cast carried out a captivating performance achieving positive critical response through excellent acting, great choreography, all while playing various instruments and singing heartfelt ballads. The songs, all appealing in their own tone, sound relatively similar to the English folk-rock band Mumford and Sons, but with an Irish twist.

Once will continue capturing audiences as they carry on with their US tour.

For more information visit www.oncemusical.com