Is Once a Musical or a Play with music

[bdn223]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 12:23am

Recently i came across Ben Brantly's comments that Once is not a musical rather it is a play with music. After watching the Tonys, seeing the show, and listening to the cast recording a few times, I honestly have to agree. Its music is superfluous, rarly ever advancing the plot, which is often where the line is drawn between a play with music and a musical.
Anyone else have any thoughts?

Updated On: 6/11/12 at 12:23 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 12:26am

The music clearly relates to the plot. It might not always advance it, but the songs are wisely constructed to relate to the characters' relationship.

If ONCE is a "play with music" - then so is every stupid jukebox musical.

Updated On: 6/11/12 at 12:26 AM

[TheatreKid3]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 12:30am

I consider it a musical, but you are FAR from the first person I've heard this from. Even my own mother thinks ONCE feels more like a Play with music than a full-blown musical. It is just a different kind of musical, in my opinion. And that's also what has given it some edge.

Truthfully, the show only has a few moments were the music appears to be spontaneous as opposed to just being performed. More often than not, they are just singing the songs rather than spontaneously incorporating the music in a typical musical fashion. A lot of the spontaneity, however, comes from the ensemble who basically serve as a glorified orchestra with each one having a few lines here and there. They are all great, but their biggest contribution to the show is being its orchestra and to support Steve and Cristin in scenes.

The best example of music being performed as opposed to theatrically incorporated is "Falling Slowly." It always kind of bugged me that they just sang the song twice (the reprise being the finale), the only difference being a slightly altered orchestration. Literally, it is the same thing twice. The only thing I gather is they just want the people to hear the most famous/known song a second time and let it end the show and tie it back to the first time they sang it. While I think the show's ending is weak, it works. I don't care for it, but it works.




Updated On: 6/11/12 at 12:30 AM

[Owen22]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 12:30am

"The music clearly relates to the plot. It might not always advance it, but the songs are wisely constructed to relate to the characters' relationship."

If we go by that, then "One Man Two Guvnors" is a musical. Which...it sorta is...


Updated On: 6/11/12 at 12:30 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 12:30am

It's a musical.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 12:43am

But is it a MUSICal?

[willep]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 12:45am

Spoilers?

TheatreKid - that's interesting, because I actually LOVE that they sing Falling Slowly again at the end. I see it as a sort of connection to each other. That was the moment their relationship started, and it is kind of "their" song, so even though they are going to be worlds apart, that song keeps them together in a way. That's just me.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 12:46am

^ That's what I took from it as well.

[bdn223]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 12:47am

@owen22
Actually when I saw 1m2g it was right before it opened and my friend and I were actually debating whether it was a musical. Since its producers we're debating which catagory to put it in IMO I think they should of tried musical and would of likely won..after all the 1m2g does have a finale.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 12:52am

think they should of tried musical and would of likely won..

LOL, ok.
We get it, you're a NEWSIES fan.

[Owen22]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 12:55am

ANd, bdn, that finale of One Man is better than most any number in a new musical on Broadway this season. I was sorta hoping they'd feature it on the awards tonight...you know, instead of the generic gospel Leap of Faith number...
Updated On: 6/11/12 at 12:55 AM

[bdn223]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 1:01am

Ljay...your point? Yes I am a Newsies fan how did you know? But the fact that One Man got some of the reviews of the season...had music that complimented the plot in a very brectian way, and is by far the most hilarious show on Bway, is a just argument for Best Musical.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 1:02am

Once is a musical.

One Man, Two Guvnors is a play with music. As is Peter and the Starcatcher (whose few songs actually DO move the plot along).

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 1:06am

Ljay...your point? Yes I am a Newsies fan how did you know?

You've made it quite clear in the past, and now you're trying to argue that ONCE isn't a musical. There's no way that ONE MAN would have won Best Musical. ONCE had the momentum, and that wouldn't have been changed if ONE MAN were in the same category.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 1:30am

Just because a play contains songs- songs that comment on or advance the plot- does not mean they are musicals.

Since you brought up Brecht, most of his plays contain songs. In fact, they typically contain several songs. But that doesn't make them musicals.

[bdn223]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 1:32am

Thank you Kad for being very mature unlike some housewife...though I think the Tony's need to come up with a new catagory BEST PLUSICAL!!!!

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 2:13am

If Jersey Boys is considered a musical, so is Once.

[adam.peterson44]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 2:25am

It always felt to me more like a play with music, which i have said before on another thread long before the Tony award threads. It doesn't feel to me like the lyrics are really heavily integrated with the plot or advance it - the songs seem more like they set a mood but are not advancing the story per se.

And I very much enjoyed Once and wish it continued success, but it does feel like it won some of its awards tonight based on the bandwagon effect (especially scenic design and lighting - wtf?).

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 2:29am

The lighting was gorgeous. I won't argue that it deserved Best Scenic Design.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 2:38am

I would say that Scenic Design was the only award that can fall under the "bandwagon effect" category. Everything else was richly deserved. But you can't say it's a bad or undeserving set either. It's certainly less flashy than Ghost or Spider-Man, but it's smart and effective and definitely helps create the world of the show.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 4:36am

If you took the music out of One Man, the story telling doesn't change at all. If you take it out of Once, it does. Its ABOUT musicians and their making the music. It affects the characters. If Girl never plays/hears/sings Falling Slowly, there is no story.


Although, very recently, Kazee mentioned he felt it was a play with music.

[adam.peterson44]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 5:22am

Agreed that it is about musicians and writing music. Then again, End of the Rainbow is also about music, though maybe not quite as such a central theme. But in both cases, the music is presented as performances, and in some cases the lyrics could be completely different and the story wouldn't change at all. In Once, the song sung by the banker, or in the recording studio, as examples, could easily have completely different lyrics and the story would not change at all. That is why to me it felt more like a play with music than like an integrated musical in which the lyrics play a major role in advancing the story. It feels like a play in which the characters are musicians, but not like they are necessarily singing their feelings to each other. Gold and falling slowly (first time) do seem a little bit integrated, though, so I guess that is why it feels like it could go either way.

[JeanGudio]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 5:34am

I actually think with creativity it is bad to put in a box. Is contact a musical. How much music does a show need to be a musical ? does a musical need dancing in regards to tonys ?
Are these rules in ties with todays society

[amoni2]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 6:15am

The movie is not considered a musical.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 6:24am

It's a hybrid musical play.

The songs do advance the story, but not the plot.

There is a story there in what the characters are feeling and how they grow and change from beginning to end. The songs are there as an alternate expression of that, meant to deepen our understanding.