ONCE Reviews- Page 3

[srg129]

Posted: 3/18/12 at 11:51pm

New York Post is very positive:

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/it_dublin_your_pleasure_vL439sUtKFZeIHiGkjTNsM

[pinoyidol2006]

Posted: 3/18/12 at 11:53pm

I thought Lysistrata also got great reviews, but that one flopped.

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 12:11am

I'll admit I haven't really paid any attention to this one and didn't expect it to be the hit it looks like it will turn out to be. I say more power to it, it's been so long since any of the "artsy" shows have done as well as they deserved to.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 12:41am

Now we just have to hope that the great reviews translate into great ticket sales! (I'm sure I'll contribute a bit to the cause!)

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 12:50am

My fear is that like the movie it'll find its audience after its "needed".

[pinoyidol2006]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 2:14am

I hope it runs long, too. Good musical adaptations of films are hard to come by these days. I hope I get a chance to see it.

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 2:21am

Good musical adaptations of films are hard to come by these days.

It doesn't hurt that the story lends for the musical numbers to happen. Better than stuffing an 80's/90's blockbuster with music numbers that come out of nowhere.

[willep]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 2:44am

Word of Mouth review is up. Very positive, if not a rave. THe guy (Bennie?) is not my favorite reviewer though...haha
Word of Mouth

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 5:43am

"I just have to say, Brantley ALWAYS does an about face........

Is he really that bad of a critic?"

Yes.

[kissynose]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 9:33am

This type of show usually is a hit with me. However, I was just bored the whole time. Every song seemed the same and the intactions were amateur. The only memorable song was the one from the movie. This show seemed to drag on forever.

Maybe I'll have to see it again. But I'm surprised by the reviews. I felt the same about lysistrata jones. I don't think this is the type of show that will have an audience. Not mainstream enough for the vacationers or the casual theater fan. It belongs off broadway. Great shows like Caroline or change and grey gardens suffered the same fate.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 10:22am

I disliked the movie. I am willing to give the musical a chance, but I read on here that Girl has turned into a Manic Pixie Dreamgirl-type character. Is that still true?

[newintown]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 10:35am

I get the feeling this show will do pretty well.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 10:39am

"The only memorable song was the one from the movie."

Which one? Leave? Falling Slowly? If You Want Me? Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy? Say It to Me Now? Gold? When Your Mind's Made Up?

[kdogg36]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 10:39am

I disliked the movie. I am willing to give the musical a chance, but I read on here that Girl has turned into a Manic Pixie Dreamgirl-type character. Is that still true?

Well, "manic" is one of the last adjectives I'd use to describe the character. "Depressive" comes quite a bit closer. But I liked her a lot. :)

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 10:57am

I am so happy for this show and it's cast. I can't think of a show on Broadway right now that deserves it more. I hopoe it finds an audience. Quality does not always equal longevity.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 10:57am

I just have to say, Brantley ALWAYS does an about face. He didn't like LuPone in GYPSY at City Center, but on Broadway, he wrote a gushing love letter to her. (Granted, she DID get better on Broadway, but to go from a purely tepid response to a passionate rave?) Ditto ONCE now.

Does he feel that he should be on the bandwagon for shows his colleagues liked originally when they transfer? Is he really that bad of a critic?

The man *does* have the right to change his mind, just like everyone else does.

[wonkit]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 11:05am

I have tickets to see this next Saturday, but I am listening to the cast recording and find myself kind of bored. Glad to see anything succeed in this tough season, but don't know that this music is my cup of tea. Details after seeing the production -

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 11:05am

I'm really excited to see this as I am a big fan of the original film. I am really glad that it's getting a really positive reception. I hope it enjoys a long and successful run!

[michellek45]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 11:28am

SporkGoddess, she's a Manic Pixie Dream Girl in the sense that this is obviously Guy's story and she really has no development or agency of her own. They briefly mention her having a child/husband, but that's not elaborated upon nearly as much as Guy's girlfriend. She's not a Manic Pixie Dream Girl in the sense that she's not unbearably annoying.

[colorthehours]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 12:37pm

I saw this show on Friday night and it blew me away. I didn't expect to like it nearly as much as I did. It's now in Curtain Critic's top five, which is just fantastic. I haven't seen Newsies yet, but so far, I'm rooting for Once to win best musical.

http://www.curtaincritic.com/Shows/ONCE_REVIEWS-120.html

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 12:45pm

Yeah, I knew that. But it's the lack of agency part that worries me, not the annoying personality.

[michellek45]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 1:11pm

Pretty much all she does is praise Guy for his music, attempt to cheer him up, and force him into recording his music.

[jansalrose2]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 1:50pm

I think that that's a terribly shallow view of the story and character (I'll soften this by saying, "In my opinion"). Perhaps if we weren't given background and insight into both their characters, that might be true. But I think much of the story is told WITHIN the music and the choreography-which tell stories of these characters (all of them) during very painful moments in their lives. I think much more of this comes out in the second act.

This musical isn't a 'show stopper' with fankicks and big numbers. If you're going to see it, I think that ought to be kept in mind. Simply put, it's a play/musical about art, music, and love. It's a simple story that's been told many times before, but I think what makes this special is Marketa and Glen's music, the choreography/direction, and the beautiful ensemble of "Nobodies" (as Steve Kazee referred to them last night in his curtain speech).

[michellek45]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 2:26pm

*SPOILERS*
jansalrose- I don't really think that mentioning that Girl has a daughter and husband counts as a background and insight. I'd call what they did with Girl's character more of a set-up than an actual exploration of character, whereas for Guy we get that phone message, taped almost-sex, him actually explaining his situation in detail to Girl, and his story about his mother and his friend on that cliff. For Girl, we see her interact with her daughter once and she says to Guy that she has a husband, but there's no real discussion of it. Possibly where we disagree is that you thought the music provided depth to the show. While I agree it was nice music that I'd listen to on CD, here it felt like a soundtrack as opposed to a complement to the plot. All the songs seemed to say things we already knew from the libretto, and while the feelings were there, there wasn't really anything specific to connect it to the characters.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 3:15pm

*reply to SPOILERS*
She has more than one interaction with her daughter. Ivanka is also (briefly) present in "If You Want Me" and "Sleeping," which was such a touching moment to me for them. I think the show is far more balanced than you give it credit for between telling Guy's story and Girl's story. Guy has far more songs, yes, but he also only has two characters from his background that he interacts with, while the Girl introduces pretty much everyone else in the ensemble into the story. One instance of this is, in the film the Guy takes her to a gathering of local musician friends of his, where they play "Gold," whereas in the show she takes him to an open mic with her flatmates, and signs him up for a spot. Yes, she still exists mostly to prod him along on his journey, but she also has a rich set of inner conflicts and mixed feelings within that purpose. To say they don't explore her character along the way is to miss a lot of the work Cristin has done, especially during "The Hill" (a song I rarely listened to on the soundtrack but was one of the most powerful performances, IMHO, in the show.)

My $.02 is all.