ONCE Reviews — Page 4

I was surprised that the book tended to be the main point of criticism in these reviews (on CurtainCritic.com the book score is like 10 points lower than everything else). I thought this was actually one of the best books in a new musical I've seen in years.

*More SPOILERS*
jnb- Yes, Girl did introduce him to the ensemble, but I never felt much of a connection between them except in the "Ej, Pada, Pada, Rosicka" scene, which to me was one of the strongest. Obviously the go on to connect over the music later, but the initial bond between Girl and the roommates isn't incredibly explored. I'm definitely not saying that the performances weren't amazing- they were pretty much the only thing keeping me from falling asleep. Perhaps it's because so much of the story was focused on their relationship rather than getting to know them as individuals- the lyrics as well conveyed more of a feeling than a character, and I think that's where it fell short for me. I prefer it when a show attempts to show the story of its characters rather than strives to create an overall emotion. Most shows will have both, but one is usually stronger than the other. In this case the overall emotion seemed more important, and that's something I find hard to connect with. Personal preference, I guess.

*Spoilers*
Part of the reason I may not have liked that scene was because I disliked that song (probably my least favorite out of the whole score). But in other ways, I am VERY picky about character. I like everyone to come off as an entire person. The minor characters leaning slightly toward the stereotypical side (which I think most of them did, as is going to happen in almost any ensemble of this size) didn't bother me so much, but the biggest problem was that Guy and Girl didn't come off as entire people to me. It's hard to articulate what I mean, but it seems to me that the point of this was to tell a love story, as opposed to a story about two people. The emotion trumps the characters. And for whatever reason, I find it very difficult to care about abstract emotion until the characters become real to me.

Shameless plugging of my friend's blog:

http://jkstheatrescene.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-once.html

Thanks to USA Today, which offered ONCE an appropriate 2-star review this morning. In a musical season as mediocre as this one, where even the musical revivals feel flat (this was not the FOLLIES of anyone's dreams), what can you say when many choose ONCE as the season's best musical? Reminds one of the season of SUNSET BOULEVARD, where it was pretty much the only new musical in town not to crash and burn, so it was given a bunch of Tonys simply for existing.

I haven't seen NEWSIES yet, but the standard Disneyfied fare doesn't sound much better than any of the other product that they have sent out on their well-oiled conveyor belt in the past.

At least we have DEATH OF A SALESMAN and the upcoming CLYBOURNE PARK!

The most important fact about Once, charming as it is, is that it's going to be a very hard sell. No names, a quiet story, and a whiff of "sweetness" hanging over it.

Don't get me wrong, I liked it for what it is, although I didn't find that it went beyond everyday sentiment. The point is it's going to be hard to draw large numbers of the tourists in.

Found it!

(no thanks to search... had to scroll back through old threads)
Thanks for the 'challenge', After Eight! I enjoyed reading the reviews, again.

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"And I hope much praise (and a good portion of the royalties!) go to New York Theatre Workshop, which fostered both of these un-Broadway shows"

I think you mean foisted. (Just joking....) (I think....)