Once
Broadway Grand Rapids
DeVos Performance Hall
Nov. 4-9, show times at 1,2, 6:30, 7:30 & 8 p.m.
$30-$75
broadwaygrandrapids.com, (616) 235-6285
Guy meets girl.
Audiences have come to expect this universal story at the core of many Broadway musicals. Often, however, it is not so much the romantic relationship that draws people toward a particular show. Rather, it is the packaging around the relationship—the exotic sets, spectacular costumes and dizzying special effects that reel in audiences.
Minimalist and understated, the musical Once flies in face of this tradition. For Once, it’s the special character chemistry that is the focus. All attention is directed toward the two protagonists and the glorious music that showcases their tender, raw emotions.
Our story begins with the aptly named male protagonist, ‘Guy,’ a Dublin busker who has just lost his musical inspiration, along with his girlfriend. Along comes Girl, a young Czech who rekindles Guy’s songwriting spark and perhaps something else as well. As Guy’s musical career begins to flourish, Girl suggests Guy use his success to move to New York and win back his ex-girlfriend. While Guy and Girl both develop feelings for each other, Once refuses to tie their storyline up in a neat bow, instead opting to conclude the story in a bittersweet way more representative of actual human experience.
“It’s a very simple story, but it’s beautiful in its simplicity,” said Zander Meisner, who understudies several roles in the show. “You are never going to be pinned back to your seat with huge amplification and wild costumes. … It’s definitely a more intimate piece. It’s more the type of show you’re going to want to lean in and catch its subtleties. … It’s really a very human story.”
Guy and Girl’s atypical romance has swept audiences and critics alike off their feet, beginning with the Academy-Award-winning Irish film of the same title. Since the film’s adaptation into a musical in 2011, Once has earned an impressive array of awards, including the Tony for Best Musical.
Critics have praised the musical for its emotional poignancy in particular, an aspect intensified by the audience’s immersion into Guy and Girl’s world. In order to effectively suck theatergoers into the events onstage, Once leaves the show’s musical performances entirely in the hands of the actors.
“[Once] kind of breaks ground to give you an all-encompassing musical experience,” Meisner said. “It’s great that they’ve created theatre where there isn’t a disconnect at all between the songs and the actor creating it. And that’s why I think this is a really great, new, different theatrical experience. Because everyone onstage creates all of the sounds that you hear, and so it’s a kind of ephemeral experience—very subtle and nuanced that I don’t think a standard musical can create.”
Other Performing Arts Events
Sister Act
Miller Auditorium, Kalamazoo
Nov. 1, show times at 3 and 8 p.m.
$35-$58
millerauditorium.org, (269) 387-2300
Based on the hit ‘90s film, Sister Act recounts the story of a Catholic monastery that takes a feisty lounge singer under its wing. While the rebellious new sister butts heads with Mother Superior, no one can question her unmistakable musical skill. Before long, the newly dubbed “Sister Mary Clarence” transforms the lifeless, stodgy choir into a booty-shaking powerhouse. Together, Sister Mary Clarence and her convent learn a thing or two about acceptance, love and friendship.
Hair
WMU Theatre
Shaw Theatre, Kalamazoo
Nov. 14-16, 20-23; show times at 2 & 7:30 p.m.
$5-$20
wmich.edu/theatre, (269) 387-6222
One of Broadway’s defining rock musicals, Hair centers around a group of bohemian hippies resisting the Vietnam War draft. As the young rebels become swept up in the turmoil of the ‘60s, they are forced to make important decisions about society, allegiance and identity. Controversial on many levels, the musical remains an outspoken, edgy addition to the Broadway canon. Due to brief nudity, patrons under 17 will not admitted.
Elf
Broadway Grand Rapids
DeVos Performance Hall, Grand Rapids
Nov. 28-30, show times at 2 & 7:30 p.m.
$30-$70
broadwaygrandrapids.com, (616) 235-6285
Santa is supposed to return to the North Pole with a tummy full of cookies and an empty sack. But one fateful year, Santa brings back surprising cargo: a stowaway orphan named Buddy. After a childhood among the elves, adult Buddy returns to New York in search of his father. Upon Buddy’s arrival, he learns there are some serious Santa skeptics in the family and endeavors to teach them the true meaning of Christmas.
