(Mackenzie Lesser-Roy as ‘Girl’ and Nile Scott Hawver as ‘Guy’ in SpeakEasy Stage’s ‘Once’ – Photos by Maggie Hall Photography)
By Linda Chin
‘Once’ – Book by Enda Walsh; Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová. Based on the Motion Picture Written and Directed by John Carney. Directed by Paul Melone; Music Direction by Steven Ladd Jones; Choreography by Ilyse Robbins; Scenic Design by Rachel Padula-Shufelt; Lighting Design by Karen Perlow; Sound Design by Andrew Duncan Will. Presented by Speakeasy Stage at the Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St., Boston through April 7
Artists and audiences benefit when theater companies embrace authenticity and relatability as critical components of their mission and values, and plan their seasons accordingly. Bravo to those producers, creative teams and casting directors with bold visions and broad reach and the perseverance to find the best actors for the roles, especially challenging with the specific requirements in musical theater works. Bravo to musicals of this season that were impeccably cast: Miss You Like Hell (Company One & ART), Breath and Imagination (Lyric Stage & Front Porch Arts Collective) and Billy Elliot (Seacoast Rep). To this list we can add SpeakEasy’s Fun Home, which with Scottsboro Boys and Allegiance in previous seasons represent a sweep of standouts with multi-talented (& multicultural & multigenerational) ensembles of actors who speak (and sing and dance) their truth. In Once, the actors are also the musicians for the musical (a first in SpeakEasy’s 27-year history), making impossible dreams – of artists, immigrants, people young and old – seem possible.
The stage version of Once, adapted from a 2007 indie film with a tiny budget but infinite charm, was workshopped at the ART’s Oberon in 2011. It then premiered at NY Theatre Workshop and quickly transferred to Broadway, where it swept away thousands of hearts and swept the Tonys, winning 8 awards, including Best Musical.
The character breakdown and casting requirements for Once (like ART’s current production of Endlings, which opened the same weekend) were very specific. The score consists of parts for 11 instruments, including ukulele, violin, cello, and drums/percussion, necessitating that some of the 14 performers play several instruments. The audition notice for the leads, an Irishman and Czech woman whose mutual love of music and mutual but unconsummated love for each other carries the story, specifies a range of skills: Guy (male, speaks with Irish accent, must play guitar, engages in costume change in view of audience, vocal range G2-C#5) and Girl (female, speaks with a Czech accent, must play the piano, vocal range C4-G3). Not only are the requirements of these roles daunting but the actors have difficult shoes to fill. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova wrote the music and lyrics, the storyline is based on their own experiences as struggling artists, and they also originated the roles of Guy and Girl in the film. Of note, as musicians with no formal acting experience they added authenticity to their characters (and agita to film producers who prefer their headliners to be known) but the film became a cultural phenomenon with a cult following.
True to its mission of “championing new talent and future arts leaders, alongside a diverse community of experienced local theatre professionals who share our devotion to excellence” SpeakEasy found actors with Boston roots for its phenomenal cast: Niles Scott Hawver, familiar to New England stages, shows strong acting and guitar chops as the wandering street musician with a traveling heart. MacKenzie Lesser-Roy, an alum of the Boston Conservatory who played Girl on the ’16-’17 national tour, brings great depth to her role as Guy’s muse and has the voice of an angel to boot. Jacob Brandt, an alum of Harvard and several professional theater companies in Massachusetts, New England, and NY, has wonderful presence and versatility. Jeff Song plays a mean cello and guitar and a mean banker with a soft spot. Stage veteran Kathy St. George (Baruska) radiates loving support of her daughter, Girl, granddaughter, and all the artists on stage, and Billy Meleadey delivers a poignant performance as Guy’s Da. Right before Guy sets off for greener pastures, Da gives him two gifts: a check of a fairly large sum and positive feedback about the CD of songs Guy and Girl recorded. His words of encouragement, “Fantastic stuff. That’ll be a hit, no question,” are priceless. SpeakEasy’s Once encourages us to listen – to our hearts and each other, and inspires us to never stop dreaming and keep making art, no matter how impossible it may seem. For tickets and information, go to: http://www.speakeasystage.com
