Review: ONCE, Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Photo credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
Alan Cumming’s inaugural season as Artistic Director has certainly brought its fair share of change to Pitlochry Festival Theatre, not least the change from a repertory season to a standard one-show-at-a-time format, but thankfully, one thing that hasn’t changed here is a commitment to producing world-class theatre, and this opening production of Once has set the season on a very promising course indeed.
Once tells the story of Guy, an Irish busker ready to give up on music and settle for a life as a hoover fixer, and Girl, the Czech pianist who helps to push him back towards his dreams. Guy and Girl are drawn to each other almost instantly, but each have their own issues to work through, and as the story goes on, it’s clear that these two will shape each other’s lives in irreversible ways.
This production, directed by original Broadway director John Tiffany, immerses us in a Dublin pub from the moment we enter the theatre. A pre-show allows the audience to join the cast on stage for a drink and a set of exuberantly performed folksongs, which meld seamlessly into the opening scene as the house lights subtly and slowly dim. Bob Crowley’s designs are wonderfully effective – the bar remains our setting throughout, with the cast remaining on stage for almost the entirety of the show. When a performer is not featured in a scene, they sit on the sidelines, watching, listening, and often playing. Steven Hoggett’s movement direction is simple but provides flow and a placed intention to the more choreographed sequences.
Of course, for a story about the power of music, it is not surprising that the music works so well in this piece, with Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová’s score full of folky, earthy grit, and it’s performed to perfection by the 10-strong cast of actor-musicians, playing around 30 instruments between them.
The ensemble is so integral to the success of this piece that it feels almost wrong to single any one performer out, but praise must be given to Charlie West for his hilariously bolshy characterisation of Billy, the music shop owner. As Girl, Lydia White is a whirlwind of extreme honesty and poignant what-ifs, with a tender, well-placed singing voice and sensitive piano playing. Previous West End Orpheus, Dylan Wood imbues Guy with passion, melancholy, and just the right amount of awkwardness, while providing accomplished guitar accompaniments to his own effortlessly soaring vocals.
Undoubtedly the musical highlight is the Oscar-winning ‘Falling Slowly’, which appears in both acts as a powerful emotional throughline and ends the show with a heartwrenching finale. Other numbers such as the poignant acappella rendition of ‘Gold’ and Girl’s solo ‘The Hill’ are performed with great emotion and depth, while livelier numbers like ‘When Your Mind’s Made Up’ are full of grit and full-throated enthusiasm.
This is a show which places importance on softness and stillness – there are no grand chorus numbers, no glitz and glamour, and an ending which is perhaps best described as bittersweet. In order for this piece to work, it requires dedication and truthfulness from its company, and this production’s company certainly perform with honesty and passion throughout. If this is the standard that Alan Cumming’s first season is opening with, it seems like audiences in Pitlochry are in for a very exciting summer indeed.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Lorna Murray
Once plays at Pitlochry Festival Theatre until 27 June, with further info here.