Nominations streamed live this morning with Kristin Chenoweth announcing...
Having just seen three of the new shows last week... I was anxious to hear what the Tony nominations would bring. Not surprisingly, "Once" was nominated for almost every musical category. I must admit, it is much different than any musical I've ever seen - never before have I seen a show with this masterful artistic bent... crafted with clear vocals and a fulfilling dose of relationship tension. This is the kind of show where you find humor throughout, yet are surprised when you discover tears streaming down your cheeks at the end. It's the culmination of beautiful poetry encased in song and a script that draws the audience into the drama as if intimately acquainted with every character.
The characters of the musical each play an instrument... and they play them well! They all sing well, too! The music takes place in an Irish Pub where the characters revolve back and forth between simple instrumentals to being specific characters in the show.
"Falling Slowly" draws you in first. Listen and enjoy from the musical version:
The first time I heard this song was when my daughter Lauren conducted her A Cappella 5.1 group at Western Wyoming a few years ago. I love the intricate message from depression to hope.
This music grabs my heart! Tug...tug...tug...
Interestingly, "Once" was first an indie film in Ireland. It took years to produce. The two main actors were first chosen to compose the songs for the movie. After budgets ran thin, the composers (who had not acted before) also became the main actors and singers in the movie. This movie took off and became a cult hit. "Falling Slowly" became a hit, too and won various awards. The male actor/songwriter/singer, Glen Hasard, was from Ireland and the female actor/songwriter/singer, Marketa Irglova, was Czech. They were were drawn together through their music and actually fell in love during the production of the film.
Here is another beautiful song from "Once" - "If You Want Me" - from the movie version:
The chemistry between Cristin Milloti and Steve Kazee (the main characters of the musical) is phenomenal. The audience is so quiet you can hear a pin drop. It's as if they are mesmerized by each and every moment, every word, every breath, every little glance on the stage. As it came to a close, the audience leapt to their feet in applause and shouts of affirmation! If you ever get to Broadway, don't hesitate... go see "Once" and join the experience of theatre at it's finest!
I could not help but think how my parents (who are in a bluegrass band... Mom on the mandolin and Dad on the harmonica) would love this music... the foot stomping and playing, the great vocals and lyrics, the raw sounds from well played strings!
Someone once said..."The road to success is always under construction"...
This great quote describes the new and creative approach "Once the Musical" brings to the Broadway stage. It is masterfully constructed, has successfully gained the attention of the Tony nominators, and truly brings insightful nuances to Broadway.
The Tony Awards are coming up soon... and I (along with all the critics) predict "Once" will take the evening by a storm and take away most of the awards! We'll see...
La - Ti - Do!!
From your Musical Theatre Lover... Soul-Singing Blogger,
Jeanne
P.S. feel free to leave a comment - I'd love to know what you think about the music!
I'm going to NYC on business in a couple of weeks and will hope for a free night where I can take in this show. Just took the whole family to NYC on Spring Break and we saw several shows. We all LOVED Newsies -- which has also been nominated for a bunch of Tony awards. Did you see that while you were there? Interestingly, it was also first a "cult" movie before being made into a musical.
ReplyDeleteYes, I did see Newsies and I thought it was great, too! It is fantastic for the whole family to see. Newsies had magnificent choreography and dance. The songs were great and storyline fun... I couldn't believe the amount of BIG numbers in that show! Other shows I saw were Leap of Faith (Raul Esparza was magnificent) which is fun and upbeat and made me tear at the end... and we saw Mary Poppins again since we were there with some who had never before seen a show. What other shows did you see? It appears that lots of movies are being made into musicals lately.
ReplyDeleteAll I can tell you is that "Once" is just so different than anything I've ever seen. I understand why it got 11 Tony nods... It mesmerizes... that describes it best. True artists like you will LOVE it... it pulls you in as if you are right on the stage. If you can find a ticket... don't let it slip past you! Have fun in NYC!!