Once, the 2012 Tony Award-winning musical, is a gem of a show and thanks to Renegade Arts Co, Vancouver audiences are being treated to a taste of this work. This is a small-scale production, but the hard-working and talented company and creative team have tried their best to deliver every ounce of quality from this show. Despite its limited resources, this production succeeds in embodying the emotions and spirit of Once.
Based on the 2007 film, which won an Academy Award for its original song, “Falling Slowly”, the musical follows the relationship of a young man and woman, simply named Guy and Girl, in Dublin, Ireland. Both are talented musicians and dealing with the aftermath of romantic relationships. Through their love of music, and with some help from the colourful community around them, the pair help each other work through their issues and discover newfound hope and inspiration.
Set to a glorious score that includes many heartfelt, acoustic tunes by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, this show is a musical treat. The cast impressively double up as the show’s musicians, with some cast members playing up to four instruments. Since the show’s venue, The Shop Theatre, is quite small, we get an up-close-and-personal concert, with some lovely singing and brilliant harmonies under the guidance of musical director Edette Gagne.
Michael Bernard and Olesia Shewchuk star as Guy and Girl in Once. Photo credit: Diamond’s Edge Photography.
As Girl, the very experienced Olesia Shewchuk leads the show with her outstanding stage presence, maturity, and triple-threat talent. Shewchuk takes us on a clear and touching emotional journey, starting from her charismatic and quirky persona at the beginning, to later revealing her complex feelings and challenges. Along the way, she showcases her great vocals, plays the piano, violin, and castanets, and dances wonderfully (she’s even choreographed this show).
As Guy, Michael Bernard’s acting is strong; from his mannerisms, body carriage, and vocal inflections in his dialogue, he’s very believable and likeable. Shewchuk and Bernard have great chemistry and play very well off each other, which is important since this relationship is the glue that holds the show tougher.
In the show, the Girl’s living situation is a bit interesting as she resides with not only her mom and daughter, but also a crew of very vibrant characters. Thankfully, there’s an energetic cast here who fully throw themselves into these quirky characters, and there’s some strong comedic timing to help liven up the show. It’s worth repeating that the cast members are also busy playing instruments while acting, singing, and dancing, making their efforts all the more impressive. The rousing “North Strand” and “Ej, Pada, Pada, Rosicka” numbers are a delight to watch.
From left to right: Olesia Shewchuk, Nikita Shalyha, Shannon Hunt, and Michael Bernard. Photo credit: Diamond’s Edge Photography
Two standouts in the supporting cast are Shannon Hunt as the feisty Reza, who is a lot of fun to watch, as well as Holly Collis Handford. Although Handford only has two scenes where she plays Guy’s Ex-Girlfriend, she does an excellent job of giving us a glimpse into the pair’s relationship, adding important texture to this show.
The show’s small performing space and limited resources unfortunately impacts the storytelling at times. I often found it confusing trying to figure out where the characters were and what was happening at the beginning of scenes. The lack of set pieces and space makes it difficult to differentiate one setting from another. There’s a TV monitor hanging over stage left which sometimes displays a few words to help us understand where we are, but I didn’t find this particularly effective.
Despite these blemishes, director Ian Fathering has assembled a talented company who bring this story to life with sincerity. The final ten minutes of the show is well done, with some fine acting from the principal actors as well as a touching reprise of “Falling Slowly” by the entire ensemble. Renegade Arts Co’s production of Once is a commendable effort and truly delivers the essence of the show’s narrative on celebrating love, no matter where the journey takes you.
Renegade Arts Co’s production of Once runs until June 25 at The Shop Theatre. For ticket information, visit Renegade’s ticket site.