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Once:The Musical (NHB Libretti) by Enda Walsh, Glen Hansard, Mark???ta Irglov??? (2013) Paperback
"A jewel box of a small, delicate, brimming with emotion and charm."— Vogue "It may sound like heresy to fans of the 2006 film, but this bewitching stage adaptation arguably improves on the movie, expanding its emotional breadth and elevating it stylistically while remaining true to the original's raw fragility."? Hollywood Reporter Retaining the film's popular music and lyrics, acclaimed Irish playwright Enda Walsh adapts this charming tale of a complicated romance between an Irish street musician and a young Czech immigrant for the stage. A hit musical Off-Broadway, Once premiered on Broadway in spring 2012 to rave reviews. Enda Walsh is the author of five Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Award-winning plays, including Penelope , The Walworth Farce , and The New Electric Ballroom . He also co-wrote the film Hunger , which won the Camera d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová are the stars and songwriters of the 2006 film Once , for which they won an Academy Award for Best Song. The two comprise the musical folk-rock duo The Swell Season, which is currently touring the United States. A documentary film of the duo, The Swell Season , was an official selection of the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. Hansard is also a member of the Irish band The Frames and Irglová is a classically trained Czech pianist and vocalist.
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First published October 16, 2012
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About the author
Enda Walsh
44 books41 followersEnda Walsh (born 1967) is an Irish playwright born in Dublin and currently living in London. Walsh attended the same secondary school where both Roddy Doyle and Paul Mercier taught. Having written for the Dublin Youth Theatre, he moved to Cork where he wrote Fishy Tales for the Graffiti Theatre Company, followed by Ginger Ale Boy for Corcadorca Theatre Company. His main breakthrough came with the production of his play Disco Pigs in collaboration with director Pat Kiernan of Corcadorca. Since then he moved to London, where he has been particularly prolific over the past five years, bringing his productions to thirteen stage plays, two radio plays and two screenplays.
Winner of the 1997 Stewart Parker and the George Devine Awards, he won the Abbey Theatre Writer in Association Award for 2006. Productions of his plays at the Edinburgh Festival have won four Fringe First Awards, two Critic's Awards and a Herald Archangel Award (2008). His plays, notably Disco Pigs[1], Bedbound, Small Things, Chatroom, New Electric Ballroom[2] and The Walworth Farce, have been translated into more than 20 languages and have had productions throughout Europe and in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. He has written two radio plays, with Four Big Days in the Life of Dessie Banks for RTÉ winning the I PA Radio Drama Award and The Monotonous Life of Little Miss P for the BBC commended at the Gran Prix Berlin. His commissioned work includes plays for Paines Plough in London, the Druid Theatre in Galway, the Kammerspiele in Munich and the Royal National's Connections Project in London. He wrote the screenplay of the film Disco Pigs and co-wrote the screenplay of Hunger which was directed by Steve McQueen and stars Michael Fassbender as Bobby Sands, the IRA hunger striker who starved himself to death in protest over British rule. Hunger won numerous awards (see below) including the Caméra d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival, Best Film Award from the Evening Standard British Film Awards 2009 and a nomination for Best British Film at the British Academy Film Awards. He wrote an adaptation of his play Chatroom for a film directed by Hideo Nakata which was selected for the Un Certain Regard section at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. He is currently under commission for two films, an adaptation of the children's story Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson and a biography of Dusty Springfield.
Winner of the 1997 Stewart Parker and the George Devine Awards, he won the Abbey Theatre Writer in Association Award for 2006. Productions of his plays at the Edinburgh Festival have won four Fringe First Awards, two Critic's Awards and a Herald Archangel Award (2008). His plays, notably Disco Pigs[1], Bedbound, Small Things, Chatroom, New Electric Ballroom[2] and The Walworth Farce, have been translated into more than 20 languages and have had productions throughout Europe and in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. He has written two radio plays, with Four Big Days in the Life of Dessie Banks for RTÉ winning the I PA Radio Drama Award and The Monotonous Life of Little Miss P for the BBC commended at the Gran Prix Berlin. His commissioned work includes plays for Paines Plough in London, the Druid Theatre in Galway, the Kammerspiele in Munich and the Royal National's Connections Project in London. He wrote the screenplay of the film Disco Pigs and co-wrote the screenplay of Hunger which was directed by Steve McQueen and stars Michael Fassbender as Bobby Sands, the IRA hunger striker who starved himself to death in protest over British rule. Hunger won numerous awards (see below) including the Caméra d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival, Best Film Award from the Evening Standard British Film Awards 2009 and a nomination for Best British Film at the British Academy Film Awards. He wrote an adaptation of his play Chatroom for a film directed by Hideo Nakata which was selected for the Un Certain Regard section at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. He is currently under commission for two films, an adaptation of the children's story Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson and a biography of Dusty Springfield.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 17, 2018
I've seen the show many years ago at the Phoenix Theatre in London and now finally read the play as well. I listened to the songs while reading and loved the experience of it. Let me kind of relive it a bit. A brilliant piece of music and a sad yet hopeful story of old love and new beginnings. If you ever get the chance to see it live than do it, it's going to be a unforgettable night!
October 12, 2020
A sweet read but wish I could've seen it in person.
April 9, 2023
Fucking stunning.
I read this whilst having the album open on Spotify so I could hear the music as is in the show - highly recommend.
SO, at its core, this is a fairly simple (and truly beautiful) love story where 'guy meets girl'. (Literally. They are called Guy and Girl in the script.) And it feels so emotionally charged and bittersweet and real.
It is a story about the ordinary becoming extraordinary, as a spark of life enters the mundane and turns someone's world upside down in a matter of days. It is such a gentle, honest look at how a person can come from nowhere and change your life in a moment. One word of encouragement, the right person at the right time, and anything can happen.
And I love the love in this musical. I love romance so much. BUT, as this story shows us, love is not always enough. You can dream of a different world where it may work, but sometimes life gets in the way. The impact of the experience is huge, but life must continue as it did before. Like two ships, colliding and then passing in the night.
I loved this. And 'Falling Slowly' may just be one of my new favourite songs.
I read this whilst having the album open on Spotify so I could hear the music as is in the show - highly recommend.
SO, at its core, this is a fairly simple (and truly beautiful) love story where 'guy meets girl'. (Literally. They are called Guy and Girl in the script.) And it feels so emotionally charged and bittersweet and real.
It is a story about the ordinary becoming extraordinary, as a spark of life enters the mundane and turns someone's world upside down in a matter of days. It is such a gentle, honest look at how a person can come from nowhere and change your life in a moment. One word of encouragement, the right person at the right time, and anything can happen.
And I love the love in this musical. I love romance so much. BUT, as this story shows us, love is not always enough. You can dream of a different world where it may work, but sometimes life gets in the way. The impact of the experience is huge, but life must continue as it did before. Like two ships, colliding and then passing in the night.
I loved this. And 'Falling Slowly' may just be one of my new favourite songs.
April 16, 2017
OMG Samantha! You have to read this! This is gonna be big!
May 24, 2016
I read this in less than an hour. If you want a quick, sweet read, read this. It's a good play. It feels different live; I've seen bootlegs, and it's so much better on stage. In writing, it feels too fast and the humor feels forces and awkward. You lose the intimacy and beauty of the show. Nonetheless, an amazing show.
August 2, 2015
I guess I'll just have to see the musical to really get it. It's a decent story but nothing special. The songs must be what makes this. I'm getting really annoyed with the girl helps boy figure life out, boy gets pissy when girl doesn't want a relationship with him.
June 6, 2021
I saw this live a few years back and had forgotten how amazingly heart-wrenchingly bittersweet the play is. Masterful writing combined with beautiful songs and clever characters who become instantly likeable from their down-to-earth depiction of life in Dublin, this play has everything going for it. Ensemble plays can be hard to pull off since every character has to play an important part in the show and pull their weight, but this executes it almost perfectly. I love Enda Walsh's writing, and this is no exception to that. Highly, highly recommend!
July 3, 2017
A fantastic stage musical with an incredible soundtrack and songs. Reading the script is a little bit clunky and parts with some missing scenes that would help understand each of the characters, but an amazing musical that has to be seen.
January 18, 2018
A beautiful story about choosing between old love and new love. Very short, but very impactful. I love both of the characters, even though we never get to know they’re names. It seems like this could happen to almost anybody.
April 28, 2023
I'm a big fan of the movie. This is one movie that translates beautifully and imaginatively to the screen. I liked it so well, I saw Once twice on Broadway! The theatre for which I work is doing the show this fall, and I read through the script for work for marketing ideas.
May 20, 2018
(4.5 Stars)
If just reading this has me feeling this way...imagine how actually seeing the show would make me feel
If just reading this has me feeling this way...imagine how actually seeing the show would make me feel
June 7, 2024
A love story that doesn't end the way we want it. Absolutely heartwrenching but such a beautiful story. One of my all time favorites!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2014
Funny, heartfelt, and genuinely moving, Enda Walsh's play is a rare example of a theatrical adaption that greatly improves upon its source cinematic materiall.
The lovestory between an Irish street musician, and a Czech girl with a broken hoover who believes in him is genuinely moving. The staging is sublime, and its tackling of the language and setting is superb. The play expands upon secondary characters seen in the play, and adds more humour that perfectly captures the bittersweet tone.
Included in this script is the lyrics to Glen Hansard's and Marketa Irglova's wonderful music that makes this play come alive. This play truly deserves to be seen, as the actors play their instrument's live on stage.
An excellent piece of theatre that is simulataneously heart warming, and heart breaking, I cannot recommend Once enough.
The lovestory between an Irish street musician, and a Czech girl with a broken hoover who believes in him is genuinely moving. The staging is sublime, and its tackling of the language and setting is superb. The play expands upon secondary characters seen in the play, and adds more humour that perfectly captures the bittersweet tone.
Included in this script is the lyrics to Glen Hansard's and Marketa Irglova's wonderful music that makes this play come alive. This play truly deserves to be seen, as the actors play their instrument's live on stage.
An excellent piece of theatre that is simulataneously heart warming, and heart breaking, I cannot recommend Once enough.
September 2, 2014
A heartwarming musical that wouldn't fail to make anyone smile (and maybe cry a bit).
A tale of a guy and a girl finding themselves through music that they've known before, but have lost the passion for it. It's witty, funny, quick, and yet it paints the picture so slowly. Concentrating on every color, letting you enjoy it so.
This musical is wonderful. The script is great to read by itself, and putting it with music makes it explode with wonder. I wish I could see it live so badly. One day maybe.
A tale of a guy and a girl finding themselves through music that they've known before, but have lost the passion for it. It's witty, funny, quick, and yet it paints the picture so slowly. Concentrating on every color, letting you enjoy it so.
This musical is wonderful. The script is great to read by itself, and putting it with music makes it explode with wonder. I wish I could see it live so badly. One day maybe.
February 8, 2019
This play is beautiful. Second time reading it. Huge fan of the movie, but the script for the musical is just so well written. Enda Walsh is brilliant!
Second time reading: So I went to see Once and audio recorded the whole show. I have to say, listening and reading at the same time is so emotional, now that the show has closed on Broadway and the recording is from that last show.
What I still can't get over is that I've never seen such beautiful writing in the stage directions than I have with this play.
Absolutely beautiful. Everyone should read this.
Second time reading: So I went to see Once and audio recorded the whole show. I have to say, listening and reading at the same time is so emotional, now that the show has closed on Broadway and the recording is from that last show.
What I still can't get over is that I've never seen such beautiful writing in the stage directions than I have with this play.
Absolutely beautiful. Everyone should read this.
April 15, 2014
Das Libretto zu "Once" - natürlich kein Buch im eigentlichen Sinne, aber es zu lesen, lässt das Stück neu zum Leben erwachen.
Ich glaube, wenn jemand, der Musik liebt, aber nicht unbedingt auf Musicals steht, mich fragen würde, welches ich ihm empfehlen würde: ONCE!! (Seriously!)
Girl: "You have heart and soul. These Songs need to be sung for you, for me, for everybody who has lost a love. Don't be sad - you MUST sing!"
Beautiful, touching, funny, bitter-sweet, brilliant, heart-breaking and soul-lifting. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
Ich glaube, wenn jemand, der Musik liebt, aber nicht unbedingt auf Musicals steht, mich fragen würde, welches ich ihm empfehlen würde: ONCE!! (Seriously!)
Girl: "You have heart and soul. These Songs need to be sung for you, for me, for everybody who has lost a love. Don't be sad - you MUST sing!"
Beautiful, touching, funny, bitter-sweet, brilliant, heart-breaking and soul-lifting. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
Read
April 22, 2014Having seen this in production twice, there is a lot to be said of the staging. And I wasn't sure how much of the magic of the piece could be chalked up to that. The script does move faster than it feels like on stage. But it's tone manages to convey hope and heartbreak. A lot of this can be chalked up to the specificity of the language. These are characters that do no use more words than they have to. Words are selected carefully here. Once does not mince words. Like "Girl" it gets right to the heart of the matter. And it's a beautiful heart.
April 6, 2015
After seeing the show three times I decided to buy the book to keep this magical piece of theatre with me since it was closing on the West End. While reading it I saw the show in front of me again and was laughing out loud at parts and almost moved to tears by others. I hope I'll get the chance to see this play again soon but in the mean time this book and the soundtrack will make me relive those times.
August 5, 2013
This musical is absolutely brilliant. It's the perfect combination of tears and laughter. Every single joke makes me laugh, and the dramatic scenes are written perfectly. The music is also fantastic. The lyrics perfectly emphasize the feelings of the characters.
November 18, 2012
Recently learned that this story is now on Broadway...aaaaaghhhh. LOVE IT!
August 4, 2013
Love the songs! saw the musical in London this summer 2013. Great feeling, lovely show.
August 16, 2014
Love this story! The music, movie and play are great, too.
May 25, 2014
Love the song Falling Slowly and really looking forward to he play in a couple weeks. Reading the play was very good!!
July 5, 2014
Loved the play and reading the book was chance to re live the play again, at least the dialogue.
October 9, 2014
This has got to be my favourite musical of all time.
5/5
5/5
September 19, 2016
I saw the stage production 3 times and Once is my all time favorite musical. A
September 27, 2016
Beautiful but sad play/musical that teaches us about love, loss, music, and finding a reason to go on.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews