Critical Reaction

Critical Reaction

Critical Reaction

"Once uses song and dance in a way I've never experienced in an American musical (even if its sound will be familiar to alternative radio listeners): to convey a beautiful shimmer of might-have-been regret. [ ... ] What lends a special, tickling poignancy to Mr. Hansard and Ms. Irglova's songs is their acceptance of loneliness as an existential given." - The New York Times

"Pure, moving and inventive [ ... ] a study in how to beautifully adapt a movie to the stage. In many ways, in fact, this Once is better than the original Once." - The Huffington Post

"It is a rare feat [ ... ] to express such unabashed romantic feeling, such yearning emotion, without stooping to sentiment or wallowing in cliche." - The Chicago Tribune

"Wins you over with its simplicity, charm and air of sweet melancholy." - The Guardian

"The sweetest and most romantic show on Broadway [ ... ] Book writer Enda Walsh found smart ways to expand the narrative." - New York Daily News

"A gem of a show. [ ... ] Once wins its standing ovations the old-fashioned way: with a love story, great songs, compelling characters and inventive stagecraft [ ] downright revolutionary." - The New York Post

"Unusually fun and heartfelt musical theatre." - The New Yorker

"A love story played with fierce sincerity and unexpected honesty." - The Wall Street Journal

"Wonderful music! [ ... ] Raw and real and better than anything you're likely to hear in the theater all season." - Time Magazine

"Pure, moving, invention and irresistible. [ ... ] Once makes a lasting connection." - The Associated Press

"Gorgeous. [ ... ] Once charms us with a rare combination of intelligence, warmth and musicality." - Bloomberg News

"An exquisite reminder of theater's singular capacity to transport us." - The Hollywood Reporter