'Once' lights up Broadway

Once, John Carney's Oscar-winning film starring Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, has been transported from screen to stage, winning rave reviews in its opening weekend on Broadway.

The Chicago Tribune led the way, describing this new version as "gorgeous" and highlighting its old-school approach to musical theatre, noting:

"The music, although beautiful, does not come with the usual tricks. There is neither digital scenery nor spectacle — although I swear I saw the streets of Dublin and the possibilities of the world beyond. This is a show that demands that its audience listen."

Elsewhere, Ben Brantley of The New York Times found his expectations exceeded and then some.

"You’ve heard it all before, right?," he wrote. "Except you haven’t, quite. Because “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."

The Huffington Post called the adaptation "Pure, moving and inventive", praising director John Tiffany, playwright Enda Walsh and choreographer Steven Hoggett, noting the "ingenious touches" that Walsh creates specifically for the stage version.

Bravo!