Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"..."Once," which requires actors to play their own instruments, is difficult to cast. But this ensemble is uniformly terrific, some of whom offer very fresh takes on these characters. Watch Elisa Carlson, Yuchi Chiu, Matt Deitchman, Elleon Dobias, Matt Edmonds, Jordan Golding, Lucas Looch Johnson, Liam Oh, Bethany Thomas and (at my performance) young Viva Boresi, and you can feel that they sense they're in a special show."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...Based on a 2007 independent Irish film — very much a film with music — “Once” tells a deeply modest tale of two characters, generically named in the script as Guy and Girl. Guy is a singer-songwriter, very much of the two-thousand-aughts variety. Girl is a Czech immigrant to Dublin who plays the piano and is drawn to Guy’s music. The story follows their fast-evolving friendship, and perhaps more — that “more” being problematic as each musician has a non-present but unfinished relationship to deal with."
Daily Herald - Highly Recommended
"...The capacity audience at the Glencoe theater likely expected as much from the stage adaptation of director John Carney's low-budget 2007 Irish film about two musicians whose brief acquaintance changes their lives. The film, which earned Hansard and Irglova an Academy Award for their song "Falling Slowly," is well-loved. So is the Tony Award-winning chamber musical it inspired, which pairs Hansard and Irglova's pensive, folk-rock score with a warm, amusing book by Irish playwright Enda Walsh."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...But what can't be said directly can be sung. And sing they do, with warmth and pain and an absolutely gut-wrenching, yet inspiring, belief that maybe a song can be enough to change a life and to help another person to "take this sinking boat and point it home," as the lyrics to "Falling Softly" put it. Once is a deceptively quiet show that roars with truth and resists stereotypes and cynicism. At Writers, it's absolutely enchanting."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...The musicianship was stellar, the simple and powerful direction and choreography by Katie
Superman just right. I loved the ache of being witness to the impossibility of some loves to last
longer than their moment, despite the amazing potential those relationships have, and how
deeply they are felt. The significant relationships in life are not the always the longest lastings.
This truth was beautifully told and shown. It was a joy and a privilege to watch such
accomplished artists invite us in to witness such a time and to be transported back to my youth where every relationship felt so significant and became indelible."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...There are “musicals” and then again, chamber musicals. Writers Theatre is a perfect venue for “chamber” pieces. It is an intimate space where the audience, no matter where they are seated, has full access to the stage and the performers. Many of us were lucky enough to see the touring production of “Once” as part of the Broadway In Chicago series. Based on the 2007 film written and directed by John Carney, “Once” features the music and lyrics of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova with a book by Edna Walsh."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Once is a profound musical play that can’t be described. It has be experienced. Do not miss it. In this grand new production at Writers Theatre, Katie Spelman provides the theatrical magic by stripping away all the unnecessary gimmicks, often found in shows these days and confidently puts her trust in its gorgeous, character-driven story. It’s a “Once” in a lifetime theatrical pleasure that will remind you that committing to love and taking chances is what life is really all about. We’re reminded, too, that wonderfully honest and heartfelt storytelling can be a spiritual experience. Chicagoland audiences will soon be “Falling Slowly” again for the immersive joy of love and live music."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...But it’s the prism through which Spelman casts the piece that prevails. Tasked with making theatre out of this collection of songs—none of which develop plot or character in the sense of a traditional showtune—she shows us how music can shapes lives, either as a live-or-die practitioner or an earnest striver mulling a lyric for a tune playing on loop in their headphones."
Chicago Theater and Arts - Recommended
"...Appearing now at Writers Theatre where it can intimately be performed almost in-the-round, the audience’s focus is on its main characters beautifully portrayed by two popular regional theater actors: Dana Saleh Omar (national tour of “The Band’s Visit) as Girl, and Matt Mueller (“The Play that Goes Wrong” tour) as Guy"
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...Writers’ production, directed and choreographed by Katie Spelman with music direction by Matt Deitchman, provides a showcase for every single cast member while telling the Enda Walsh story of a down-on-his-luck busker and the lively and guileless Czech immigrant who takes it upon herself to revive his nearly dead hopes and dreams. Omar’s Girl would brighten anyone’s life."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...The score and writing alone are reasons to catch the show – especially if you are one for love stories. However, the cast of jaw-dropping talent makes Writers Theatre’s production of Once an experience that simply should not be missed."
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...When the music and lyrics of a theatrical show can bring you both tears and laughter, you know you have something good. But what a theater and its performers do with a show is where the magic comes from and where a hit can be made. The Writers Theater’s performance of Once included many, many laughs, a few tears, and for sure solidified itself as a hit in the eyes of the audience."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Fantasy landscapes and historical events are great to build a show around, but sometimes it seems even more fantastical when theater so acutely captures real life-and real emotions. "Once" at Writers Theatre in Glencoe does just that and more."
