Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...So, if you have never had the pleasure, and it is a great pleasure, this probably is your last chance to see “Once” in the Chicago area at this level, reaching out but still connected to its genesis."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...You surely cannot argue with the performances director Jim Corti gets from Tiffany Topol (Girl) and Barry DeBois (Guy) as the tentative couple who forges fragile, melodic bond across music and heartbreak. With a book by Enda Walsh and music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, “Once” has a deceptively gentle aesthetic. You might not feel it coming, but you’re apt to reach curtain call with a big ol’ lump in your throat."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Recommended
"...It was like a never-ending celebration of music that thrills the soul. It starts from the beginning when the audience is welcome to come on stage to get drinks at the bar to become part of the music merriments. Paramount has brought another performance worth traveling to see in Aurora, and we recommend you taking the journey to see "Once!""
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Jim Corti is a genius! There, I said it! Last night, I was witness to his ability to take a wonderful Tony Award winning show to new heights with his production of "Once ", the musical based on the movie written and directed by John Carney.This beautiful "love" story was transferred to the musical stage with a book by Enda Walsh and music & lyrics by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova. "Once" is indeed a "love story" about two young people. A young song writer," Guy" ( a powerhouse performance by Barry DeBois) an Irishman, has lost the love of his life. She has fled Ireland for New York and her quest for fame and fortune. He has given up and thinks he has lost the "feeling" that is needed to continue to create his music."
WTTW - Highly Recommended
"...At the Paramount, the masterful director Jim Corti, choreographer William Carlos Angulo and music director Tom Vendafreddo have drawn on the original but have made it very much their own. And to get the full experience of their production – which somehow manages to hold on to the show’s intimacy even in a large theater – you are advised to take your seat a good 20 minutes before curtain time. For that’s when the cast gathers in the handsome Dublin pub that is the all-important centerpiece of the set, and plays up a storm while audience members are able to order drinks at the onstage bar."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...This glorious Chicago production is playing through early June. Theatergoers who haven’t seen it, should not miss this polished, artistic and heartbreaking presentation. Audiences who’ve seen this show only one time should know that it gets even better on a second (or third) viewing. The production strips away the unnecessary gimmicks and special effects, often found in musicals these days, confidently relying on its character-driven story to provide all the magic. This is, indeed, a “Once” in a lifetime theatrical pleasure that will leave audiences “Falling Slowly,” reminding them how honest, straightforward storytelling can become a spiritual experience."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...Once is simultaneously a haunting, lyrical, strong, vulnerable, funny, sad, bawdy, powerfully hopeful reality. And it's wrapped in a love story that annihilates Hollywood (or even Broadway) cliches because its writers trust their audience enough to allow it to end as many things have ended, are ending and will end-honestly and unresolved."
Chicago Theater and Arts - Recommended
"...Every once in a while, someone remarkable touches our lives for a short time-and changes everything. Such is the heartwarming theme of 'Once,' the Tony Award-winning musical now playing at Paramount Theatre in Aurora. Helmed by artistic director Jim Corti and musical director Tom Vendafreddo, it's the musical's first Chicago-area regional staging."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...You walk into the theatre and an Irish band is playing enthusiastically onstage, playing with extraordinary energy and joy, playing for themselves as much as for the incoming audience. The exuberant musicians jump and dance along with their music, laugh and generally have a great time. And it's contagious: the show has not even begun, the house lights are still on, but Once is seeping into your soul. If you're early enough, you can even get a beer or whiskey from the 'bar" onstage. (Or you can wait until intermission, when it is once again open for business.) But whether or not you avail yourself of that opportunity, you can't help getting caught up in the music."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...Altogether the music and the emotions behind the music are what make ONCE a gorgeous show. It may not be the best show for those looking for a fast moving musical. ONCE is a good pick for those who love acoustic music and nontraditional love stories."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...There is a party going on in Aurora. It’s a boisterous musical celebration that begins with an on-stage cash bar then rages on for another two-plus hours. Adapted from the film of the same name (a sleeper hit that featured the breakout song “Falling Slowly”), “Once” is a soulful exploration of the intersection between love, art and passion. It premiered on Broadway in 2012 before going on to win eight Tony Awards including Best Musical. The National Tour came through Chicago a few years ago, but this is the first region-originating production of the musical."