I have had the Cast Recording of ONCE for a short while now and I resisted writing my thoughts on it until I had seen the musical itself on stage. I fell in love with the recording upon first listen but I wanted to make sure that it held up with the actual production. If you have not seen ONCE in the flesh, the Recording still impresses with each listen, but now that I've seen the musical, the Recording is that much richer and moving to hear. ONCE on stage is one of the most subtle and beautiful theatrical experiences I have had. It changed everything I thought musical theater could accomplish. The simple story is told with such emotion and truth. There is no official "orchestra" for ONCE. The onstage actors provide every instrument that you hear. The actors that make up the Cast of ONCE bring a new meaning to the word "ensemble" and this is proven at the Curtain Call where no one takes a single bow....only group bows. And rightfully so. FALLING SLOWLY, the Oscar winning song by Glen Hansard and Market Irglova has to be the most beautiful melody currently on Broadway. And that song serves as the cornerstone to the Cast Recording as well. Heard twice but with two completely different meanings as it serves the story. Both Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti perform their songs perfectly and the entire CD proves to be just as memorable as the musical itself. If you can't get to NYC and see this beautiful show, the CD will allow you to imagine yourself sitting in that theatre basking in the glory of these incredible actors/singers/musicians. "Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice, you've made it now."
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