HUNTINGTON, W. Va — ONCE, winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical and winner of the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, will play the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. to close out the 2015-2016 season of the Marshall Artists Series.
“ONCE is based on the 2007 Academy Award-winning Irish indie film sensation of the same name and features an impressive ensemble of actor/musicians who play their own instruments on stage, and tells the enchanting tale of a Dublin street musician who’s about to give up on his dream when a beautiful young woman takes a sudden interest in his haunting love songs. As the chemistry between them grows, his music soars to powerful new heights… but their unlikely connection turns out to be deeper and more complex than your everyday romance,” organizers said.
More from organizers:
Brought to the stage by an award-winning team of visionary artists and featuring an ensemble cast of gifted actor/musicians, ONCE is a musical celebration of life and love: thrilling in its originality, daring in its honesty… and unforgettable in every way. Emotionally captivating and theatrically breathtaking, ONCE draws you in from the very first note and never lets go. It’s an unforgettable story about going for your dreams… not living in fear… and the power of music to connect us all.”
ONCE features the Academy Award-winning music and lyrics of Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, a book by award-winning Irish playwright & screenwriter, Enda Walsh (Penelope, Hunger, The New Electric Ballroom), direction by the acclaimed Scottish director of Black Watch, John Tiffany, movement by Steven Hoggett (Black Watch, American Idiot) and music supervision and orchestrations by Martin Lowe (Mamma Mia!). The set and costume design are by five time Tony Award winner Bob Crowley (The Coast of Utopia, Mary Poppins), lighting design is by Tony winner Natasha Katz (Aida, The Coast of Utopia), and sound design is by Clive Goodwin.
Ashland, KY native, Steve Kazee, starred in the lead role in ONCE on Broadway when it debuted, winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album.
“ONCE uses song & dance in a way I’ve never experienced in an American Musical.” The New York Times
“ONCE is unusually fun & heartfelt musical theatre. The cast is on fire!” The New Yorker
ONCE, which was also named Best Musical by the New York Drama Critics’ Circle, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards,ran for more than 1,100 performances on Broadway with acclaimed international productions from London and Melbourne to Japan and South Korea.
Tickets are $93.95, 77.90, 67.20, 60.78. To see this Broadway experience on the stage of the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center contact the Marshall Artists Series Box Office a 304-696-6656. Or order tickets online at Ticketmaster.com. You may also visit our box office located in the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse on the Marshall University campus. Box office hours are Monday through Friday 12 p.m.-5 p.m.
Once is sponsored by First State Bank, Chase Bank, KEE 100, WTCR, WSAZ, The Herald Dispatch, Marshall University, and the Marshall Artists Series.