Review: Once (på svenska)

A captivating musical explosion in a spot-on Swedish translation

The ensemble gets a standing ovation from an enraptured audience when the musical Once has its Nordic premiere at Lilla teatern. The performance of the musical numbers is first-class and the Swedish lyrics are magical.

The musical Once is based on the melancholic indie film of the same name from 2006, written and directed by John Carney. Set in Ireland, the film is a sweet love story about an Irish street musician who meets a Czech flower seller on the street in Dublin. They get to know each other and start making music together.

Thanks to a small bank loan, they manage to record an album together with some other street musicians. The album then becomes a memory of a nice friendship they can look back on when they finally return to their former girlfriends and boyfriends. The main roles in the film are played by street musician Glen Hansard and his then-girlfriend Markéta Irglová, who together wrote all the music performed in the film.

They won an Oscar for Best Song in 2007 for the Once theme song Falling Slowly.

The production at Lilla Teatern is faithful to the film in that the story is the same, but that’s about where the similarities end. Under Jakob Höglund’s direction, the shaky camera work and the tentative dialogues have been replaced by a much higher tempo and the sad tapping on the guitar has been replaced by grand, exuberant musical numbers. The extremely well-executed song and dance numbers are impressive and several of the ensemble are multi-instrumentalists.

Emma Klingenberg in the role of the Girl is obstinate and demanding, thus completely different from the timid Irglová. Tuukka Leppänen makes the street musician guy a rather grumpy person with a strong integrity, completely different from Hansard, who in the film almost apologizes for his existence. Both Klingenberg and Leppänen sing frighteningly well and the contact between them is immediate and close.

Interesting supporting characters with their own stories

The ensemble on stage is led by the charismatic music captain Riku Vartiainen, who plays the role of recording engineer Eamon. At first, he is sceptical about the ambitious record projects of the ragshanks, but softens when he hears the fantastic music and is drawn into the music-making.

The production is teeming with entertaining side plots where the supporting characters get to tell their story.

Robert Kock plays the cheeky Billy who owns a music store where the Girl and the Guy can borrow instruments and jam after closing. Alexander Wendelin is seen in the role of the bank manager who gets inspired and keeps up with the recording even though he sings rather than well. Pia Runnakko is the girl’s Czech mother and Santeri Helinheimo Mäntylä plays Andrej, who works in a fast food restaurant and dreams of being promoted.

The cast of characters is charming.

The stage depicts a large and open music studio with lots of instruments lined up along the walls and we see a group of friends playing and having fun together. The intimate atmosphere from the film remains.

Lighting designer Ville Aaltonen uses simple means to create small, illuminated rooms where the audience can get really close to the actors in a few delicate scenes.

The Swedish translation is a hit

Lilla teatern has invested heavily and it is noticeable at all levels. It is a complete production and an independent work with unique qualities.

To have the dialogue and the lyrics translated into Swedish was a successful choice. Annina Enckell’s dialogue flows smoothly in Swedish and Tobias Zilliacus really shows his forefeet with his undulating, flowing translation of the lyrics that has the potential to become earrings in Swedish as well.

In Lilla teatern’s production of Once, music plays the main role. The choreography and music grab you from the beginning and carry you all the way. The final chord is definitely in a major key.