Review: ONCE THE MUSICAL, The Hub @ St Mary’s - Lichfield

While many people regard London as the ‘be all and end all’ of exceptional theatre, we at West End Best Friend think differently. All over the country are venues and projects that are capable of producing excellent entertainment featuring some brilliant talent. The regional debut of Once at The Hub @ St. Mary's is a perfect example of this.

With accessibility as its main goal, this Lichfield (Midlands) venue provides a wonderful church venue that helps bring the entire community together to enjoy the arts. In fact, 50% of Once performances are "Pay What You Can" - what a wonderful idea! It's a venue that is both grand and intimate in scale, absolutely perfect for Once: The Musical.

Everything about Once, its story, its characters, even its title is about finding beauty in simplicity. A collision of two grounded characters, thanks to truly beautiful music by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. Though the story may not be groundbreaking or about saving the world, it is about one of the most important things we need in these scary times: community.

This production, created by company Let Me In, celebrates this with true confidence in itself. The small stage is set at different levels and surrounded by cute, small buildings made of cardboard boxes (although you wouldn't be able to tell from a distance). With this, designer Imogen Melhuish makes the most of the venue and celebrates the fact we are all in a theatre. Microphones are not placed on individual actors but are instead hidden around the set, unifying the cast and, again, bringing them closer together. These mics also amplify the noises of the stage which, surprisingly, add to the atmosphere of the production. Especially when it comes to a show like Once which thrives off of its grounded nature and awkward but loveable characters.

The music is a character of its own here, especially in this actor-muso production. When they all come together as one, it creates an overwhelming wall of sound, energy and joy that warms you and makes you feel at home. With moments such as ‘The North Strand’, ‘Gold’, and (of course) ‘Falling Slowly’ being clear highlights.

As the leads (never named in the show), Lucia Carmignani and Phil King are fantastic vocalists. While their acting may be a little unsure at times, it works with this story; only when they are creating music together do things fall into place for them and become easier. The struggles of their life seem to disappear when they become lost in their creations. The ensemble are fantastic here too as they provide an excellent snapshot of a diverse group of people united in one common goal.

We recommend this to anyone in the local area and even beyond. It's a fantastic reminder that truly great theatre can come from anywhere.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Callum Wallace

Once plays at The Hub @ St Mary’s until 17 September, with tickets available here.