Critical Reaction

"Once uses song and dance in a way I've never experienced in an American musical (even if its sound will be familiar to alternative radio listeners): to convey a beautiful shimmer of might-have-been regret. ...What lends a special, tickling poignancy to Mr. Hansard and Ms. Irglova's songs is their acceptance of loneliness as an existential given."
– The New York Times

"Pure, moving and inventive... a study in how to beautifully adapt a movie to the stage. In many ways, in fact, this Once is better than the original Once."
– The Huffington Post

"It is a rare feat... to express such unabashed romantic feeling, such yearning emotion, without stooping to sentiment or wallowing in cliche."
– The Chicago Tribune

"Wins you over with its simplicity, charm and air of sweet melancholy."
– The Guardian

"The sweetest and most romantic show on Broadway.... Book writer Enda Walsh found smart ways to expand the narrative."
– New York Daily News

"A gem of a show. ...Once wins its standing ovations the old-fashioned way: with a love story, great songs, compelling characters and inventive stagecraft.... downright revolutionary."
– The New York Post

"Unusually fun and heartfelt musical theatre."
– The New Yorker

"A love story played with fierce sincerity and unexpected honesty."
– The Wall Street Journal

"Wonderful music! ...Raw and real and better than anything you're likely to hear in the theater all season."
– TIME Magazine

"Pure, moving, invention and irresistible. ...Once makes a lasting connection."
– The Associated Press

"Gorgeous. ...Once charms us with a rare combination of intelligence, warmth and musicality."
– Bloomberg News

"An exquisite reminder of theater's singular capacity to transport us."
– The Hollywood Reporter