CMU School of Drama


Thursday, December 01, 2011

The Film ‘Once’ Becomes a New York Musical

NYTimes.com: WHILE preparing for the lead role of Girl in the new Off Broadway musical “Once,” Cristin Milioti made a choice common among performers in screen-to-stage adaptations: She avoided watching the original film, a 2006 indie romance from Ireland that won an Academy Award for the song “Falling Slowly.” Her concern was that she might slip into mimicking Marketa Irglova, the spirited young Czech musician who became a fan favorite as Girl in the movie.

2 comments:

Reilly said...

This seems like it would be a truly challenging film to adapt to a Broadway musical. The two original actors/writers are right (obviously) in saying that some of the charm and reason why people are so attracted to the movie "Once" is because it is such a tender, delicate portrayal of a relationship. And Broadway musicals tend to be anything but that. I'm not saying it can't be done, I think it definitely can be, I'm just interested in seeing how they transform such a personal story of two people into a successful Broadway show without losing too much of what made it great. But reading that the original actors eventually got behind the new production and supported it when it previewed in Massachusetts definitely makes me trust that somehow the adaptation will work.

njwisniewski said...

I agree with Reilly- there would definitely have to some sort of intimacy in the size of the theater, it certainly cannot be done on a large scale. As long as the show is not overwhelmed with flashy dance routines and belt-y tunes, I think this could work. It would be an interesting direction for Broadway to go in- one that's under-appreciated, but one that has the opportunity to be really cute and endearing for audiences abroad. I hope only the best for this show- I would LOVE to go see it.