From the outset, it is clear, that Theatre Raleigh's production of ONCE is not going to be a typical theatrical experience, but a completely immersive one.

Based on the 2007 film of the same name, Once--with a new book by Enda Walsh--started off-Broadway in 2011 and went on to win eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Theatre Raleigh's newest presentation is Once, a 2011 musical that took the nation by storm. Originally a movie, written and directed by John Carney, it was then developed for the stage by the American Repertory Theatre of Cambridge, and later moved Off-Broadway to the New York Theatre Workshop.

Theatre Raleigh’s current production of Once, directed by Tim Seib, is a 2011 Off-Broadway and 2012 Broadway musical, with music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová and book by Enda Walsh, based on a 2007 Irish film. This is a relatively recent trend for many of us, who grew up watching film versions of Broadway musicals.

When the movie, Once, came out in in Ireland 2006, it was a surprise hit. The movie starred Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, who also happen to have written all of the music and lyrics for the film. Folks embraced the story of a brokenhearted Irish street musician/vacuum cleaner repairman who has lost all hope, because of a broken heart.