Above photo courtesy of Electric Company Theatre
Reviewed by Joel Beers
Electric Company Theatre in Fullerton
Through Feb. 25
Chance Theatre, Anaheim
Through March 1
RECOMMENDED
The ensemble of “Once” at Chance Theatre (Photo by Doug Catiller)
Once, the 2012 Tony Award–winning musical based on the 2007 indie film, is a fairy tale in which the fairy slips out before granting the wish. The resolution that seems predestined from the moment the two main characters meet on a Dublin street proves far more nuanced; whatever happy ending exists is complicated by realism, maturity and emotional restraint.
Once also sidesteps many conventions of the traditional musical. Most obviously, the band is the cast, with actors playing their own instruments onstage, in plain sight. Rather than erupting from some theatrical ether, the songs arise organically — part of the storytelling machinery —unfolding like intimate conversations discovered in real time by performers and audience alike. Where most musicals deliver polished emotional proclamations, Once reveals feelings taking shape.
There are no big-belted showstoppers, no bombastic 11 o’clock numbers, no sweeping duets promising forever. The plot is minimal and internal, rather than driven by death, revolution, mistaken identity or tap breaks. Instead, it centers on two lonely artists in Dublin; the drama lies in emotional risk, not external spectacle. Yet, though much quieter than most musicals, it lands with deeply affecting force.
That impact is evident in two Orange County productions running only miles apart — one in a downtown Fullerton venue hosting its first theatrical performance in its nearly 100-year history, the other at a company in Anaheim long synonymous with polished musical storytelling.
The Electric Company Theatre staging, mounted off-site at The Charleston in downtown Fullerton, marks the company’s first venture beyond the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, where it is the resident theater company. Housed in the historic Williams Building, a beautiful Art Deco structure built in the 1920s and now an events center known as the Charleston, the production unfolds in a former dance studio. The room sounds excellent, but it is tight — about 100 folding seats and a modest playing area. It’s not quite theater-in-the-round, but close; actor-musicians sit among the audience and often perform inches from patrons. The proximity makes an already intimate show downright visceral.
But as the story shifts from Dublin streets to apartments, a bank office and a recording studio, scenes can blur together. Director Brian Johnson makes strong use of the space, though the tight quarters and lack of a clearly defined playing area occasionally create visual clutter —something that may well have been refined since opening night.
The central roles of Guy and Girl are in capable hands. Wesley Chavez’ Guy is a superb guitarist and vocalist and a finely nuanced actor; Mercy Thornton’s Girl is an expressive pianist with quiet authority. In a scene in which they seek a bank loan to record a demo, the manager — a self-styled musician — gamely joins in, revealing more enthusiasm than polish. Thornton’s reaction, delivered entirely through her eyes, says everything.
The ensemble handles a range of instruments — guitar, mandolin, cello, accordion, violin—with assurance. A few accents drift from the Emerald Isle, but the musicality remains strong.
If the novelty of seeing a show in a newly consecrated theatrical space is part of the draw in Fullerton, the Chance Theatre production offers a more traditional frame. Staged on a full proscenium in the company’s 150-seat Cripe Stage, it allows for cleaner visual storytelling. Lighting and projections delineate locations with clarity, and transitions flow smoothly. The result feels cohesive and fluid.
Again, the performances anchor the evening. Morgan Hollingsworth’s Guy brings depth and restraint to a role he has played twice before. Emma Laird’s Girl is emotionally complex and musically assured. The ensemble is uniformly strong, with Will Huse, Leta Rhodes and Austin Ledger standing out from among the standouts.
But this production does something more. It subtly shifts the center of gravity. In many iterations, including the film, the story can feel primarily Guy’s: his stalled ambition, his renewed faith, his departure with demo in hand and the possibility of rekindled love. Girl often reads as catalyst, collaborator, generous enabler.
Here, the choice to use subtitles by director James Michael McHale (which are suggested in the script) reframes everything. When characters speak Czech, the dialogue is delivered in English while Czech text is projected. That device adds texture but little narrative weight to the story except for those who don’t speak English. Late in the play, however, it yields an enormous payoff; in a key moment when Girl addresses Guy in Czech, the translations switch to English. In three crucial words, the emotional architecture of the play tilts. For the first time in a story where inner motives are rarely voiced outright, they speak volumes.
In that moment, it becomes clear: Girl is not merely sacrificing a romantic possibility out of noble restraint. She is breaking her own heart in service of the one future that matters most —her young daughter.
The revelation deepens the ending immeasurably. The fairy tale is not fractured — it matures. The fairy leaves early — not out of whimsy, but wisdom.
Electric Company Theatre at the The Charleston Event Center, 114 E. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton. Mon-Wed., 7 pm; through April 25. https://www.electriccompanytheatre.org. Running time: two hours and 30 minutes with an intermission
Chance Theatre, 5522 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim. Thurs., 7:30 pm, Fri. 8 pm, Sat., 3 & 8 pm, Sun.., 3 p.m.; through March 1. https://chancetheater.com. Running time: two hours and fifteen minutes with an intermission.
