Cast Announced for Return of ONCE
Regional Tour Dates
Darlinghurst Theatre Company has announced the cast of the Tony Award-winning musical ONCE, which makes its long-awaited return to Sydney’s Eternity Playhouse in June before touring regionally.
After a sell-out 2019 season, our breathtaking production of ONCE returns to make you fall in love all over again. ONCE is a tender love story of a struggling Irish musician on the verge of giving up and a piano-playing Czech immigrant who reminds him how to dream. Featuring an outstanding ensemble of performers playing instruments live on stage, ONCE is a modern-day musical that reminds us of the power of music to connect us all.
This critically acclaimed production is directed by Richard Carroll with musical direction by Victoria Falconer. It features stunning movement sequences created by Hamilton’s resident director Amy Campbell. It debuted in Sydney in 2019, where it broke box-office records and played to nightly standing ovations and packed houses. Garnering 5-star reviews, the sell-out opening season had to be extended due to popular demand.
Richard Carroll and his creative team have assembled an extraordinary cast of actor-musicians to bring this breathtaking story to life on stage.
Jay Laga’aia joins Australian musical theatre stars, Toby Francis and Stefanie Caccamo, who are returning to the roles inspired by the love story of ONCE’s songwriters – the Grammy Award-winning folk duo of Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová. It includes their Oscar-winning song Falling Slowly. It is the only Broadway show to have music that won the Academy Award, Grammy Award, Olivier Award and Tony Award.
Performing alongside Francis, Caccamo and Laga’aia will be Victoria Falconer, Drew Livingston, Abe Mitchell, Rupert Reid, Alec Steedman, who are all returning after performing in the original 2019 season. They are joined by newcomers, Tamlyn Henderson, Deirdre Khoo, Patrick Schnur and Jennifer Trijo, who is also Associate Musical Director.
Award-winning director Richard Carroll considers ONCE to be one of the most challenging musicals for the artists involved.
“It asks for so much from its actors. Not only do they need to tell this beautiful story every night with truth, passion and humour – they also need to sing the exceptional songs with all of the same qualities. AND they are their own band, so every one of them needs to be an exceptional instrumentalist. I was blown away by the capabilities of the cast and creative team we assembled for ONCE in 2019, and I can’t wait to do it all again for the entire country to see,” said Carroll.
This production was nominated for four Sydney Theatre Awards in 2019: Best Production of a Mainstream Musical; Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Musical; Best Musical Direction; and Best Choreography in a Musical
Tickets for the Sydney season and New South Wales tour are now on sale, with further dates to be announced soon.
