The Arden Theater is taking audiences to the streets of Dublin with a Tony Award-winning musical.
ONCE the musical, is based on the film by the same name.
It tells the story of a Dublin street musician and an immigrant from the Czech Republic, "two songwriters, a guy and a girl, who we only know by the names of Guy and Girl," actor Alex Bechtel explains.
Their chance encounter changes the fate of both.
"They both sort of help each other through a time in their life where they feel stuck and they fall in love through music," Bechtel says
Bechtel says the show highlights music's ability to unite people from all walks of life.
"There are all of these people who are also feeling kind of stuck in their lives, and it's the power of this music that they make together that ignites them," he says.
Rather than a traditional orchestra pit, the actors in the show sing and play all of the instruments.
"I'm playing guitar and mandolin, ukulele and accordion and piano," Bechtel says.
The show won eight Tony Awards in 2012, including Best Musical.
"Really lush, haunting, gorgeous, contemporary, folk rock music," Bechtel says. "It kind of does have something for everyone musically."
For audiences, the show creates a very intimate experience.
"If you go to a bar and see a group of people with guitars and violins and mandolins and accordions playing that style of folk music, that's what you'll feel coming off of the stage," Bechtel says. "It will feel very much like you're in a room with us while we're making this show happen."
ONCE musical (Sept. 20-Oct. 21)
40 N 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
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