Once Tickets

What's it all about?

If you saw the surprise-hit 2006 movie Once, you won’t have forgotten it.

The tender and truthful tale of a will-they-won’t-they romance between a nameless Dublin busker (Guy) and a similarly anonymous Czech girl (Girl), it’s become a beautifully different stage musical, garlanded with awards on Broadway and now making its mark in the West End.

The conflicts and confusions that go hand-in with real-life love are front-and-centre here. There’s an uncommon emotional depth to Once, due in no small part to much of the story being told through the exceptional songs of Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, including their 2007 Best Song Oscar-winner, Falling Slowly.

Once received 11 Tony Award nominations in 2012 and won eight of those Awards including Best Musical, Best Actor, and Best Book. It also won the 2012 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical.

In an era of 'in-your-face' musicals you’ll find that tender, quietly powerful Once is a rare gem.

What's the story?

Once tells the story of an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant drawn together by their shared love of music.

Over the course of one fateful week, their unexpected friendship and collaboration evolves into a powerful but complicated romance, heightened by the raw emotion of the songs they create together.

Brought to the stage by an award-winning team of visionary artists and featuring an ensemble cast of gifted actor/musicians, Once is a musical celebration of life and love; thrilling in its originality, daring in its honesty and unforgettable in every way.

Who's in it?

Declan Bennett plays Guy. He's a singer songwriter with a highly personal style and a diverse and devoted fan base across the UK and America. He had enjoyed mainstream chart success by the age of 20, a lead role in the award-winning pop biography Taboo at 21, and an extended trip to America to star as Roger in the cult rock opera Rent. 

He  released his second album An Innocent Evening Of Drinking in 2008 and went on to open for Boy George on his UK tour. He was in the the original cast of Green Day musical American Idiot on Broadway and starred in the movie Downtown Express in 2012. His most recent music video for his song 'Freer' won Most Moving Video at the RightOut Video Music Awards. His third album ‘record:BREAKUP’, is out now.

Zrinka Cvitešić plays Girl. She began her career as a teenager in youth theatre in her native town of Karlovac, playing Cinderella. She performed with the Croatian National Theatre in productions including Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), Three Sisters (Irina – Best Actress of the Year Award), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Helena) and Danton’s Death, among others.

Her performance in the film Horseman brought plaudits from critics around the world. Her subsequent role as  Luna in On the Path led to Zrinka being named the Croatian Shooting Star at the 2010 Berlin Film Festival and a nomination in the Best Actress category at the 2010 European Film Awards.

Most recently she starred in My Beautiful Country directed by Michaela Kezele. Zrinka won the Bernhard Wicki Award for Best Actress at the 2012 Münich Film Festival. In 2007 she won the inaugural season of the Croatian version of Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing With the Stars. 

Who is Once suitable for?

If you liked the movie, you'll love the show. And even if you didn't catch it in its celluloid incarnation, there are plenty of reasons to hold tight to the stage version.

Once's exceptional folk-rock song score is a stylistic departure from most theatrical musicals, and its wonderfully informal, minimal staging invites you in to the story as it unfolds, giving you the feeling that you're personally acquainted with the characters.

Why book with us?

TheatrePeople.com is your online box office for Once tickets, and your one-stop theatre ticket shop for the best seats in the West End. Count on us to provide great service and great discount deals on theatre tickets for all of the plays, comedies and musicals on the London stage. We hope your trip to Once at Phoenix Theatre is a memorable one, and we look forward to welcoming you to Theatreland.