ONCE Kicks Off Croswell Opera House Season

The Croswell Opera House in Adrian will begin its 2019 Broadway Season with a production of the musical ONCE.

The show, which is based on the movie of the same name, won the 2012 Tony Award for Best Musical. It tells the story of two musicians, one an Irishman and one a young Czech woman, who meet on the streets of Dublin. He is pining for an ex-girlfriend who moved to New York and she is considering a reconciliation with her husband, but they are drawn together by their shared love of music.

"It's a sweet, sweet love story," said Doug Miller, director of the show. "The music is gentle and it's haunting and it's heartbreaking. It's about love found, it's about love lost, and it's ageless too."

Jonathan Crayne of Canton and Ruth Jansen of Adrian play the central characters, who are referred to in the script only as "Guy" and "Girl." The cast also includes Crosby Slupe and Peter Stewart of Adrian, Kali Snead of Lansing, John Bacarella of Monroe, Ava Snyder of Onsted, Jamie Lynn Buechele of Ottawa Lake, Michelle Doerfler of Tecumseh, Jimmy Stewart of Waterford, Hannah Sparrow of Ypsilanti, and Orlando Finelli of Toledo.

The musical's style is nontraditional in that most of the actors are also playing instruments on stage. When they're not in a scene, cast members simply sit in chairs arranged around the sides of the set, where they double as an orchestra.

"It takes a real triple threat to pull this show off," Miller said. "These people are not only actors and singers, they're also accomplished instrumental musicians. It's a hard show to tackle, but it's really something to see."

The music is largely inspired by traditional Irish styles but with an indie-rock twist; the signature song, "Falling Slowly," was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Dave Rains is the music director and Emily Slomovits is the choreographer.

ONCE opens Friday, April 19, and runs for two weekends, with Friday and Saturday shows at 7:30 p.m. and a single Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. April 28. There is no show on April 21 due to Easter. Tickets range from $20 to $40 for adults, $15 for students, and may be ordered by calling 517-264-7469 or going to croswell.org.

The Croswell is at 129 E. Maumee St., Adrian.