The Wonderful Musical World of Once
By Shetu Simone (Communications and Community Engagement Coordinator)
Photos by Dream Syndicate (taken backstage before the show)
Once is a monumental musical with so many moving parts and so much talent driving the ship that it took me some time to figure out the direction of this piece - there’s just so much to talk about! After reading Victoria Falconer’s Musical Director's note in the program, the direction became clearer. One quote in particular stood out to me: “There is not a lot in this world that is more honest than music”. Beautifully articulated, Victoria’s words highlight the honest energy and emotional pull the music of Once has on audiences night after night!
One thing I’ve always wondered when it comes to musical theatre is how a Musical Director takes a well-known and well-loved musical like Once, and makes it work with the environment of a new location, audience, cast and crew!
To understand this world more, I spoke with the music team of Once about the joys and challenges of recreating the show. Musical Director Victoria Falconer, Associate Musical Director Alec Steedman and Assistant Musical Director Drew Livingston share their experience.
Shetu: What was your creative process around the Once re-orchestration? How much flexibility do you have as a Musical Director?
Victoria: The beautiful thing about Markéta and Glen’s songs (and Martin Lowe’s canny arrangements of the stage versions) is that they are written from the point of view of living, breathing, gigging musicians. The scores have everything you need to perform the songs as the writers intended, but with enough freedom to incorporate your own arranging ideas.
The ensemble you see in Once isn’t just representing or acting like a band; they are a band. And so part of my process was bringing everybody else in, utilising the wealth of musicianship and creative offers in the room, whilst making the final call on the sound, as well as keeping an eye on the overall picture, maintaining consistency whilst retaining the warmth and intimacy of playing this beautiful music together.
The Once 2022 season has been a long time coming for the whole cast and crew, including Associate Musical Director Alec, whose long association with Once is highly valued during its final season in Sydney.
Shetu: What has your experience as Once’s Associate Musical Director been like so far?
Alec: Stressful! But also incredible. I really thrive in high pressure environments so genuinely, I've loved it. I couldn't ask for a more supportive mentor, MD and friend than Vicky. She's been there every step of the way making sure I have everything I need and showing such a beautiful level of trust in what I do. It means the world to me that she felt confident enough in me to leave the show in my hands musically. And the cast has just been exceptional. Supportive, beautiful, hard working. I couldn't ask for a better group of people to do this show with. It's a real honour and a privilege to have a part in telling this story every night. It's rare that you find a show that is so fundamentally about music and the way it brings people together, so getting to be an MD on it is a 'Once in a lifetime’ experience I am forever grateful for.
Shetu: Drew, you’re an accomplished musician and composer. Explain your role as Assistant Musical Director and how it marries with Victoria's and Alec's role as creatives on the musical.
Drew: My main job is to support both Alec and Vicky in whatever capacity I can. Being a second ear or running things with the cast, but primarily I advise them about guitar issues within the show, of which there are many!
Shetu: How important is having the right guitar for the right person in this production?
Drew: Probably more important than the right guitar for the right person, is the right guitar for the part that they play. Each guitar has a different niche that it fills. For example, in the show, I do a lot of finger picking whereas Toby (Guy) has to really hit the guitar hard with a pick. The different styles require different instruments as well as different set ups, like string size and action (how far the strings are from the neck). Having said that, as guitarists we all have different preferences and ways of playing and it's important that we try to accommodate that so that everyone plays their best every show.
Each of these talented musicians bring a world of experience from different walks of their musical lives.
Shetu: What is the most challenging thing about working on Once?
Drew: We have many many instruments in not very much space. Negotiating all those instruments as well as the normal traffic that every show has backstage can be a challenge. We also have the challenge at the moment of varying temperatures backstage and onstage. It is pretty cold back there at the moment and oftentimes when we get on stage with the lights and heat, the instruments move and flex ever so slightly and can go out of tune!
Alec: I'd say the other tricky thing is, because all of the music is performed by the actors live on stage, it's truly variable each night. As with all live theatre, things can go wrong and change and adapt - this show even more than others. So we have contingency plans on contingency plans on contingency plans that myself, Drew and Vicky have come up with to make sure we're ready for any possible scenario as it happens on stage. Sometimes my brain ties itself in knots with all the planning ahead.
Shetu: Drop any fun Once musical facts you would like to share with your fans.
Alec: The one fact I wish I could tell audiences is that absolutely everything you hear on this show is played live by the cast every night! I think people don't expect that and so they wonder if there's any tracks or recordings supporting us, but there's none! It's all us, jamming together on stage as a band. It's very cool and I think it actually makes us so much closer as a cast. Because we are all relying on each other every single night, there's a real respect and genuine love between everybody.
Victoria: This show doesn’t even highlight all of the instruments that our actor-musos can play. As folksy as it is, there’s not a lot of room for brass, or woodwind. However, if we did a spin-off concert band, we’d have a saxophone, a trumpet, a clarinet AND a tuba, not discounting the fact that most people brought up in Australia have at one point or another played the recorder, so watch out for Once 2: There She Blows… maybe.
Once has its final shows this Sunday 21 August. Limited tickets left! Book the final seats at darlinghursttheatre.com/once