Once, The Musical

Every once in a while a special event takes place that requires writing about. This past Saturday, along with my daughter and her husband, Marion and I headed into London following a lazy Saturday in Marlow,  except for our granddaughter Keira, whose life is presently a blend of school, extracurricular activities and birthday parties!
We left for London, by car just after 3:00 in the afternoon. Traffic around and in London is crazy at the best of times. From Marlow it's mostly six lanes all the way, past Heathrow, then in to the centre of the city. It gets very slow once into the suburbs. Because we were heading to the Phoenix Theatre, we needed to travel through the fashion district, past Harrods, St. James Palace, the home of Prince Charles and Camilla, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly to Charing Cross. Our parking was in an underground in the heart of Chinatown...more about that later, once I get over the shock. Coming to the surface we found ourselves immersed in a multicultural throng of thousands doing exactly what we were doing, seeing the sites, arriving in time for pre theatre dinner and grabbing a little time for some shopping. Once through Chinatown, we arrived at Picadilly Circus...how aptly named! In the midst of a collection of costumed revellers, we found The M & M Store, a destination stop apparently on any trip to this city...4 stories high, filled with thousands of shoppers and M&Ms of every imaginable colour and matching clothes, toys and games to go along with each colour. I can't even imagine what gross sales per day would be like!
After wondering for awhile and checking menus as we meandered, we settled on a tiny Italian restaurant near the theatre; the place was packed, the menu excellent and the wine list very adequate. Amidst the hustle and bustle we enjoyed great service and equally great food.
From there, directly to the theatre, The Phoenix...a neoclassical building, opened in 1930. It seats about 1050 people in a very steep three level arrangement. Our seats were in the third level very high, but also very close to the stage. Prior to the opening, the set, which is like an Irish pub is an open working bar. My son-in-law Mike and I could not resist the opportunity to head to the stage...where audience and cast/musicians mix in an informal warmup for the musical. Like a hootenanny from the
sixties, it's a magic start to the evening. As the warmup concludes, theatre goers head back to their
seats, as the real acting begins.
Based on a 2006 independent movie of the same name, Once tells the story of an Irish busker who meets a Czech girl. Both musicians, their love for each other grows through the songs they write for each other. On a minimalist set, the other actors who also double as the musicians sit on chairs on either side of the set when not actively participating.
The winner of Tonys for Best New Musical, Best Director, Best Set, suffice to say, I can't wait to travel to Toronto in the November/December time frame when this outstanding musical plays at the Royal Alex Theatre. It is a must see!
Part of the excitement of London theatre is the pouring of theatre goers onto the streets...as most shows end approximately at the same time. Literally thousands appear at the same time, making the walk back to that parking garage in Chinatown like moving on a conveyer belt...the charge for parking for the six hours that we were there, £36.00 ($61.20 Cdn). I'll never complain about $9.00 at the National Arts Centre again! Was it worth it? Every pence!
The drive home, through the bright lights of London, past the glamorous lights of Harrods made the night out magical!
In less than an hour, we were back in the peaceful town of Marlow!