I love a bitter-sweet love story.
Originally an award-winning Irish film of the same title from 2007 starring its songwriters Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, it wasn’t long before the film and its stunning music were quickly adapted into multi–Tony-Award-winning musical.
I remember falling in love with Once, long before I was writing reviews, with the Australian premiere that was exclusive to Melbourne twelve years ago. At the time, seeing a musical seven times was a lot and I had seen Once more than any other theatre fan in Melbourne. Now, thanks to AGTheatre, Melbourne has Once again in our fair city and there are many, like me, reunited with this beautiful musical gem. There are also many seeing the musical for the first time through this brilliant production.
Once has been a dream musical for Melbourne-based production company AGTheatre for years. Executive producer Andrew Gyopar shared with me that he and director Pip Mushin have been biding their time, waiting for the right moment to bring Once back to Melbourne audiences, and honestly, not only is this the best musical that AGTheatre have produced yet, but it is also the best non-replica production of Once that Melbourne has ever seen.
Okay, I may be a bit biased. I did mention I fell in love with Once twelve years ago and there are a lot of elements that have remained only with the original replica production, like the on-stage bar before the performance which I haven’t seen another production of Once do since. Yet somehow, even without the on-stage bar, AGTheatre have recreated the feeling of being in an Irish pub while also making a 14-year-old stage musical feel fresh, exciting and still dramatically romantic.
Alongside musical director Timothy John Wilson, choreographer Jaimee White, production designer Abbey Stanway, costume designer Karen Spencer and lighting designer Ian Scott, the 2026 Melbourne production of Once is visually stunning, transporting me to Ireland without me having to need a plane ticket. Chapel off Chapel is the perfect venue to help make Once come to life in all its intimate, tender and heartstring-pulling glory.
For the uninitiated, Once is unique as every cast member plays an instrument. There is no symphony orchestra nor band here hiding in the wings. Instead, this is the one musical that’s completely exposed. Some moments are just accompanied with an acoustic guitar, some are just acapella, and sometimes it is the quiet moments in between breaths that help to make a song even more powerful. The actors, also the musicians, never completely leave the stage, sitting to either side while the love story unfolds before the Melbourne audience.
Set in Ireland, Once tells the tale of two characters whose names we never know. They’re just ‘Guy’ and ‘Girl’, but they collide in the most epically unforgettable way with an unexpected meet cute, an abandoned guitar and a broken vacuum cleaner. Filled with gorgeous music, surtitles, and yearning, together, the Irish independent singer-songwriter and the Czech girl with a heart of gold help each other find paths through their tribulations to love again.
Cast wise, I saw the role of Ivonka played by the adorable Emersyn Orchard who has excellent dance moves, Kye Tamm plays the Emcee and doubles on the guitar and percussion, Felix Star plays the slightly overwhelmed record studio owner Eamon and plays both the cello and percussion, Misha Gordon gracefully makes her professional debut in Once as the Ex-Girlfriend and plays guitar and mandolin, Bridget a’Beckett is almost scene stealing as Girl’s mother Baruska and plays the piano accordion, Don Bridges plays Guy’s sweet father Da and plays the mandolin and bodhran. Plus, his chemistry with Mark Taylor’s Guy is endearing to watch, especially when Da is doing a tea run. The pair make a great and believable father son duo.
William Lopez is hilarious as the Bank Manager, who has mastered the art of pretending how to sing badly and expertly plays the guitar, violin, harmonica and percussion, all while conjuring loud laughs and warm smiles from the amused Melbourne audience. Frazer Shepherdson plays the grumpy but caring music shop owner Billy, who is ‘cleverly plucked from the audience’ at the start and plays guitar, piano and percussion. James Frampton is the anxious and ambitious Andrej and plays both the guitar and bass, looking good with our without his ‘lucky suit’. John Yanko is hilarious and musically impressive as Svec, playing guitar, piano, drums, percussion, the melodica and well… pants, and Rose Chambers is confident and sexy as Reza, wonderfully mesmerising particularly when she plays the violin.
Then we have our two leads, Sian Fuller as Girl and Mark Taylor as Guy. Although I’ve been made aware that Fuller was on The Voice Australia, I actually have never watched the show. So, my experiences seeing Fuller perform in this production was my first time discovering her and seeing her in her element. Having not acted since she was a kid, Fuller makes a promising stage return as an adult and I would be surprised if she didn’t continue in musical theatre. Fuller is such a delight to watch and especially now that she’s dipped her toes into the theatrical world once again, I hope to be see more of her on the Melbourne stage.
Proficient on the piano, Sian Fuller shines every moment that she’s in the role of Girl and appears to effortlessly make the quirky and awkward aspects of her charactel feel completely natural. Fuller is particularly impressive during songs ‘If You Want Me’ and ‘Sleeping’, providing captivating and hauntingly beautiful renditions of these songs that we’ve come to know and love.
In comparison, I’ve known Mark Taylor, who plays the character Guy, for years… as a director. So, you can imagine my surprise when the cast was announced for this production. I never actually knew that this already talented individual could also act and sing! The audacity! Considering I’ve met and seen the singer-songwriter himself, Glen Hansard, perform the songs from Once live at his own concert when he last visited Melbourne as a soloist, I had playfully warned Taylor that he had a hard act to follow.
Only to those who know Once well, would notice the subtle changes and choices in the pauses and guitar strums that Taylor plays in some of these songs, and these surprised me! I found the slight changes made the songs feel fresh and new. Equipped with one of Glen Hansard’s actual guitars, Mark Taylor’s raw emotional and vocals thoroughly impress, especially during the songs ‘Leave’ and ‘Say It To Me Now’ which completely arrested the air and Melbourne audience in the attentive quiet of the Chapel off Chapel theatre.
Mark Taylor knows what a broken heart feels like and evidently uses this life experience to breathe spirit and soul into his character Guy, embodying the yearning and music aspirations of one lovelorn Irishman. However, my silent apprehensions vanished completely when I heard ‘When Your Mind’s Made Up’ . Taylor completely wowed me with his bleeding heart and strong voice, leaving no emotional stone unturned. With Mark sharing with me that he had initially auditioned for the Australian premiere production of Once all those years ago, in many ways, Mark Taylor playing the role of Guy is not only a full circle moment for him, but after seeing his showstopping performance, this is a role he was always destined for.
Together, Fuller and Taylor are the heartbeat of Once. Their on-stage chemistry, the longing, and yearning help to make this production of Once breathtaking in the most exquisite and refreshing way. You would think, as someone who has now seen three different productions of Once, that I have seen everything. Yet, AGTheatre’s production manages to surprise Melbourne audiences with a production that feels pristine and sincere in a way that I’ve never felt before, intimately and tenderly embracing the heart of the show and understanding exactly what makes Once so beautiful. It is just sad that this is exclusive to Melbourne as I know that other cities would completely fall in love with this version too, as I have.
Not all love stories have happy endings that tie up everything nicely in a neat little bow. Everyone who has been in love knows that the best romances told are the ones that are complicated, that move us and help us grow, even for the small amount of time that we have together. This production of Once that AGTheatre that has masterfully put together is magical, phenomenal, and a truly heartfelt gift to Melbourne theatre.
Once is special and unlike any other musical you will ever see, with this Melbourne production showcasing the artistry of the cast, its music, and story that will make your heart soar. And yes, I still cried, forgot to bring tissues, and have already bought tickets to see it again twice more before it goes.
AGTheatre’s production of Once is currently playing in Melbourne at Chapel Off Chapel until June 6th.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://agtheatre.com.au/once
https://chapeloffchapel.com.au/show/once
https://www.instagram.com/agtheatreproductions
Photography by Grant Alexander.
Still want to see to this musical- still waiting for it to return to the US