Winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, ONCE, a musical about friendship, love and music will have its Australian premiere season at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre from Saturday 4 October 2014. Featuring an all-Australian cast and directed by its original Broadway and West End director John Tiffany, ONCE will be presented by Barbara Broccoli, John N.Hart Jr, Patrick Mulling Smith, Frederick Zollo, Brian Carmody, Michael G. Wilson, Orin Wolf and John Frost in association with New York Theatre Workshop and Melbourne Theatre Company. 

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Producer John Frost says, “ONCE is a truly beautiful show with heart-warming music and a charming love story offering a refreshing and surprising change to the typical Broadway musical. I understand why it has struck a chord with audiences in New York and London and I’m thrilled to present this delightful and unique night of entertainment in Melbourne.”

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Musical collaborators Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová originally starred in and wrote the music for the original 2007 Irish independent film, ONCE, that was filmed on a shoestring budget, written and directed by John Carney. From its humble origins to its stage adaptation, Once scooped up numerous accolades along the way including a Grammy, an Academy Award and four Drama Desk Awards. In adapting it for stage, Enda Walsh has retained many of the songs written by the duo, including the Academy Award-winning Falling Slowly.

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In addition to scooping up a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critic Circle Award for his work on the show, John Tiffany won the Helpmann Award for Best Direction of a Musical for the Australian production.