I think I have mentioned before that The Frames is one of the first bands I truly fell in love with. Thanks to my Irish best friend, I became a fan, she took me to their gig in London for my 19th birthday, I loved Glen Hansard, and I bought the DVD for the film Once as soon as it was out.
I knew that the musical was going on in London, but I wasn't particularly interested in seeing it, until the same friend went and told me she loved it. So I put it on my list of to-dos that was collecting dust, until a couple of weeks ago she emailed me, letting me know there were heavily discounted tickets on sale on lastminute.com. I was on their site before you could say "marketer's dream", and grabbed tickets for £11 each. Not bad going, especially when on the night, I thought that our seats were more than decent in terms of view.
If you don't know the story at all, don't go expecting a dramatic plot or much drama and action. This isn't that kind of musical, which is the charm of it. Obviously I am a huge fan of the music, and I thought the cast on the night did a great job - the whole show is understated but touching and original.
Also, they have a bar on stage during the interval, which is a nice touch!
If you're not looking for a big West End extravaganza but want to see a musical with a difference, I would highly recommend giving Once a go.
If you're not looking for a big West End extravaganza but want to see a musical with a difference, I would highly recommend giving Once a go.
Even if you don't, you must listen to The Swell Season. It's the perfect soundtrack for Autumn.
