Re-review: Once Upon Another Time at the Adelphi, Union Theatre

I quite often come out of shows knowing exactly which of my acquaintances I will be recommending it to, and Once Upon A Time At The Adelphi was no exception. However, this time I decided to go again as well, such was my enjoyment of the show. You can read my original review here, but I enjoyed it just as much the second time round and still found it just as moving. Performances throughout were just as strong, if anything the choreography was delivered with even more confidence, and it was interesting to watch it from a different seat. Despite the Union being such a small space, it was a completely different viewing experience from the side and I also quite liked the fact that I heard much more of the harmony work going on in the ensemble, without the band being right behind me as it was last time.

One of my minor quibbles when I saw it last was that the main song, “Once in a Lifetime” was repeated too much, but when the band struck up the tune for the first time, I got a lovely warm feeling and found myself mouthing along to the words. To achieve this level of familiarity on just a second viewing I think is really quite an achievement, especially considering how much theatre I’ve seen this month and more generally, how few new musicals actually have striking songs with hummable melodies (I can’t remember any tune from Legally Blonde for example, despite enjoying it).

This show closes on Saturday but I really do hope that it gets a transfer later in the year as I really do think this is one of the best things I've seen so far this year.

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