Once

Lucia Brady & Katherine Fried

Once is a misnomer attributed to one of the most outstanding productions ever to grace a theatre’s stage, for everything about it screams more! Appearing on the main stage of the Arden theatre, 40 N. 2^nd Street, its run has been extended through October 28 due to popular demand. Thanks to the flexibility of the seating in the F.Otto Haas main stage, the seats are set around the stage on three sides, with the action taking place on the floor, in the aisles and on walkways arranged above the seats. Early arrivals are treated to a concert   by 11 musicians playing both Gaelic and Irish tunes and dancing in a circle in the middle of a rug-strewn floor. A plethora of instruments is used, including violins, guitars, a piano, a melodica, a cajón, a mandolin, a banjo, a tambourine, and a bass. The instrumentalists, dancing and singing as they play, lend an air of exuberance to the evening, not once, but every time they appear. An Irish Guy (Ken Allen Neely) meets a Czech Girl (Katherine Fried) in Dublin and they discover  a common love of music, which leads to complications in their personal lives.  Their harmonies blend together beautifully but the ensemble sings after each scene and when everyone joins together it is nothing short of magnificent. This is not a presentation that you want to see only once. An added treat is the performance of Lucia Brady, an extraordinarily talented 8 year-old who portrays the Girl’s daughter and plays the violin in the show’s final number. For more information or tickets to see this wondrous show, call 215-922-1122 or visit online at www.ardentheatre.org.

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