ONCE in a Lifetime.

Coral Drouyn talks to two special people about the long anticipated Australian production of Once.

They sat together on the park bench in Ballarat, in the watery sunlight of a Victorian winter. They had only met a few days before, and were strangers to the city; yet they were drawn together by the future and the new intimacy that connected them….just a Guy, and a Girl……

No, I’m not writing a romance novel, though I could be. Everything about Once is romantic …the history, the film, the music and, most importantly, the connection between its two main characters…called simply Guy and Girl. The connection between a street musician and the girl who captivates him and becomes his muse is inspirational and unashamedly romantic. 

There can be few who haven’t heard the story of how writer/director John Carney and Glen Hansard, both Dublin musicians, decided to make a film that they could sell on DVD at their pub gigs. They simply based it roughly on Glen’s busking experiences and his meeting with Markéta Irglová on the streets of Dublin. 

It was never meant to be anything “special”, but the inner truth and simplicity of the story touched people’s hearts and the film was a smash across the world, with Glen and Markéta falling in love. Nominated for a myriad of awards, the pair succeeded in picking up the Oscar for best song for “Falling Slowly”. Glen quips how he gave his mother the Oscar to hold that night while he did the press circuit, and he hasn’t seen it since. No doubt she has it hidden away somewhere safe.

That might have been the end of Once, but remember that all great fairy stories start with “Once” Upon A Time…. and this deeply personal story is the stuff that dreams are made of. With a new script by brilliant Irish playwright Enda Walsh, and a year of workshopping, Once the musical made it to Broadway; a simple show where the musicians are not in the pit but on the stage, but one built on the truth of the original relationship. 

It swept all before it, conquering the harsh Broadway critics, receiving 11 Tony nominations and winning 8 of them. It touched the heart of London’s West End audiences, and in September last year it was announced that it would come to Melbourne, courtesy of John Frost and Melbourne Theatre Company… and that brings us to the young couple on the bench, taking a break after some promotional “busking” on the Ballarat streets.

Tom Parsons is English, hailing from Bristol on the west coast, Madeleine Jones is a Sydneysider, and their first meeting was indeed just a few days before. Not knowing anyone in Melbourne, and not even having met the rest of the cast (I spoke to them just a few days before rehearsals started), they spent most of their time between interviews hanging out together, drinking copious amounts of coffee and getting to know each other.

“It’s really been a plus,” Madeleine says, “Because Glen and Markéta started out as strangers and Tom and I have had some one-on-one time together instead of meeting with the whole cast on the first day of rehearsals. I feel like that process of finding a connection during the first week of rehearsals has already been broken down. We have a head start.” 

Tom agrees. “I really didn’t know a soul,” he says. “I’ve been to Australia once, in the arena version of Jesus Christ Superstar, but we were only in Melbourne for a couple of days and I didn’t get much chance to look around. It’s very English to me, reminds me a lot of London – which is home these days – so I actually feel very comfortable here. I would probably find it harder to relax in Sydney. And Maddi doesn’t know Melbourne well either.”

Tom started out believing he might be the next Rock God. “You know how it is when you’re in High School and you can play guitar; you’re always in a band. After a while the band breaks up and you form another one, and you don’t think about what you’re going to do with the rest of your life. You’re having too much fun.” 

But when school finished, Tom found himself at 18 “for whatever cliched reason” working in a shop, one of The Gap chain. “I hated it,” he says. “Who wouldn’t? And I realised there was no way I could spend my working life in a shop or an office, even if I barely made a living outside of that it didn’t matter. I just didn’t fit in that ‘round hole’. 

“Then another ‘square peg’ friend of mine told me he was auditioning for the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London, and why didn’t I come along and try out. Well it was a trip to London and I had nothing to lose, and I was blown away when I actually got in. And I thought to myself, I don’t have to be a superstar. If I can make a living and pay my bills, I’ll be happy.”

It paid dividends. Tom did some regional theatre before landing the original JCS arena tour and a part in the West End production of Avenue Q. His new band TRIA also keeps him busy, but even when he saw the film of Once he thought, “Wow…that’s me, I could play that part.”

Madeleine had strong family support when she said she wanted to be an actress. “Music was a part of growing up; we all played something and my instrument was piano. I took it very seriously up until I was about 12, practising every day, and I did a lot of singing in high school, but then I became more aware of acting and I knew I had to try. I was so lucky to get into ACA – The Actors Centre – in Sydney. They are the best for drama and they also have intensive courses in Musical Theatre and singing, so I took the singing course as well as drama. It was just superb training.”

But training and talent don’t always guarantee work. Despite some interesting roles which earned her critical acclaim, Maddi trod the well worn path of so many talented actors. “Waitressing, working in a shop, waiting for auditions, and then for the phone to ring. I graduated in 2009 and I can honestly say that, in the last five years, this year is the only one in which I have been able to support myself just on my acting work. It’s not for the faint-hearted. You have to keep believing this is what you were born to do, and you need strong support.”

So how do these two talented people feel about the biggest challenge they have faced so far? “Terrified,” says Maddi. ”My piano playing is rusty and so I am practising every day. This is the biggest role I have had so far, and I’m so excited…but yes, the terror is also a part of it.” 

Tom laughs, “I wouldn’t say I’m terrified, or I might not be able to perform, but there’s a lot of nervous energy to be released, that’s for sure. I’ve played leads before, but this is the pinnacle. Right now, this is a ‘Once in a lifetime’ chance…..”

Which brings us full circle…

Once began previews at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre from September 26, 2014.

Originally published in the September / October 2014 edition of Stage Whispers.

Photographer: Jeff Busby