The Walterdale Theatre Hosts Irish Classic 'Once' From Now Until July 18th
By Emil Tiedemann ★★★★☆ 'Once' plays at the Walterdale Theatre from July 8-18 , 2026. When I first watched John Carney 's romantic musical drama Once in 2007, I fell fast in love with it, particularly its emotional soundtrack of yearning and heartache. It's a simple and unassuming love story set in Dublin, where an unnamed busker and vacuum repairman ( Glen Hansard ) has his life turned upside down when a young Czech mother and pianist – also unnamed ( Markéta Irglová ) – encourages him to chase his dreams as a singer and songwriter. They fall for one another but their exes complicate matters, as does the fact that she has a young daughter who takes priority over everything else in her life. The film was made for just $150,000 and became a worldwide phenomenon, grossing over $23 million at the box office, earning an Academy Award for the staggeringly beautiful ballad "Falling Slowly," and inspiring a Tony-winning musical that debuted on Broadway in 2012. If ...