Review: I found the Savannah St. Patrick's Day spirit, but it isn't the parade. It's 'Once'

I’ve never been one for Savannah St. Patrick’s Day. Call me a hater, I say it’s a difference in preference.

Try as they will, its organizers can’t truly divorce the “community celebration” from the music, dancing, drinks frenzy that ensues across downtown after the last float passes the DeSoto Hotel.

The one thing I can strongly stake a claim on is a community celebration is definitely happening in full force at the Trustees Theater on Broughton Street for three days this weekend. If you’re looking for the real Irish spirit of the holiday, you’ll find it amongst the cast of Savannah Rep’s production of “Once” — which runs on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

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There’s a scene halfway through the 2007 film of the same name that inspired this musical where the main characters Guy (played in the film by Glen Hansard) and Girl (Markéta Irglová) attend a party of musicians. There’s revelry, jokes and drinks before each attendee shares a song with the group, some solo while others jump in and make an ensemble out of it.

This cozy, intimate energy exudes from the first appearances on stage when the cast (sans Guy and Girl) feel like they’re filling up a bar with warm sound on a cool day, bouncing around creating a kinship amongst each other before the story takes its first step.

At that point, Guy (played by Ryan McCurdy) makes his entrance. McCurdy feels more akin to Hansard’s film performance than the Broadway performance popularized by Steve Kazee — well, Hansard if he had a bit more energy for some anger and maybe a right hook locked and loaded.

He’s offset by the understated but incredibly charming Girl (played by Stacie Orrico in her theatrical debut). The duo take a bit of time to warm — the initial meeting to Guy’s rejected advance feels like they fly with no time to settle into the characters — but once we get past those sequences, they settle in and drive the show.

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But a lot of that is pushed to the wayside as the two accomplish the first real mark of a great performance of “Once” with a truly inspired rendition of “Falling Slowly.” It’s not hyperbole on my part to admit I drifted into the original version of the song from the film, which I caught up with again the night before, as I listened to McCurdy and Orrico  put their own stamp on the show defining tune.

At that point, buckle up and settle in.

It’s not just the Guy and Girl show, supporting aide from Billy (Trae Gurley), Baruska (Luisa Nolasco) and the rest of the cast adds humor, heart and a strong tunes to weave the main love story together and provide a fuller picture.

Excuse the hyperbole again, but this feels like something substantial. For Savannah Rep, this isn’t the one-person show they opened with, which had a clear directorial path to it, or the a bit more sophomoric follow-up. Even their biggest show of the season, one I also declared to be an achievement, doesn’t really seem to have the same command that this one does.

Maybe it’s the stage — the Trustees brings a sense of grandeur to the space with a rustic and intimate set on stage — or maybe it just feels like another step up the ladder for Savannah, who’s theater community continues to quietly elevate with productions such as this one or last year’s stellar “The Full Monty” by Savannah Stage Company. It won’t be long until the Southeast begins to turn their gaze to our companies.

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But this one stands above because it feels large, professional and polished in a way we haven’t seen yet, but expect more on the way. I haven’t settled in or felt imbued in the production like I have with “Once” in something in Savannah, maybe ever.

I hope know that more of this will be on the way, not only from Savannah Rep, but the others tuning in this weekend to the shows. I still don’t know if I get Savannah St. Patrick’s Day, but I sure know that I felt something walking out of the theater last night.

Now to my bigger problems: I’m going to be listening to the soundtrack all weekend and I have a bit of a crush on Stacie Orrico now. Thoughts and prayers are welcomed.

“Once” will be at the Trustees Theater on Thursday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets start at $40 and can be purchased at the Savannah Box Office.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: 2023 Savannah St. Patrick's Day events: Savannah Rep presents Once