Review: ‘Once’ makes a poignant swan song for Tabard Theatre

There is a powerful dichotomy when witnessing The Tabard Theatre Company’s latest production, “Once.”

That dichotomy is laid bare early on, during the show’s signature number, “Falling Slowly.” As “Guy” and “Girl” enter the final, enchanting notes of the majestic tune, just watch the rest of the cast who occupy all angles of the stage. They witness the proceedings with a mixture of what must be satisfaction, inspiration, and profound sadness on what is the company’s final production.

The company has announced, after 22 years of presenting theater and live music, “Once” will be its finale. In a statement, executive artistic director Johnathan Rhys Williams, who also directed “Once,” cited three factors that have converged on the company: increasing costs, decreasing ticket sales and the continuing effects of the pandemic.

Tabard is arguably the best theatrical venue in the South Bay. With its prime location in the heart of downtown San Jose, a charming bar, parking options aplenty and a rustic space that conjures a living room textured with flickering candlelight on cabaret tables. It’s hard not to feel a bit of the city’s cultural heart is just weeks from removal.

Despite the pain of yet another arts institution closing its doors post-pandemic, Tabard is going out with a show that fills their space like a perfect pint at an Irish watering hole.

The 2011 musical is based on the 2007 movie of the same name, with music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. The duo, who also starred in the film, won an Academy Award for best original song, and in Tabard’s production, it’s clear to see the award was justified.

At the onset of the evening’s proceedings, the joyful cacophony of Irish pub music greets the audience as they grab drinks before settling in to experience Dublin cheer in comfy chairs. Once the preshow bash subsides, the story kicks off in simple fashion. “Guy” (Greg Zema) is a handsome, 30-something busker performing his swan song on a Dublin street. As soon as the song ends, the case and guitar are left on the ground, as Guy chooses to walk away from his instrument for good; the pain from a lover who left him for New York City proves too much to bear.

As he attempts to exit his busking life, a young Czech woman who has watched his final performance — “Girl” (Melissa Momboisse) — promptly peppers him with questions about his mesmerizing song, and what will be next if music no longer has a home within him.

While she learns that his talents will now be poured into the soulless venture of his father’s vacuum repair shop, a sheet of lyrics falls out of his pocket, which she snags. Those lyrics and Guy’s talent and Girl’s music infuse the bonds of their budding love; sadly, their music is also the thing that rips them apart.

Other solid, joyful performances in the production are informed by the peppy folk-rock score and high-energy movement steered by choreographer Nancy McClymont. As grizzled shop owner Billie, Stephanie Whigham shares a big heart through her gruff exterior. Gregory James Holmes’s silly take on music studio manager Eamon hits some sharp, comic notes through the strong request from Guy and Girl that he never sing again. And director Williams revs up the crowd early and often in the rousing preshow, settling in to play Guy’s father Da moments later.

Music director Amie Jan and vocal director Mason Kimont have loaded the scenes with a dynamic, acoustically-driven sound that properly reveals the show’s heartbeat in ways that accentuate more than just a musical score. Tunes don’t simply inform the story — they are the fundamental, connective tissue that provides every character with their life-altering motivations.

And within the poignant lyrics of the hauntingly gorgeous “Falling Slowly,” are these appropriate lines:

“We’ve still got time
Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice
You’ll make it now.”

Although the clock is ticking, there is still time for this production, and Tabard is raising its hopeful voice that theater fans will join its cast and crew for this final show.

David John Chávez is chair of the American Theatre Critics Association and served as a juror for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Twitter/Mastodon: @davidjchavez.

‘ONCE’

Music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, book by Enda Walsh, presented by Tabard Theatre Company

Through: April 2

Where: Tabard Theatre, 29 N. San Pedro St., San Jose

Running time: Two hours with an intermission

Tickets: $15-$50; tabardtheatre.org