Once

I did not want to see this play. I was given the DVD for Christmas last year. It was so sappy I couldn't watch more than half of it. Even my wife who loves sappy movies couldn't watch such dribble. Well, I succumbed to my curiosity and attended the Broadway play with fairly low expectations. Boy, was I ever pleasantly surprised. What a beautiful show. Maybe a smidgen sappy but delightfully so. The music is terrific and was performed by extremely talented and accomplished musicians. The direction was flawless. I was anxious to see Steve Kazee's Tony Award winning performance but this performance was performed by his understudy Ben Hope who did a stellar job showcasing his tremendous talent. The real star of the production was Cristin Milioto who was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in Once. She has a voice as sweet as honey, blends in beautifully with her simple harmony and performs her rather difficult role flawlessly. She also plays piano with a simple sweet passion. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this marvelous production and highly recommend it to all. I plan on purchasing the cast CD and maybe even giving the DVD another chance. Maybe.