Producers of the upcoming UK tour of hit musical Once have released a new recording of the show’s Oscar-winning song Falling Slowly, performed by tour leads Daniel Healy and Emma Lucia.
Based on the much-loved film of the same name, Once tells the story of a Dublin street busker and a Czech musician who unexpectedly fall in love. Following their relationship across five short days, big changes happen to both of them in little ways.
Written by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, Falling Slowly won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and features in both the 2007 film and the musical.
Following a run at Fairfield Halls, Croydon from Thursday 19 December 2019 – Saturday 11 January 2020, the tour will visit Southend, Liverpool, York, Woking, Milton Keynes, Ipswich, Bath, Coventry, Stoke, Malvern, Aberdeen, Nottingham, Oxford, Brighton, Sheffield, Cardiff, Southampton, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Canterbury, Leicester, Salford, Newcastle, Plymouth, Glasgow and Hull.
Healy said of the song: “At its core it’s very simple, but goes on this beautiful soaring journey. It starts small then builds into this beautiful crescendo.
“To a certain extent it is open, ambiguous and up for interpretation. It could mean anything to anyone. That’s what I love about it and I think that’s what most people, even if they don’t realise it, love about it.”
Lucia added: “This song is so special because it’s the first time ‘Guy’ and ‘Girl’ realise that they understand each other; they have a special connection when they make music together.
“Music has always and will always connect people in a way words sometimes can’t. It’s definitely one of my favourite moments in the whole show, it gives me goose bumps every time.”