Among all the brassy Broadway numbers, loud and glitzy productions, and over-the-top musicals, there’s this little gem of a sleeper that eschews the usual bombast and goes straight to the heartstrings. Once is the quietest of Broadway hits, enlisting an ensemble of musicians playing their own instruments on stage to tell the story of a Dublin busker who’s on the brink of giving up his musical dreams. But then guy meets girl, and girl encourages guy to keep on keeping on—which he does, beautifully accompanied by her piano compositions. The play keeps much of the original music from the 2006 film of the same name, as well as all of the charm that made the tale of unrequited love and big dreams an unexpected hit. In its current incarnation, Once swept the 2012 Tony Awards, and is currently touring—hitting the Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora Street, for a run starting at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, December 28. Tickets are $30 to $150 at attpac.org; show times vary.
Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Starts: Dec. 17. Continues through Dec. 28, 2014