Finding Magic in the Mess: Fall Reflections from Broadway's 'Once'

🎵 Take this sinking boat and point it home; we've still got time. Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice; you'll make it now.

Leading up to the first day of Fall, I was thinking about what this seasonal change means for my industry, and my career specifically.

Interestingly, I couldn't come up with anything fresh or unique; something that isn't just a cliché that anyone could toss out about a typical September.

Like everyone else, this season ramps up fast for me, and I don’t really have a moment to breathe again until the end of December.

The one thing that did come to mind when I thought about Fall that most people wouldn't think of, was the folk-style musical Once (2011 Tony-winner for Best Musical). Why? Because it features a stunning Grammy and Oscar-winning ballad called “Falling Slowly”, also included in the original 2007 film.

The original Broadway cast of ONCE performs "Falling Slowly" in studio.

This song just feels like Autumn to me — not just because of the word “fall” in its title and lyrics, but because the whole musical itself carries the essence of the season: fleeting sunlight; quiet introspection; ethereal sounds of nature.

Like Fall, the story of Once is about working through a complex time of increased darkness and uncertainty, but trying to make the most of it—trying to find hope when things turn dim.

The protagonist, a musician, is blurring the lines between his work and his personal life (sound familiar?). This is no easy feat, but sometimes things just roll out that way. As a self-employed creative, there is rarely a way around this reality.

Like the lifestyle of most artists, Once leans into the dissolution of conventional methods, with the cast doubling as the orchestra (yes, they do choreography with instruments in hand). Each actor/musician remains on stage for the entire production, playing on a set that resembles an Irish pub.

• Bonus Fun Fact: Taking the show’s integration a step further, this ‘pub’ functions as the actual bar where audience members can grab a drink before the show and between acts.

Highlights from the original Broadway production of ONCE.

While it seems complicated to combine production elements that usually have their own space to operate (the band in a pit; the bar in the lobby), it simplifies the experience. It keeps the storytellers and audience united for the entire duration of the night. That’s a unique and profound experience that sounds enriching to me.

The performers wearing multiple hats it reminds me of the entrepreneurial reality in: overlapping roles like creator, manager, marketer, mentor, mentee, and so on. While the fluidity of an entrepreneur’s roles can sound overwhelming, that’s also an exciting element to me.

How about you? As ambitious creatives, we willingly dive into a messy pile of mixed-colour leaves and try to make sense of it all. But it’s crucial to stop and find magic in the mess. So as the leaves lose their chlorophyll and begin Falling Slowly, let’s try to enjoy the fleeting beauty and embrace the season, however it looks to you.