Once

Once upon a time, Alison and I were in London and wanted to see a musical. We wanted a show that was innovative and new. We were seeing Wicked the next night, which is a grand, elaborate show. We wanted something personal. We saw a show that was intimate. It was was so funny that it brought me to tears laughing the first act and crying the second. The spirit was Irish, with folk music and a bar being the only set piece. Every actor played at least two musical instruments. Every actor was also a singer, who was a dancer, who played their own orchestral music and moved their own set pieces. The story was uplifting but there was no happy ending. We loved it. 

When we talked later about the show, we talked about how it was innovative. It was a piece of theater that attempted to draw in its audiences in a new way. Theaters are struggling to keep their audiences while film and tv dominate entertainment. Once made a theater experience that no movie ever could. The audience became a part of the show by buying beer and wine on the stage before and after and no clear beginning or end to the show. It was wonderful. I can't even describe much more besides the fact that it was a beautiful piece of art.