Once, the musical comes to town this month and brings with it a slew of awards. The show was nominated for 11 Tony Awards in 2012 and took home eight of those eleven nominations including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Actor.
The show based on the 2006 film of the same name, is the story about a guy and a girl who come to know each other through their music, his heartache and her positive outlook.
Their relationship grows over time as both become acquainted with each other’s family and what they learn about each other through their music.
The national tour, which started in Providence, R.I. this past October, has a fresh new cast including Dani de Waal. De Waal is best known for her work in London where she stepped into the role of Sophie in the West End’s production of Mama Mia. She was also a cover for the 2013 Broadway revival of William Inge’s Picnic, directed by acclaimed director Sam Gold.
De Waal may not be a household name yet, but snagging the role of Girl in Once is one way for her to get noticed. She literally went from New York waitress to Broadway star all in one phone call.
“I remember I’d actually just finished a waitressing shift when I got the call from my agent!” de Waal said. “It had been a pretty lengthy audition process, so I was relieved to finally have an answer either way – and the fact that it was a ‘yes’, I was over the moon.”
The cast of Once not only acts and sings in this production, but they are also the orchestra, each one playing a different instrument. De Waal’s character plays piano throughout the show and while it’s certainly paying the bills now, de Waal says she wasn’t all that interested in playing when she was a child.
“I started playing piano when I was very young, around six I guess,” de Waal confessed. “I don’t necessarily think I was ‘drawn’ to it back then, it was just something that I was given the chance to learn, but I definitely grew to love it and continued to play. This show is the first opportunity I’ve had to play it professionally.”
She also isn’t the only one in her family to have theatrical aspirations, but those aspirations, oddly enough, don’t come from her parents like most performers.
“My sister, Jeanna, is also an actor; she is currently in Finding Neverland at ART in Boston,” de Waal said. “My parents are not in the industry though, they live in England; my dad’s a dentist and my mum runs the practice!”
But it’s clear that de Waal is exactly where she belongs.
“My passion has always been theater and performing,” de Waal commented. “When I left school I went and studied law at a university in London in an attempt at a ‘sensible’ career path, but I only lasted a year! I knew I was in the wrong place and left to go study acting at Guildhall. I have been very fortunate to get to do what I love.”
Once has become a theatrical cult in some ways. It hit the scene and grabbed on to the community and those who saw it and wouldn’t let go. For de Waal, she was no different. The show was something she had never experienced before.
“[Once] was unlike any show I’d seen before,” de Waal admitted. “It’s not your typical Broadway musical with big dance numbers, flashy costumes and sets; it has a very simple, stripped back design which puts all the focus on the characters and the music. I remember being drawn into their story and really being moved by it. Also, the music – that really grabbed me.”
While it is great for San Diego audiences, and the like, to get to see Broadway caliber talent in these national tours, most actors who finally make the big move to New York City, find that as soon as they get there they have to leave to do regional theater and tours like this one.
De Waal is taking all of it in her stride, embracing what the United States has to offer along the way.
“I’m really enjoying it,” de Waal said. “It’s such a fantastic opportunity for me to get to see all these different places in the U.S., the vast majority of which I have never been to before. I have also grown very close to the other members of the cast because we are pretty much in each other’s lives for the year! I was staying in hotels a lot near the beginning of the tour but found I missed having a kitchen (it really makes a difference being able to do simple things like cook your own eggs in the morning!) so I have become a bit of an airbnb expert now and like to find more apartment-type places when I can.”
San Diego is a first for de Waal. Well, sort of. She was here once, but not long enough to enjoy all that San Diego has to offer.
“I have been to San Diego once before when I came to see my sister perform in The Rocky Horror Show at The Old Globe,” de Waal said. “It was a very short visit though, so I’m hoping I’ll get to do some more exploring this time round!”
Even though De Waal has a lot of great things to say about tour life, she does admit to missing the simple life of leaving the bus and truck tour behind her.
“[I enjoy] the usual things really I guess,” de Waal said. “Seeing friends is a big one –I definitely miss them on the road; going to music gigs or out for nice meals. I do like to get out to nature when I can too and go on hikes and that kind of thing. I have also been known to lock myself away and watch a complete full TV series in one go. I think the last one was the new Sherlock Holmes– so good!”
Once sets down in San Diego at the San Diego Civic Theatre from Aug. 12-17 and tickets can be purchased at the Civic Web site at www.sandiegotheatres.org or by calling 619-570-1100.
