Once to embark on first UK tour

The award-winning musical Once is to head out on a UK tour, it has been announced.

The show, which opened in the West End in 2013 and won the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music, will open at Fairfield Halls in Croydon on 19 December, before touring to Southend, Liverpool, York, Woking, Milton Keynes, Bath, Coventry, Stoke, Malvern, Aberdeen, Nottingham, Oxford, Brighton, Sheffield, Cardiff, Southampton, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Canterbury, Leicester, Salford, Newcastle, Plymouth and Glasgow.

Based on the film of the same name, the musical tells the story of two lost souls – a Dublin street busker and Czech musician who fall in love unexpectedly.

The cast will be led by Daniel Healy as Guy and Emma Lucia as Girl, who return to the roles following the production's 2018 run at the New Wolsey Theatre and the Queen's Theatre Hornchurch. Further casting is yet to be announced.

Once is directed by Peter Rowe with set and costume design by Libby Watson, musical supervision by Ben Goddard, choreography by Francesca Jaynes, lighting design by Mark Dymock, sound design by James Cook, projection design by Peter Hazelwood and orchestrations by Martin Lowe. Casting is by Debbie O'Brien.

The show has a book by Irish playwright and screenwriter Enda Walsh, and music and lyrics by Academy Award winning Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. The original production concept is by John Tiffany.