This fall, the poignant film-turned-musical, “Once,” is coming to the stage in Chicago. The production is a 12 time Tony Award winner and received the prestigious title of “best musical” in 2012. “Once” tells a unique tale of where love meets music and is soon to capture Chicago’s heart. The DePaulia spoke with the talented actress Claire Wellin, who has taken on the role of Reza, to learn more about the show.
The DePaulia: Tell me a little bit about the show in general. How does it differ from and how does it remain faithful to the original film?
Wellin: You definitely don’t have to have seen the movie to come and get it and enjoy it. It’s essentially a story about how music teaches us to love each other and how music brings people together. The big difference between the movie and the play is that there are characters that are not in the movie that are in the play and the characters are more fully realized. You see glimpses in the movie but you really get to know them in the play. That’s really fun because it’s much more of a communal effort. It’s more about this community of people as opposed to just the guy and the girl.
DP: Who do you portray in the production? Are there any ways in which you relate to her on a personal level?
W: My character’s name is Reza and she is one of the characters that is new to the play. They all live in this house together with the mother and with the two boys. I have younger brothers, as well. I am the oldest of three. Reza is a very fierce and loyal lover of the people around her and she can really hold her own in a group of strong men. There is something very cool about the relation between us and something that I am inspired by, as well. I want to be more like her and it’s really neat to play a character like that. I get where she is coming from, it just comes out differently in me than it comes out in her sometimes.
DP: If you could tell your audience one thing before they see the show, what would it be?
W: I would say “let yourself go there.” Walk up on stage, be a part of the preshow, have a drink, laugh and then cry. I think really allowing yourself to let your inhabitations go during this show is good because it doesn’t start out in the way that traditional theater starts out. We see audience members come in who are confused and a little bit buttoned up. [Laughs] Just let go of it.
DP: What role has acting and performance played in your life thus far and where do you see it going from here?
W: I always feel like I have a lot of work to do. There are a lot of different things to be done in the world of art. I have certainly started to make my career by doing theater and I want to continue to do theater for the rest of my life. I want to do more film and T.V. and I’ve been very focused in the last couple of years on my music. I have a band, which is called Youth in a Roman Field, and I contribute to another band, which is called Glad Fanny. We do a lot of writing and performing and I’m really looking forward to what that will become.
DP: What is your favorite aspect of being a part of this show?
W: I love that we get to share it with so many people. It is so beautiful and it is the kind of show that is not black and white; it doesn’t have a happy ending that you can wrap up with a bow. It is so representative of life and how we tend to have very complicated relationships but that there is hope in the end. It is the story of hope and to get to share it with so many people is definitely the best part. We have 3,000 people seated eight times a week and people walk out of the theater so moved. I was excited to see the show but I was not prepared for what it did to me when I saw it as an audience member. I really think it’s a revolutionary piece and I am just so happy to be a part of it.
“Once” will be at the Oriental Theatre through Oct. 27.
