Watch guy meet girl in a ‘Once’ in a lifetime love story coming to Modesto

Guy meets girl remains one of the oldest stories every told.

Guy meets girl while busking on the streets of Dublin in a small indie film that becomes a Tony-winning Broadway hit is a slightly more unusual story. The musical “Once,” based on the 2007 movie of the same name, brings its national tour to Gallo Center for the Arts on Thursday.

The musical brings the story to the stage with all of the performers singing and playing their own instruments. Guy and Girl are played by Sam Cieri and Mackenzie Lesser-Roy, respectively. New York-based actor Bristol Pomeroy plays Guy’s father, Da, in the musical.

Pomeroy said audiences can expect a fairly faithful retelling of the film, which took home an Academy Award for its song “Falling Slowly.” The musical, which debuted on Broadway in 2012, went on to win the Tony for best musical. In both, the music tells the story in an organic and earnest way.

“It’s not typical musical type stuff. I think of a musical and I think of somebody singing about what they’re doing in that moment. And the dance numbers are really spectacular or cheesy,” Pomeroy said from the road in Washington. “Don’t get me wrong; I like some of that stuff. But ‘Once’ is not smaltzy or anything. It just feels sincere and honest. The songs stand alone. This is just a very different thing with very cool pop, folksy songs.”

“Once” also wants to draw its audience in immediately. The set is designed to look like an Irish pub. Those who arrive early will see the cast singing Irish and Czech folk songs as they find their seats. You can even go up to join them on stage for a pint.

“You can immediately immerse yourself in the world,” he said. “Then there’s a lot of humor in show and an underlying honesty and passion that goes through the narrative and the songs. It just pulls you in. I hope people let it get inside and really move them.”

This story was originally published November 9, 2016 at 9:48 AM with the headline "Watch guy meet girl in a ‘Once’ in a lifetime love story coming to Modesto."