‘Once’ is the soundtrack of two hearts breaking. 

The January 25th performance of the award-winning musical 'Once' at Miller Auditorium was heartbreaking. In this case, that means it was outstanding!

There will be one more performance in this limited engagement, Tuesday, January 26 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, visit the Miller Auditorium ticket office at 2200 Auditorium Drive, Kalamazoo, call (269) 387-2300 or visit www.millerauditorium.com.

I had the opportunity to see the off-Broadway performance of 'Once' at Kalamazoo's Miller Auditorium.

If you've ever ached for a relationship that just wasn't to be, prepare to have your heart broken once more and for that wound to be ripped open on the stage before you.

Based on a 2007 film starring Glen Hansard and Marketa Irlova, the award-winning musical chronicles the meeting of "Guy" and "Girl," their lives intertwining through the beauty of music and unraveling as reality encroaches on their fairy tale.

Sam Cieri's performance as "Guy" was incredible and his voice was charming. Mackenzie Lesser-Roy's "Girl" added perfect harmony, accompaniment, encouragement and romance. All of the cast members were multi-instrumentalists and remained on stage for much of the show, adeptly playing and singing along with the narrative, interacting with the main characters.

This show is no 'Wicked,' it is not a big production. The sets are often minimal and the music itself is sometimes sparse, at times only voice and guitar. One or two numbers will get your toes tapping, but the audience seemed more introspective than rambunctious, caught up in the story.

'Once' is a love story. 'Once' may be like a real-life love story. It doesn't always end the way we want it to.