The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Once†is having a cast makeover. Sunday will mark the last scheduled appearance of the show’s Tony-winning star, Steve Kazee, and his colleagues Cristin Milioti, Elizabeth A. Davis and Will Connolly.
Ben Hope, Mr. Kazee’s understudy as the Dublin street musican called simply “Guy,†will take over full time. “Girl†(Ms. Milioti’s role) will be played by Laura Dreyfuss, who appeared in the Broadway revival and national tour of “Hair.†Carlos Valdes will succeed Mr. Connolly as Andrej and Claire Wellin will play Reza, Ms. Davis’s part.
As it turns out, Mr. Kazee has been absent from the stage since Feb. 6 when he went on leave for vocal rest (Mr. Hope has been in the role during that time.) A spokeswoman for the show said on Tuesday it was still unclear whether Mr. Kazee would be able to appear again before the official turnover on Monday.
“Once†is based on a 2007 film about the relationship between an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant. The show, featuring songs by Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard, won eight Tony awards in 2012.
