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Arden’s ‘Once’ will be Philly’s first home-grown production of the Broadway smash

Tickets go on sale Aug. 15

Dani De Waal (left center), Stuart Ward, and cast of the national tour of "Once" at the Academy of Music in 2013. A new production will play this fall at the Arden Theatre Company.
Dani De Waal (left center), Stuart Ward, and cast of the national tour of "Once" at the Academy of Music in 2013. A new production will play this fall at the Arden Theatre Company.Read moreJoan Marcus

Once, the smash hit musical about buskers, love, and music itself is coming to the Arden Theatre Company this fall in the city's first home-grown production. Ken Allen Neely will star as Guy, Katherine Fried as Girl.

This guitar-and-piano romance won a Tony Award for best musical in 2012. It was wildly successful when the national tour came through town at the Academy of Music in 2013 and again in 2016.

>> READ MORE: Here's the Inquirer review from the first touring production

Once tells the story of an Irish street musician whose music takes on new power when a beautiful young Czech woman shows a sudden interest. Terrence J. Nolen, artistic director at the Arden, says the "Irish-kissed" show concerns the power of music to unite people and "reminds us that we are all in this together."

The Arden production (Sept. 20-Oct. 21) kicks off a season that includes A Doll's House, Part 2 (Oct. 24-Dec. 9), fresh from Broadway; Every Brilliant Thing (Nov. 8-Dec. 16), the reprise of last year's much-extended smash hit; and the critically acclaimed Indecent (May 22-June 23).

Subscription packages are now on sale. Tickets for individual shows go on sale Aug. 15 at ardentheatre.org.