Ronan Keating Label’s Once Debut “Liberating.”

If you’re a follower of Once, Simon Morris readers, you’ll have wondered how Ronan Keating did in his first night in the role of Guy; something he labelled “liberating.”

The Story of a Down-On-His-Luck Dublin Busker

As an adult, I’ve developed a passion for carefully crafted, thought provoking musical theatre which tells a captivating story, and accompanies it with a mind blowing score. There are few musical theatre productions that have piqued the interest of an adult Simon Morris the way Once has.

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, the story of Once chronicles the life of a down-on-his-luck Dublin busker named Guy. A man in need of inspiration, when he meets a woman who sparks his creative juices he stumbles on inspiration in spades, only to find out that she’s married.

Could Ronan Keating Hack it in the Role of Guy?

A modern day smash, Once has proved a hit with audiences around the world. UK musical theatre enthusiasts have proved no exception, as the West-End’s Phoenix Theatre production of Once turned out to be a runaway success.

That’s why I was a little apprehensive when I learned that former Boyzone frontman Ronan Keating was taking over the role of Guy. I honestly doubted he had the vocal prowess and onstage charisma to pull it off.

“The Most Liberating Experience.”

Yet if Keating himself is to be believed, his first night in the role of Guy left him feeling like a new man. According to the BBC, Keating labelled his performance "the most liberating experience."

Speaking in the wake of his debut, Keating admitted that at first, his performance was "all over the place,” but by the time the curtain fell he was left “feeling great.” He also said that "the stress and fear when I walked out was overwhelming," but once he got into it, “it was wonderful."

“An Extremely Creditable Account of Himself.”

And it seems the critics think he gave a decent performance as well. The Independent’s David Lister labelled it “surprisingly good,” whilst Fiona Mountford at the Evening Standard said that Keating gave “an extremely creditable account of himself” in the role of Guy.

In other words, he did pretty well for himself considering the fact that he’s a new comer to the West End stage. Maybe his liberating experience powered his performance and made him shine in the role of a down-on-his-luck Dublin busker!