Glen Hansard Was ‘Kind of Horrified’ About ‘Once’ Going to Broadway

Glen Hansard is obviously stoked that the Broadway musical based on the 2006 film ‘Once’ (which he stars in with Markéta Irglová) cleaned up at the Tony Awards recently, but he’ll be the first person to admit he wasn’t really involved — or interested — in adapting his music for the production.

“Oh, not at all,” he tells Rolling Stone when asked how much he worked on it. “I kept my distance. I was kind of horrified with the notion of it going to Broadway, to be honest. John Carney, who directed the film, kept assuring me, ‘I wouldn’t let it fall into bad hands.’ I pleaded with him not to do it.”

“But after seeing rehearsals,” Hansard continues, “I was really overwhelmed by just how much grace they treated it with.”

Not only did he end up being won over by the Broadway musical, he admires how the musical’s producers were able to maintain the intimate feel of the flick. In fact, Hansard insists that keeping ‘Once’ a low-key affair was the secret of its success.

“I feel like it’s not a big production,” he adds. “Yes, it’s playing on Broadway, and yes, it’s playing in a big theater, but what’s actually going on onstage is incredibly simple. It’s like going to see the White Stripes — you’ve got two people on stage, there’s no hidden keyboard. And that, apart from the great music, is what makes you love it.”

Hansard releases his debut solo album, ‘Rhythm and Repose,’ next week.