"Once" Playbill

While the musical Once was created for a workshop in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2011, it soon transferred to Broadway a year later, running from 2012 to 2015. With a limited set and cast who doubles as the orchestra, the audience follows a romance between an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant, named “Guy” and “Girl” respectively, on the streets of Dublin.

This Broadway playbill from Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre features a black background bisected by an unwound guitar headstock feeding into the scripted title. The simplicity mirrors that of the musical, and the handwritten aspect alludes to the gritty ache of repressed feelings that occurs throughout the show. The classic, yellow blocking in the top quarter displays the Playbill type, leaving the rest of the colors to a bare black and white.