Originally published at: https://geektherapy.org/once-more-with-feeling-brings-buffys-musical-episode-to-life-in-hollywood/
Author: Joe Di Gaetano
This past Tuesday, August 4, at 8 p.m., the audience at The Three Clubs in Hollywood was transported back to November 6, 2001, with a live version of the iconic Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode “Once More, with Feeling.”
For the night, The Three Clubs became its own version of The Bronze, giving fans the chance to revisit one of the series’ most memorable episodes live onstage.
Doors opened at 7 p.m., and a short time later, Alec de Kervor and his band opened the night by playing some of his original songs. Then it was showtime, with a small crowd of about 25 people ready to see the Buffy musical episode brought to life.
The musical opens with the famous Buffy theme we all know and love, followed by the “Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer” intro. From there, we find Buffy Summers walking through the graveyard and singing about why she is back and questioning her purpose.
Flash forward to the next morning at the Magic Box, where Buffy’s friends—the Scoobies—Xander, Anya, Willow, and Tara—are trying to figure out what is going on. Soon, everyone bursts into the musical number “I’ve Got a Theory / Bunnies / If We’re Together,” and it was especially funny hearing Anya belt out her infamous “Bunnies” part of the song.
It was a lot of fun seeing such an iconic Buffy episode live onstage, and overall, it was a really good adaptation. The production even included the two minor songs featured in the original episode: the dry cleaner celebrating getting the mustard out of a shirt in “The Mustard” and the woman trying to sing her way out of a parking ticket in “The Parking Ticket.”
If you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its famous musical episode, this live version comes highly recommended. The only downside was some microphone feedback and moments when the mics cut in and out. Since this is a small production, though, those things were easy to overlook and didn’t take away from the fun of the show.
If you want to check it out for yourself, Once More, With Feeling: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Musical Episode Live! returns to The Three Clubs for additional performances. Tickets for the August show started at $25, with tickets available through Eventbrite or at the door.