If an actor is an understudy, they will typically have their own onstage role and practice their understudy role on the side in case of emergency.
Luke Wygodny, however, is a swing in the musical “Once,” which is coming to the IU Auditorium on Tuesday night. He understudies five roles, each of which plays three to four instruments, and he has no onstage role of his own.
During the 80 shows of the tour, Wygodny has not yet needed to perform for an audience. He spends every show in the basements of theaters practicing with the other understudies or out in the audience refreshing his memory of all five characters.
“At the beginning of the tour, I would try to watch all five at the same time,” Wygodny said. “That’s when my mind wanted to explode a little bit. I’ve learned that it’s easier to just watch one person at a time, because you can’t take it all in at once.”
The extra time Wygodny gets from not having to actually perform does have its benefits, he said. He has been able to travel.
“Everywhere we go, the first thing I do is try to find a place where I can hike,” Wygodny said. “If it’s cold and there’s snow, I try to find a place where I can ski. I’m taking care of myself — I’m not jumping off of cliffs — but because I’m not in the show every night, I think, ‘What the heck, just go for it and really explore the land.’”
He has also been spending his time in the theater basements composing music for his own New York City-based band Water & Rye.
Luckily, Wygodny said his taste in music parallels the music of the show, which is folk-based. Glen Hansard, one of the show’s composers, is one of Wygodny’s favorite songwriters.
“It would be really hard to be a swing for a show that you didn’t like,” Wygodny said. “I can’t imagine sitting in a basement during every show hearing songs that I don’t like.”
When Wygodny saw “Once” on Broadway a few years ago with his brother, he said it moved him to tears. The music, acting and words blended together so well, he knew it was the perfect fit for him.
The show, mainly about an Irish musician who is motivated by a girl to continue making music, is inspiring because it means something different for everyone, Wygodny said. For Wygodny, the most moving part of the show is that each of the characters are stuck in their lives, but they rediscover their spark in the end.
“It’s so beautiful to see each one of them wake up and see their eyes light up,” Wygodny said. “It’s about awakening and music and living life and realizing there’s more to life than what’s inside your head.”
The goal of the show is to leave the audience lighter than how they came, Wygodny said. The story is easy to get lost in, and he said he hopes people can forget about the worries and weights of their own lives.
“This is a piece you need to see,” Wygodny said. “It sticks with you forever.”
