Like many contemporary Broadway musicals, "Once" — which opened last night at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre — is based on a feature film, a 2006 work of the same name.

Unlike other contemporary Broadway musicals, "Once" hasn't a trace of irony or snark. Its touch is feather light, a musical unafraid of wearing its considerable heart on its sleeve, in a story without a buttoned-up ending.

"Once" is the real deal, a refreshing breath of fresh air.

It's a boy-meets-girl story, about an Irish busker (simply "Guy") and his whirlwind weeklong encounter with a Czech woman ("Girl") he meets in Dublin. It stars Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti (above, in a photo by Joan Marcus), as two lonely people who share their loneliness and a love of music.

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