Ronan Keating impressed the critics with his performance as Guy in the West End musical Once in London last night (November 25).
The Boyzone singer has been garnering positive reviews in Irish playwright Enda Walsh's adaptation of the Oscar-winning film.
Fiona Mountford from the London Evening Standard wrote: "[Once] garnered a more mixed reception for its London premiere last year, partly because the crucial central pairing was not perfectly cast.
"What was needed, it now transpires, was former Boyzone star Ronan Keating, who gives an extremely creditable account of himself on his West End debut."
The Independent's David Lister commented: "It feels patronising to boyband singers-turned-actors everywhere to say [Keating] is surprisingly good, so let's rather say that he is highly effective in exuding a careworn melancholy that disguises loss. He captures the hearts of the audience seemingly effortlessly."
Meanwhile, Tom Eames from Digital Spy said: "At the very beginning of the show, he appears a little nervous and rigid. But as the play goes on and he gains confidence from the audience's positive reaction, he shines as a more vulnerable Guy compared to others, with an almost childlike innocence.
"Keating's vocal ability has perhaps never got the praise it deserves. When listening to him here, he proves that he has one of the finest pop vocals of the past couple of decades, and it has really improved over the years."
Keating called making his debut on The West End "the most liberating experience".
According to BBC News, the singer explained: "The stress and fear when I walked out was overwhelming. But once I got into it, it was wonderful."
He will appear in Once until March 21, 2015
