Posted: 4/28/24 at 3:05pm
Was anyone there yesterday for the first preview?
Anxious to hear your thoughts!
Posted: 4/28/24 at 11:14pm
I was very excited to see this tonight. Sadly, it didn't resonate. I liked the idea of just about everything that was tried but ultimately didn't see much substance in it. The set is made to feel like you're in a bar with a small stage. But then there's an apartment set built atop the bar area. The people seated "in the bar" on stage were often just helplessly there, and sometimes felt in the way. A three-top table is used as a retail checkout counter in one scene and the three ladies seated there looked uncomfortable (and again when Lauren Patton jumped up on it for a bit). If the stage is designed and arranged to "be" the bar, why are so many scenes set outside the bar? Why have people immersed in that environment only to pantomime many other locations that they are out of place in? And one climactic song takes place behind the direction those folks are facing wayyyy stage left. No matter where you were seated you had to twist your neck for a whole song to see it. Some of the seats dividing the two seating zones are comfy "love seats" (though they are single-seat chairs), which was nice for comfort's sake, but wasn't purposeful for the show.
The performances were all excellent. No weak links in the cast, far from it. The songs were fine to good, but no major standouts and the "live music" style made many of the lyrics difficult to understand. Also, on many occasions, I was blinded by the rotating lights (which I'd expect at a true concert) making it impossible to see what was happening on stage.
The story is relatively simple and the writing leaves a lot unexplored. Again, I liked the ideas that were presented in the show, but it didn't add up to a cohesive story and the characters had inconsistent or unclear motives driving their actions. One moment they "just can't do <whatever>" only to do it anyway the next moment, even though nothing had changed.
The unique set design didn't help drive the story and sometimes got in the way. And the characters didn't have enough depth or purpose to make the journey worthwhile.
Posted: 4/28/24 at 11:20pm
How were the "stools with backs", stage level, on house left? It seems those could probably see the Stage left scenes above the bar?
Updated On: 4/28/24 at 11:20 PM
Posted: 4/28/24 at 11:24pm
CoffeeBreak said: "How were the "stools with backs", stage level, on house left? It seems those could probably see the SL scenes above the SL bar?"
They looked a bit uncomfortable to sit in for the whole show, but the visibility was probably great for all the scene locations. The only ones who didn't have to twist around to see anything. And they get cast members walking past quite frequently, which can be fun.
Posted: 4/29/24 at 9:05am
You gotta applaud MCC for bringing mediocrity to us over the years - Alice by Heart, The Connector....
Posted: 4/29/24 at 9:12am
yyys said: "You gotta applaud MCC forbringing mediocrity to us over the years - Alice by Heart, The Connector...."
I’m not going to argue the notion that MCC produces a lot of mediocre shows, but for my money, The Connector, while imperfect, was light years better than major misfires like Walk on Through and The Wrong Man.
By my accounting, their hit rate with plays is much, much higher with productions like School Girls, Collective Rage, Wolf Play, and Nollywood Dreams.
Posted: 4/29/24 at 12:03pm
DCDrama2 said: "I was very excited to see this tonight. Sadly, it didn't resonate. I liked the idea of just about everything that was tried but ultimately didn't see much substance in it..."
Saw this last night, and unfortunately, I agree with everything DCDrama2 said. If you’re looking for an excellent rock concert by amazing performers, you might enjoy it. Other than that, it falls short. It’s loud. Most lyrics are indecipherable. The seating configuration doesn’t allow for great viewing. I sat in the regular theater seating on the right side, but most of the action is on the small stage all the way to the left, except the final number, which is on the extreme opposite side. My neck hurt. There is some sort of a story wedged between songs, but it’s pretty minimal and confusing. It’s nice to see a lesbian theme centered in the plot, but so little happens with it. I almost felt for the many lesbians in the audience who were looking for representation on the stage and got not much.
Posted: 4/29/24 at 12:10pm
I saw this last night. If they cut the book scenes, brought on a Justin Peck type choreographer to bridge the musical numbers together with interpretative dance/movement, adjusted the sound mixing between vocals and instruments, and rethought the immersive element (aka, onstage seating), then I truly believe we'd have the next edgy blockbuster smash a la Rent.
It's not quite perfect, but The Lonely Few has some serious potential. The story is simple enough to understand without its conventional book scenes: a small-town musician and a touring rockstar fall in love, but their lifestyles, familial ties, and trauma cause relationship issues. All the performances are outstanding with Patten and Jones delivering phenomenal vocals for 90+ minutes straight. The musical numbers are mostly staged like imaginative performances in a bar and I greatly enjoyed every song. It's very pop-rock musical theatre. But the overly literal book scenes end up weighing the whole thing down a bit, so the pacing gets funky...
Also, the highly decorated onstage bar is terribly underused. I wish it was operated as an actual bar for pre-show drinks. It's another layer that would enhance the immersion and gives the onstage audience a sense of purpose. For me, there was a few disassociating moments where I thought to myself, 'Why am I sitting on the MCC stage right now?'... This is not like Cabaret with smooth transitions between table seating, orchestra, and mezzanine. This is simply two separate audiences divided by a very seep stage. When sitting onstage, I felt like I was sitting on an Off-Broadway stage with an audience staring at me.
Instead of trying to focus on individual characters and relationships, The Lonely Few should take the Illinoise route and focus on overall concepts and feelings. Grieving the loss of a loved one. Finding authentic identity in an intolerant environment. The impact of addiction on both addict and caretaker. Biological family vs. chosen family. Stardom. There is tons to explore. While I wouldn't consider the dialogue corny, it gets fairly on-the-nose in its attempt to spoon-feed the audience every piece of depressing exposition. One character says something like, "I feel like I'm living my life in the shadows"... Yeah, we can already tell by the (excellent) lighting design. Words aren't always necessary. I think this would really succeed as a more interpretative sung-through rock musical.
All that said, I quite enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in new musicals and artsy Off-Broadway stuff. (Just give it more previews.) I'd be interested in going back after Opening as I anticipate some changes in the staging, am curious about other sightlines, and would love to hear the music again.
(Note for onstage seating: house staff will give you a little spiel as you sit down. Complimentary earplugs, nothing can be placed on the tables, no bags on the floor, absolutely no re-entry, hold every belonging in your lap, and you'll receive a program afterwards. You'll be twisting back and forth in your seat between two playing spaces which does get a little tedious. It's like the Here Lies Love dilemma. If you're into that interactive, up-close experience, then the onstage seating will be great. If you prefer a more traditional theatre-watching experience, you'll hate it. I've never been in the mezzanine at MCC, but wonder if that first row of the mezz could be the best spot. I'm happy to answer any other questions!)
Updated On: 4/29/24 at 12:10 PM
Posted: 4/29/24 at 5:12pm
Posted: 5/5/24 at 9:24pm
I don’t really have much to add to what others have said here, after tonight’s show. The book is a MESS. It’s less than paper thin and needs serious retooling if they want to do anything with this, moving forward. None of the performances can be faulted but they’re given so little to work with.
Half the score is pretty good but there’s entirely too much of it and half of it that takes place in the bar is just songs about nothing. They don’t have anything to do with the plot and this is still musical theater - y’gotta find a way to move your story ahead with the music. A song or two maybe that’s just “here’s our bands song” but half the score or so done that way is tedious.
I’ll give this two out of five stars but for the performances only, really. The staging, as mentioned, needs a lot of work. That last song was terribly staged and made me just begging Father Time to speed up the clock so I could get out of there.
Posted: 5/8/24 at 8:55am
Going to go against the grain here a bit and just chime in that I LOVED it. Could it use another 10-15 minutes to smooth out the dialogue and sharpen some character beats? Sure, but with that music and those performances and just the whole world it's creating, I sat there with the distinct feeling I was seeing something special.
My only big note is that good god this is a show that needs an encore. Lauren Patten kills it on the last song, but the whole final sequence is gearing you up for "the band's big final show" and then you just...don't get that. The audience was confused after the bows about whether they should leave or not because of how much it felt like something was just missing. This is a rock concert, we never get a big ensemble number, an encore after the bows would let them hit the emotional beat of the reconciliation while still tying it all together.
Posted: 5/8/24 at 10:58pm
I liked it. There is a substantial plot, but a semi hackneyed one, but enough for the actors to create characters you care about. Lauren is great. And why, after creating Perseus in Hadestown and an unforgettable Curly in Oklahoma!, is Damon Daunno reduced to taking non descript second banana roles??
Posted: 5/9/24 at 12:38am
Lauren is such a star. So breathtaking to watch and hear her voice.
Posted: 5/19/24 at 12:23am
Posted: 5/19/24 at 1:30am
Yes this is thin. Some of the music is great, some okay. Patten & Jones are both vocally stunning. They have little in the script. Even so, both acting is a mixed bag despite what they have to work with. Please don't make Jones wear that cowboy shirt anymore we get it.
This opens tomorrow, Monday May 20.
Updated On: 5/19/24 at 01:30 AM
Posted: 5/19/24 at 3:24pm
sm33: Without giving any specific spoilers: they took away most of the character development for two of the band members, rendering their roles nearly useless. They took away the stakes from a major conflict with the lead. Then they rushed through the main plotline, and the ending in particular, to make it an almost two hour show with no intermission.
Thank you sm33 for helping me fill in the blanks. I just saw this on Wednesday and felt that character development was what needed most help. I truly thought and expected so much more from the Helen Shen and Damon Daunno characters. I did not see this in LA but based on what you describe, I'd rather have an intermission and more investment in the characters. Still, I enjoyed all performances and liked the music but did have a hard time understanding the lyrics. I would listen to the cast recording if one is released. Lauren and Taylor sound great and have real chemistry. I thought the love scenes were done quite well.
I purchased a preferred seat in row E centered in front of the bandstand. I liked this seat but anytime action took place in the apt, bar or at the piano, I felt removed. This was most irksome come the final piano number which I missed most of the lyrics because it was so far away. I am glad that the seat I purchased was excellent for the majority of the show though. The on stage and pit seating were regular tables and chairs so not very comfortable looking. That one table that Lauren jumps up on was occupied by Jenna Bush and three of her girlfriends so that was interesting to see. They had real love seat seating behind row E which looked like it would be comfy too.
I would like to see it again after tweaks. I'd also recommend that Zoe Sarnak add song lyrics to the digital playbill. They currently have a handwritten set list in the digital playbill that looks cool. Add the handwritten lyrics the same way. It would be great to read the lyrics and any liner notes before or after the show.
Updated On: 5/19/24 at 03:24 PM
Posted: 5/27/24 at 8:37pm
sm33 said: "
While the show started off very high energy and very similarly to the LA run, things started diverging pretty quickly. Without giving any specific spoilers: they took away most of the character development for two of the band members, rendering their roles nearly useless. They took away the stakes from a major conflict with the lead. Then they rushed through the main plotline, and the ending in particular, to make it an almost two hour show with no intermission. They also dropped my favorite song."
As someone else who saw and adored this in LA, would you mind sharing which song they cut?
Posted: 5/27/24 at 8:48pm
it used to have an intermission and now it runs straight through
Posted: 5/27/24 at 9:02pm
I assume no one that's been complaining about Tommy being loud has seen this! I immediately regretted not picking up earplugs on the way in. But in this case the volume also made a good chunk of the lyrics unintelligible. Overall, though, I enjoyed the performance. Yes - it's a slight plot, but it's enough to add emotional heft to some excellent songs with fantastic vocal performances.
Posted: 6/3/24 at 12:09am
swing and a miss.
good swing, though. white hot lesbian love story, check. original rock music? cool. this cast? yes please.
but nothing lands. given the writer, i thought the book would at least keep things moving, but not only is the dialogue totally pedantic and unmemorable, you can see where things are headed miles away for the most part. and the music is either repetitive, or so loud/muddled that it just seems that way. without either of those popping off, i found myself kinda bored, while at the same time wanting more. Seems clear that Damon Duanno's character once had more to do, for example. we spent ALOT of time with the two leads but there isnt a TON of meat on the bones of that story, really. (im so so curious what they cut--gotta be Shen's and Duanno's characters, right?)
i was in Row D orchestra and saw everything fine, and appreciate the less-than-traditional staging, though i would have been irritated had I been sitting on stage. at least 1/3 of the show requires them to crane/shift to see, and i saw no purpose to forcing three unsuspecting audience members into a few scenes. but frm my vantage point, the staging all worked.
if anything salvages this its the performances which really are quite phenomenal. Taylor Iman Jones cant make her character all the interesting but hooo boy can she sing, and her voice is really perfect for this score. I thought Lauren Patten's Tony-winning performance was one-note rage, but here shes exquisite both as a singer and actor, so mea culpa there. And Duanno deserves special commendation because hes wound up in a tiny role but really makes the most of it- his brief solo towards the end was the only time i had any emotional reaction at all.
