The Lonely Few @ MCC
The Lonely Few @ MCC
OuttaTowner
Leading Actor Joined: 5/30/05
#1The Lonely Few @ MCC
Posted: 4/28/24 at 3:05pm
Was anyone there yesterday for the first preview?
Anxious to hear your thoughts!
DCDrama2
Understudy Joined: 3/29/19
#2The Lonely Few @ MCC
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.
CoffeeBreak
Leading Actor Joined: 3/30/17
#3The Lonely Few @ MCC
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
DCDrama2
Understudy Joined: 3/29/19
#4The Lonely Few @ MCC
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.
CoffeeBreak
Leading Actor Joined: 3/30/17
yyys
Broadway Star Joined: 6/29/14
#6The Lonely Few @ MCC
Posted: 4/29/24 at 9:05am
You gotta applaud MCC for bringing mediocrity to us over the years - Alice by Heart, The Connector....
#7The Lonely Few @ MCC
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.
#8The Lonely Few @ MCC
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.
All So Ozmopolitan
Understudy Joined: 2/23/23
#9The Lonely Few @ MCC
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!)
#10The Lonely Few @ MCC
Posted: 4/29/24 at 5:12pm
Man, some of these reviews make me realize that listening to reviews here has probably caused me to miss out on some great stuff over the years! I saw this in LA (several times!) and absolutely loved it - looking forward to seeing it again in a couple of weeks at MCC. I think the story is pretty clear, but maybe not as substantial as some are looking for - it's a relationship drama. And it's loud, for sure, but hopefully a few more previews will allow them to tweak the audio if deciphering lyrics is an issue.
I will say that I can understand the criticism for the seating/sightlines, as you had to have your head on a bit of a swivel in the more interactive seats in the LA production as well, but I personally never found it to be a problem or felt like I missed anything - I either turned my head or my whole body, depending on where the scene was happening. However, it looks like the onstage seating is elevated in this theater, which it was not in LA, and I could see that being more awkward for the folks onstage.
Based on the LA staging and photos of the MCC set, I think sitting further back in the orchestra toward the left, or in the seating against the wall on the left, would give you the clearest view of the full set without having to look around or crane your neck too much if that's an issue. Idk about the mezz because there wasn't one in LA, but it seems like front mezz would be great, too.
#11The Lonely Few @ MCC
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.
Ernest_Shackleton
Swing Joined: 7/13/23
#12The Lonely Few @ MCC
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.
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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.
Owen22
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/24/11
#13The Lonely Few @ MCC
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??
RUkiddingme
Leading Actor Joined: 12/9/11
#14The Lonely Few @ MCC
Posted: 5/9/24 at 12:38am
Lauren is such a star. So breathtaking to watch and hear her voice.
