Johnny Lonely & Joshua Raoul Brody’s The Saddest Night of Musical Entertainment in the History of the World at The Marsh

Johnny Lonely, matchless torch singer, is convinced that the reason his career hasn’t taken off is because his “Unhappy Hour” isn’t gloomy enough. But since his girlfriend just dumped him, tonight’s audition at “The Nowhere to Go but Up Club,” is his perfect chance to debut The Saddest Night of Musical Entertainment in the History of the World. His accompanist, Raoul, sees this as a professional dumpster fire, and sabotages Johnny’s plans by throwing in happy songs, sharing mindfulness tips and changing minor keys to major ones. Like Daffy Duck being tortured by Bugs Bunny, Johnny eventually loses his mind, which might be what his audience wanted the act to be all along.

The show incorporates both classic torch songs and original jazz and blues tunes by Johnny Lonely. An early version of this show, Johnny Lonely’s Unhappy Hour, was first performed on “Blue Mondays,” at the Paradise Lounge, in San Francisco, in 1987. Using a mixture of original songs in the vein of jazz standards with sad pop song covers, Johnny has underwhelmed crowds at Dear San Francisco, The 4Star, Bird and Beckett, Playground, The Plush Room, The Cowell Theatre, The Rite Spot, Noe Valley Ministry, PS NBC, Joe’s Pub, (NYC) A revised version, also directed by Cliff Mayotte, premiered at The Marsh, then toured to Australia, was a Fringe finalist at the 1996 Adelaide Fringe Festival and received 5 star reviews at The Melbourne Comedy Festival. Other Lonely venues include Club Deluxe, DNA Lounge, The Melkweg (ND), Catzahr (Paris.)