More Theater Monday - The Lonely Few

We were given complimentary tickets to The Lonely Few for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed are our own.

What: The Lonely Few

Who: Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space

          511 W. 53nd St.

          New York, NY 

When: Recommended for Ages 12 and Up

When: Now extended through June 9, 2024

Me - The Lonely Few is the story of a small-town band of the same name. When they have the opportunity to be the opening act on a tour for a more established singer, the band's lead singer, Lila, and the tour headliner, Amy,  begin falling for each other. 

The story was unique and interesting. Aside from the basic band storyline, there were also strong friendships. complicated family dynamics and a very cute sapphic romance. There's not enough queer representation in theater especially sapphic representation so that alone was a welcome change of pace. It was incredible to see a positive complex healthy sapphic relationship   Even though the show contained sad and heavy elements the love story was full of joy.

Each of the characters was multi-faceted. Even the side characters who didn't play as much of a role felt necessary to the story and fully developed. The cast was so talented. Not only were their voices and acting spectacular but everybody played an instrument as well.

The music was also enjoyable. It was mostly rock music, and it felt like being at a real concert. If you like rock music, shows about bands, found family, queer representation, and/or romance I would highly recommend this show.

Mom - The Lonely Few is a story about a band, but more than that it is the touching story of a relationship between two women, Lila and Amy. It is refreshing that not only is their relationship front and center in the story and treated with the utmost respect, but the story does not revolve in any way on other people's negative reactions to them which is often the case even when sapphic relationships are presented in a story. In fact, Lila's bandmates and their complete unwavering support of her and her relationship with Amy is one of the many beautiful things about the show. The show truly epitomizes found family at its best. This is partly due to the exceptional writing in which not only the main characters but also the side characters are so fully rounded but also to the incredibly nuanced performances of the actors in the cast.

The show is well staged. It is very immersive in a way that feels organic and not in a way that feels fantastical or otherworldly. Not only are audience members seated on the stage as if representing patrons in the club or arena where the band is playing, but the cast members frequently directly address the audience but not as an aside only in ways that feel true to life. 

The multitalented performers, who also play their own instruments, do a terrific job with the rock-based score. The songs are enjoyable but also due to the nature of the genre extremely energetic and often quite loud. Even though earplugs are available to all audience members, people with extreme sensitivity to noise may still have a problem with the sound level. It is also hard to understand what the performers are singing at times, especially in the harder rocking songs. However, that doesn't take away from the overall enjoyment of the show. 

While the show is good on its own merits, the fact that it represents true diversity and not just token diversity in a way that rarely gets represented on stage makes it even more special. It is well worth seeing. 

And that's our view. For more about The Lonely Few or to purchase tickets, visit mcctheater.org/tix/the-lonely-few

Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Photo credits: 

All The Lonely Few production photos by Joan Marcus

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us here, and we will look into the matter