The Lonely Few
Reviewed by Iris Mann
Geffen Playhouse
Extended through April 30
RECOMMENDED
This world premiere, a blend of rock musical and bittersweet drama, is a dynamic experience in which the audience plays an integral part.
The play is also a highly original love story between two women, each of whom desperately seeks a sense of belonging. What happens among the players is so genuine that it doesn’t seem as though they are performing, but that they are living the events that unfold.
Henry David Thoreau said “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.” That promises to be the fate of Lila (Lauren Patten), who leads a dismal life as a grocery checker in a small Kentucky town, while being responsible for keeping tabs on her out-of-control brother. Her humdrum existence is relieved only by the Friday night gigs she performs at a bar, Paul’s Joint, with her musical group called, The Lonely Few. It’s a routine that Lila has come to accept as enough for herself. When Amy Burnett (Ciara Renée), a well-known musician worn out by constant touring, comes to the town, Lila is afforded an opportunity to reach for something more. But will she take the chance?
The play is set like a bar with a stage, the audience being part of the setting, some sitting on barstools while others watch the proceedings from fixed seats. The device of immersing the audience in the play brings the spectator close to what is happening and furthers one’s involvement with the action and the characters. Scenes outside the bar take place in strategically located spaces apart from the bar’s stage. Set designer Sibyl Wickersheimer pays attention to every detail and creates an ambiance that makes the whole experience immediate and engaging. Adding to the effect is the work of lighting designer Adam Honoré.
Playwright Rachel Bonds draws her characters so that we root for the women while feeling their pain. The work of composer/lyricist Zoe Sarnak captures the angst the women are experiencing. But, though the score is stirring, and one usually gets the gist of what the songs are saying, the specific lyrics are, unfortunately, often unintelligible because the amplification drowns a good deal of them.
Co-directors Trip Cullman and Ellenore Scott design the action admirably and make every moment count. They have smoothly interwoven scenes and songs, and they have gotten stellar work from their actors.
The voices in this production are amazing. Patten, who won a Tony as Best Featured Actress in a musical for her performance in Jagged Little Pill, fills the theater with her renditions that are loaded with energy and passion. She also evokes sympathy as a talented woman stuck in a mundane life, and she projects a kind of shyness and reticence that make one ache for her and that contrasts with Renée’s more outgoing demeanor.
Renée embodies a world-weary quality so convincingly that her emotional exhaustion can be experienced by the audience. Her character tells Lila that this is the first time she’s touring solo and putting herself out there. “I’m Black, I’m queer, it’s the South,” she says. Her voice soars as she displays an emotional range that draws the viewer in. Furthermore, the chemistry between the two women is totally convincing and palpable. Their love scenes hit just the right level and have been skillfully choreographed under the tutelage of intimacy director Sasha Nicolle Smith, so that they are played easily and without any self-consciousness.
As the manager of the grocery in which Lila works, as well as being her best friend and bandmate, Damon Daunno’s portrayal goes from a small town boy whose girlfriend is pregnant to a responsible young man, and then morphs into a wildly abandoned musician, all with total commitment. His is a fully realized performance. Joshua Close, who plays Adam, Lila’s alcoholic brother, develops his role with great dexterity. After witnessing Adam’s addictive behavior, which is annoying, we come to feel compassion for him when he reveals the gift he has made for his sister while himself recovering from an addiction induced illness. In a carefully measured way, the actor gives a very nuanced portrayal of a tortured man struggling with his demons.
Thomas Silcott, who plays Paul, the proprietor of the bar, becomes something of an anchor for the action. While Paul tries to make amends for past transgressions, he becomes the parent in the room and Silcott projects a steadiness and sense of caring in the midst of the whirlwind around his character.
Helen J. Shen is precious and provides most of whatever humor there is in the piece as a pushy, ambitious teenager who wants Amy to help her get started on a musical career.
This show is a far cry from traditional book musicals and it seems young audiences in particular respond to the direction the genre is taking. A little more emphasis on the clarity of the lyrics would go a long way toward having this musical form appeal to multiple generations.
Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.; extended through Apr. 30. (310) 208-2028 or www.geffenplayhouse.org. Running time: two hours and 15 minutes, with one intermission.
