Lauren Patten and Ciara Renée bring lesbian rock excellence in ‘The Lonely Few’
The Lonely Few is as much a concert as it is a musical. Commissioned as part of the Geffen Playhouse’s New Play Development Project, Zoe Sarnak (music and lyrics) and Rachel Bonds’ (book) new musical adds a valuable, much-needed entry to the list of musicals centering on lesbian romances.Tony-winner Lauren Patten takes on a rocker persona with vocals forged in the flames of her Jagged Little Pill run, while Frozen‘s Ciara Renée is recast as a country folk star with a voice as sugary as sweet tea.
The show leads the audience from a queer small-town experience in Kentucky to concert venues around the country, with the leads’ intimate sapphic romance beating at its core all along the way.The audience is drawn into the world of Lila (Patten) immediately, as the tightly-packed space leaves viewers bathed in the same dingy overhead fluorescents she’s subjected to at her job at the local Save A Lot.
Between her out-of-work brother with a substance problem Adam (Joshua Close), and her 3-in-1 supervisor/best friend/boss’s son Dylan (Damon Daunno) stepping in to banter, the claustrophobically rural feel really takes shape.The energy suddenly spikes with the bombastic introductory number “God of Nowhere” as Lila fires up the titular band: Dylan accompanies on bass, JJ (Helen J Shen) brings the vibes on keyboard, and Paul (Thomas Silcott) keeps it all in time on the drums.
