Lonesome Blues NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (62)
See it if you like Texas blues. Blind Lemon is the foundation of this genre. An incredible musician to learn about.
Don't see it if you don't like one-man shows. Exploring new themes.
See it if You like blues, you like history of music, for a nice night out, Mr Babatunde became all the characters he portrayed. Great singing too
Don't see it if You don't like blues, or one man shows. Or if you expect elaborate stage or sets. Just sit back and enjoy
See it if you like a solo show with one actor and one musician, both very talented, telling the story of a singer through the use of songs.
Don't see it if you do not like solo shows or like a show with a plot. Very simple set. Read more
See it if you love early blues and want to experience a great blues icon...with bits of his history.
Don't see it if you are expecting a biography of Jefferson or don't care for early blues music
See it if You like old 1920s and earlier blues. You’re interested in the life of Blind Lemon Jefferson. You want to hear great singing.
Don't see it if You want something lighthearted or modern. You want a show with a definite plot or in depth anecdotes. You don’t like the blues. Read more
See it if You like blues music and learn about struggle of a blind musician during great depression.The music was great and the actor was entertaining
Don't see it if You do not like one man show or blues music per se. there is no intermission and the elevator (few flights down) was out of order. Read more
See it if you enjoy powerhouse voices an discovering an overlooked person in music history.
Don't see it if you want an large production was many cast members.
See it if You are a Blues enthusiast or interested in musical history. Great guitar, some good singing but sounds too much the same.
Don't see it if You have no interest I the Blues and like a lot of action.
Critic Reviews (13)
"The authors have struggled to put together a coherent narrative out of the few pitiful scraps of information available to them, and the result is one of the sketchiest entertainments to grace the York's stage in some time...After a while, the text of 'Lonesome Blues' comes to feel like so much wallpaper between the numbers...Babatunde's singing is a bit mannered; the blues don't seem to come naturally to him...Owens' direction at least maintains a quick pace."
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“Features Babatundé’s awesome performance...but unfortunately muddled storytelling...There’s a lack of background information imparted and so despite the great renditions it becomes stultifying...In the second half...the narration is more connected to the musical portions as it successfully concludes...Owens brings presentational polish to the production with her assured staging that injects as much momentum as possible given the problematic material.”
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“Though Babatundé’s Texas accent, likely close to authentic, makes it difficult to understand some of what’s being said, the performer delivers forceful personification. Confident vocals slip/slide with terrific range and evocative accentuation. Lyrics that insinuate do so with flair. The actor somehow communicates Jefferson’s blindness. Overall feel of Jefferson’s oeuvre is spot on. That material runs one into the next a bit too similarly seems the fault of eliminating other voices.”
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“The storytelling in this creation is a tad convoluted, rarely finding its spirit and the internalized beat. The singing wanders around from good to impressive but never hitting that emotional high we keep waiting for. Oddly enough, Babatundé is more engaging when he takes on the voice and mannerisms of the ladies who came into his life. He seems to connect to their internal life more clearly, as the rest of the time, the threads of Jefferson don’t come together in a compelling narrative.”
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"His narrative, delivered in a thick Southern drawl, is sketchy and poetic, with a number of sequences in which Babatundé changes his voice to play various characters…The script plays second fiddle to over 30 songs…Most of the blues songs…are in the classic vein, but this creates a sense of repetitiveness over the course of the show's intermissionless hour and 25 minutes…The result is a biographically inflected blues concert for aficionados, not the wider public."
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"It is a tour de force performance, with the actor-singer ruminating on Jefferson’s life and singing his repertoire. Developing a distinct, wounded personality, he exhibits the inner longings and passions that Jefferson expressed, in addition to singing a vast number of songs in the style associated with the man who had such an influence on the art of the blues...To the credit of Babatundé, one comes away with a solid impression of the man and his life."
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“Refreshingly intimate...The whole piece is sung in a talkin’ blues style...Weiss accompanies the singer on a folk guitar...The connection between the two is palpable...The musical arguably runs a whiff too long, and could benefit if a couple of songs were cut from the piece...Babatunde has the pipes and acting talent to give flesh-and-blood to the legend...This show doesn’t have the glitter and dash of a Broadway musical. But it does have soul.”
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“The show is sometimes confusing and lacking in fluidity, suffering from truncated musical numbers, abrupt shifts in character, and staccato breaks between the random thoughts being recounted. And the context in which the story is set doesn’t become clear until the closing song...But like the style of the music itself, ‘Lonesome Blues’ is more about feeling than narrative, and Akin Babatundé skillfully delivers.”
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