The Lucky Ones

See it if Autobiographical musical about an extended family that suffers a tragedy. Beautifully performed songs with intense feeling. Sad but real.

Don't see it if You want a more uplifting experience. This is a 2 1/2 hour show that drags in the second half. It's at its best during the songs.

See it if you enjoy a different type of musical with indie rock music and a deeply personal story. There are a lot of great songs and creative staging

Don't see it if you don't like indie rock music or don't like shows that deal with real life family tragedies.

See it if you like the Bengsons, indy music and a fascinating story that is based on reality.

Don't see it if you can't sit through a long show (over 2.5 hours) that becomes repetitive and could use a lot of editing. This play could have been great.

See it if You're interested in a soul-baring musical show accompanied by great choreography & a riveting story. This may be the most honest show ever.

Don't see it if You are looking for a traditional play - this is not that. But it would be hard not to be swept away by its emotion and intensity.

See it if Indie musical (banjo, accordion, electric guitar, etc.) of a hippy family that encounters a tragedy. Slightly rough around the edges.

Don't see it if Indie / folk music isn't your thing. Mental health / death is triggering

See it if You enjoy podcasts such as This American Life, Radiolab, Invisibilia, etc. It has a very similar feel, especially the last third.

Don't see it if You dislike folk/indie scores. You are looking for a "light" show.

Also This is a truly unique show. And that means quite a bit. After all, wouldn't you rather see a show that can't easily be compared to any other?

Abigail Bengson opens the show with a truly haunting incarnation. Her vocals are quite unique, with lots of intentional vocal breaks, almost bordering on yodeling and keening. And her vocal stylings, if you listen for them, are actually injected into her cast-mates a bit.

The staging is efficient, the choreography electrifying.

The story, while not always following a straight line, is absorbing.

The middle section of the show is a little jarring, so much so that Abigail actually warns the audience of the coming awkwardness, but the pacing is actually quite good.

I cannot wait to see the next iteration of this show. Hopefully we have not seen the last of it.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoyed Hundred Days and/or like folk rock musical theatre.

Don't see it if you like very traditional narrative structure.

Also if you were to blend Urban Outfitters and pour it into a musical theatre cup, you'd get this. I enjoyed Hundred Days (inspired by the life of the composers, The Bengsons), but this piece seems to fill almost every gap I felt that production left. The Lucky Ones retains the concert format, but is much more inherently theatrical and visually fleshed out. The two shows in tandem are theatrical magic.

This show is also not for everyone, however. It values aesthetic over momentum. There are moments where one has to simply settle into the warm bath that is the music and enjoy its aesthetic properties.

Also, Damon Daunno.... Read more Read less

See it if Wonderful singing, moving story of the disintegration of a loving oddball family. Humorous and sad, sometimes love is not enough.

Don't see it if No sets to speak of, fourth wall comes and goes, definitely indie, off-off broadway fare.

Also The semi-autobiographical "none of it happened and all of it's true" story of the mesmerizing Abagail Bengson's way-outside-the-box family. Clever direction in an intimate theater space. Very convincing performances and overall a memorable and intimate theater experience. Like most Are Nova productions this is a work in progress destined to get better with time.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy strong folksy female vocalists, if you are comfortable with ups, downs & painful consequences, if you want to consider redemption

Don't see it if You are looking for something feel good or light - this has light / fun moments but ultimately it's a sad family story

Also The plot centers an event from Abigail Bengson's own family & the consequences. It is brave and somewhat uncomfortably personal for her and her husband to have taken on this production.

Lots of talent & energy: Adina Verson as Emma has a truly stunning, powerful and clear voice. Ashley Perez Flanagan as Emily & Damon Daunno as Kai shine. The Bengsons as well.

The format is a cross between a concert, a dance performance and a muscial. The mish mash fits the storyline and helps to capture the feel of the hippie culture of Abigail's youth and family background.

That said I had an unsatisfied feeling. It's hard to say how much was the format and how much was the truth of an unresolved ending. Maybe it was just too sad for my expectations.
My gut says that the piece it either needs more polish or less - it's stuck in an akward place in-between not caring to be conventional at all and trying too hard to fit into multiple conventions - musical, concert, experimental dance.... Read more Read less

See it if you're a Bengsons fan (this is more successful than Hundred Days at NYTW); you're interested in new music theatre forms or electro-folk

Don't see it if you expect all rough edges smoothed out (still has workshop feel to it, & some elements are more successful than others; some need pruning)

Also “This is a true story, even the parts that never happened,” Shaun Bengson announces at the top of the show. The first act successfully introduces no fewer than a dozen characters from two families who have become one happy clan, raising their children in hippy dippy rural Maine at a Summerhill-like school that teaches "You are the whole world!" That world comes crashing down with an unexpected & tragic act of violence, and the disparate second act recounts Abigail Bengson's struggle to bring an adult perspective to the traumatic events of her youth.
There's a lot to like here, from the excellent band and electro-folk tunes to the uniformly excellent cast (Damon Daunno is a standout as a troubled teen). Sonya Tayeh choreographs a memorable teenage bonfire bacchanale and Anne Kaufmann directs with understated simplicity.
The concert format has its limitations as narrative, but The Lucky Ones makes a more convincing case as theatre than this season's earlier outing, A Hundred Days.... Read more Read less

See it if you like creative shows with indie infused music. Talanted cast and some interesting staging ideas. Not the Bengsons’ best though.

Don't see it if The story is too long and feels disjointed at times. This negatively affects music and the production as a whole. Abigail is too emotional.

See it if you liked Hundred Days; very similar structure and semi-autobiographical setup. Engaging storyline and solid vocals.

Don't see it if you cannot embrace the tagline "Everything in this story is true. Even the parts that didn't happen." That murky area is the crux of it.

See it if you're interested in non-traditional musicals that are based on indie-folk music and real life stories

Don't see it if you're looking for a light or classic musical

See it if I love abagail

Don't see it if I didn't love the whole bonfire sequence

See it if You love strong story-telling, near-immersive theatre, BEAUTIFUL music, deeply emotional stories.

Don't see it if You struggle with themes of family violence or descriptions of physical violence. You prefer straight plays/musicals, not a combination.

See it if you enjoy non-traditional theatre, multi-genre scores, and raw, honest storytelling performed by a terrific ensemble

Don't see it if you are only a fan of traditional theatre or prefer standard showtunes to folk-rock

Also You truly are one of the lucky ones to get to experience this story. The Connelly feels like it was designed for this piece. Abigail and Shaun Bengson have crafted a tale that may or may not be entirely based on truth, but it is a fascinating story of family nonetheless. You are taken on an emotional journey without overindulging in the sentiment. The performances are electric. Standouts include the Bengsons and the always-wonderful Damon Daunno, but the entire ensemble works together beautifully. Another triumph from Ars Nova.... Read more Read less

See it if you love the Bengsons, Sonya Tayeh, and great choral arrangements (the choral work was wonderful).

Don't see it if you find autobiographical therapy sessions to be self-indulgent or if you mind a musical turning into a cabaret act after intermission.

See it if you love the Bengsons, are a fan of documentary style theatre, want to see an ambitious, not fully successful, musical experiment.

Don't see it if you want a consistent storytelling format, or are looking for something with depth beyond minor personal tragedy.

Also This story is clearly deeply personal to the artists, but it lacks universality and weight - the amount of talent, money, and time that has gone into this piece feels out of scale to the importance of the story being told. Ultimately, it felt like this piece failed at connecting or resonating beyond the specific family at its center.... Read more Read less

See it if You like downtown theater focusing on autobiographical storylines and great live music in a cool space.

Don't see it if You want something like a classic musical or don’t want to feel passionate intimate performances by great artists

See it if You love very modern, edgy musicals with great choreography, incredible vocal arrangements and captivating storytelling elements.

Don't see it if You can’t deal with a work in progress. The second act needs work and doesn’t live up to the energy of act one.

See it if you're interested in a touching autobio concert-musical that combines elements of folk, rock & electronic music by two exciting talents.

Don't see it if you prefer a more classic structure or sound to your musical theater.

See it if You love live music, incredibly connected performers, astonishing staging and dancing, moving theater that gets to the very core of life

Don't see it if You don't like folky, rock music, don't want to be surrounded by amazing performers, not interested in vital, moving theater

Also The Bengsons are theatrical treasures who mine their lives to create astonishing, vital, moving and very authentic theater! The cast is the best ensemble work I've seen in years and the story is captivating, hilarious and shockingly painful - life in all it's dimensions. This piece astonishes, delights and should not be missed!!... Read more Read less

See it if you love original takes on the musical form. I was absolutely mesmerized. Amazing songs. Heartwrenching performances

Don't see it if You need light song & dance spectacles. This is heavy but so so worth it. Wow.

See it if you love a performer who gives her heart and soul to her work. Great ensemble, orginal storytelling, inventive, seemless staging.

Don't see it if don't want to go to the east village off the beaten path or if you are looking conventional theater.

See it if You want to see what musical theatre could be and want to see someone push the form.

Don't see it if You want to sit there and not be moved or involved or invested in anything happen on stage.