The Mad Ones NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (90)
See it if you love talented singers, with more singing than dialog; you enjoy stories about high school seniors
Don't see it if you don't want to see a show that might make you sad (hint, one of the teens dies but you know that early on)
See it if you love talented women singing their brains out. Loved the balance of the cast, 3 females & 1 male-finally a show representing real life!
Don't see it if you aren't interested in teen angst or pop musicals, of if sets or choreography are your favorite parts. Set was just OK & barely any dance. Read more
See it if you like coming of age stories
Don't see it if you don't like new musicals
See it if You enjoy nonstandard music/harmonies for the genre, family/friend dynamics, challenges of entering adulthood,fast-paced staging
Don't see it if Need a big splashy set,don’t care for small ensemble theater, like traditional show tunes Read more
See it if You like small musicals about emotions and real life. You want to see something fresh with a great score and songs. You like DEH.
Don't see it if You want a musical with big production numbers or a fancy set. You can’t sit still for over 90 minutes! Read more
See it if You liked Next To Normal. This seemed to push a lot of those same buttons for me, maybe a bit more light hearted, at least at first.
Don't see it if You don’t understand metaphor! Or if you don’t remember what it was like to be 17 years old and have your whole world seen so possible.
See it if you like ambitious, small shows. If you're a fan of shows like Between the Lines
Don't see it if You like more traditional theater.
See it if you love a great score and amazing performances from the whole cast of powerhouses. A thoughtful story about youth and choice.
Don't see it if you're a fan of more linear story based shows and more classic musical theater. This style is very folksy and contemporary.
Critic Reviews (17)
"'The Mad Ones' is a nonstarter...It feels like a claustrophobic, overheated road trip. We’re the ones stuck in the car...Too much rewriting has over-narrowed the characters into one-note clichés...Their tuneful songs reward flashy vocalism and are generic enough to flatter many kinds of interpretation. But only sometimes are they truly theatrical...The rest of the 14 songs, stacked like pancakes and nearly as identical, glop together...Plays are not playlists."
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"Kerrigan and Lowdermilk are good at crafting catchy theater pop...Under Stephen Brackett’s fluid direction, the vocally gifted performers deliver the songs with conviction. But Samantha is a cipher, and the show is weighed down by stock characters, familiar metatheatrical devices and multiple clichés. Although 'The Mad Ones' might be enjoyable as an original cast album, on stage it has the same problem as many an angsty teen: It’s not as original as it thinks it is."
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"Musical cliché...Kerrigan and Lowdermilk set their confused story to a generic musical theater score...Director Stephen Brackett's staging is efficient...After sitting through 100 minutes of muddled plotlines and passionate wailing, it is hard not to see 'The Mad Ones' as a musical tribute to YOLO...If you want to see a great musical, I suggest you hit the road, Jack."
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"The production has a well-developed story, great staging, and a memorable score...People of all ages can relate to this touching and humorous story...The four-person cast of 'The Mad Ones' is a dream team...These Broadway stars master the thoughtful, clever dialogue along with the charm and spirit of the musical score...Rich, contemporary songs with live musical accompaniment that beautifully express the themes in the show."
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“Kerrigan and Lowdermilk lay bare Sam's dilemma with considerable tenderness and wit...The first half is both intriguing and a little bit frustrating...But the second half suddenly, sharply comes to life...Brackett handles this material with sensitivity, keeping the first half from seeming too precious and zeroing in on the conflicts that drive the action to its conclusion...It takes some time to get going, but, on its own terms, it has some exquisite moments."
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“The unpretentious little musical, has almost no dramatic tension, with a thin plot that serves mostly as a frame for showcasing the songwriting team...The performers deliver on all the charm, energy, and humor they can muster. With the exception of two of the numbers, however, the score itself is mostly unmemorable theater pop...If Kerrigan and Lowdermilk want to ramp things up, they would do well to listen to the kinds of heart-thumping musicals the cast members have on their bios.".
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“The drawn-out opening number is a young woman alone on the relatively bare stage singing a lackluster song about driving. It’s not a very promising start...The mostly harsh music is heavy on the strings and has repetitive, thumping motifs. The lyrics are simple and declarative and inspire the cast to at times border on yelling...It’s only fitfully compelling but could strike a chord with those have an affinity with the subject matter.”
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“Occasionally sluggish with no plot, no narration, little focus, slivers of flashbacks. The songs evolve out of memories. The lyrics are incisive and emotional. The music is contemporary and often repetitive...Many of the songs are belted and these performers are up for it. A fine orchestra in the balcony adds melodic harmonies. With a solid cast, changes in the characters emerge subtly through the show...This show will appeal most to coming-of-age viewers with many ‘if only’ moments to face.”
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