The Mad Ones (previously "Samantha Brown") at 59e59- Page 2

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/7/17 at 12:40pm

Def. a vocal improvement in my book. 

[steven22]

Posted: 11/7/17 at 9:32pm

I’m seeing the show tomorrow and very excited to hear that Jay will be performing. He’s fantastic.

[wicked4l]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 5:18pm

Just heard Melissa Rose Hirsch is the female cover. Did anyone see her in The Bad Yesrs in Brooklyn last year? She’s INCREDIBLE. Can’t wait for her to go on!!!

[steven22]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 8:55pm

Saw this tonight. Fantastic performances all around. Jay was fantastic. Especially with such short notice.

The set was bare bones. Really made the performances shine.

[wish i were here2]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 9:19pm

Just saw it and it was great! The book is sorta the weakest part and there were some moments and choices that made me go “....okay....” but all in all I enjoyed it. I honestly enjoyed the songs separately, more than anything. Also, shoutout to Jay Armstrong Johnson who was great even on such short notice! I loved his “Run Away With Me”

On a side note, does anyone know how much changed since it’s past iterations? I never saw the other productions so I was curious.

Updated On: 11/10/17 at 09:19 PM

[RndmAnswrs4RndmQstns]

Posted: 11/8/17 at 10:42pm

Ugh, this is making me more excited to see this! I’m seeing it next week and I cannot wait.

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 11/9/17 at 8:19am

OMG

The drama

The excitement

The Buzz!!!!

Must buy ticket IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!! 

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 11/9/17 at 8:24am

Anyone have a discount code?

[Jjohansan]

Posted: 11/9/17 at 8:06pm

Just bought my tickets for tomorrow night's performance! Very excited!!

[raddersons]

Posted: 11/10/17 at 8:53am

I’m gonna be the nancy in this thread.

I gotta say, the songs and performances were great but the themes of this show are so ameteur. Driving/road metaphors, “which road do i take”, LOTS of looking out longingly into the audience, and at least one prolonged introspective belt per song. Individually the songs are great, but the ideas explored are the same in about half of them.

I’m rooting for Kerrigan-Lowdermilk because i think their individual songs are wonderful... but they need to give us something other than a coming of age story. They’re not 24 anymore. I wonder if they can pull off a whole show or they should just try their hand at writing great pop songs.

[Melissa25]

Posted: 11/10/17 at 10:22am

I like Kerrigan and Lowdermilk too but I just don’t get all the yelling and screaming.  

I cannot be as kind as Raddersons ....”there’s at least one prolonged belt in each song”....

I simply felt yelled at for much of the show; sometimes by all four of the characters at the same time.  I loved the harp, violin and guitar but boy did I need ear plugs for the singing.

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 11/10/17 at 11:52am

Melissa25 said: "I like Kerrigan and Lowdermilk too but I just don’t get all the yelling and screaming.

I cannot be as kind as Raddersons ....”there’s at least one prolonged belt in each song”....

I simply felt yelled at for much of the show; sometimesby all four of the characters at the same time. I loved the harp, violin and guitar but boy did I need ear plugs for the singing."

Damn.

We're all rooting for them I think. I hope they find their grail. 

[Jjohansan]

Posted: 11/11/17 at 3:16pm

I should preface this by saying that I do enjoy Kerrigan and Lowdermilk’s work. However, I found the show to be very underwhelming. The whole show felt like the characters standing in front of us explaining what is going on, rather than showing. The songs were fantastic, but the book needs a lot of work. I almost feel like the show would work better as a song cycle of sorts. The book scenes really didn’t do anything for the story.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 11/12/17 at 12:35am

Before I say anything, I must state that I am big fans of all 4 leads, and they are singing their hearts out & all sound excellent.

But oh boy, this wasn't very good. The music, like most K&L, is sensational, but mostly too long and beats the horse far after its death. The set was atrocious - worse than any college production I've seen, and the staging, done by a director I admire, was clunky, static, and BORING. It was all just, boring.

The story, like Jjohansan brought up - isn't interesting. At all. The show opens with Samantha Brown debating on whether she's going to put a key in the car on her college move in day - to help her decide, we spend the next 90 minutes flashing back on her senior year, with a story that's extremely muddled & not ultimately very thrilling. It is the definition of melodramatic - one of the opening lines is, "I'm going to college. I'm the valedictorian. Valedictorian's go to college." I was checking my watch after every song in hopes it would wrap up already - because watching them STAND COMPLETELY STILL and sing songs about a story you don't care about for an hour and 45 minutes isn't a great use of time. 

Emma Hunton runs away with the show, and I hope to see her on Broadway again soon. Her comedic timing, matched with her great acting skills & unbelievable voice is really special.

Oh well. Maybe a concert version at microphones without the script would've been better? It definitely would've been more interesting.

Updated On: 11/12/17 at 12:35 AM

[raddersons]

Posted: 11/12/17 at 9:06am

VotePeron said: "The music, like most K&L, is sensational, but mostly too long and beats the horse far after its death."

I definitley agree with this too: lots of unnecessary, unearned key changes that were there for the sake of escalating. Escalating for the sake of escalating just prolongs a song, it doesn’t add tension. The content needs to inform the key change, not the other way around. 

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 11/12/17 at 2:46pm

I saw the show last night and it made feel very different then I have in the past, but in a different way.  I first heard about the show in 2006 with an early demo and then bits and pieces here and there until the 2010 demo.  When it first came into my world, I felt relatable to Samantha.  I had just graduated college, was 22, and deciding whether to try to make it dancing or going on to grad school and become an adult.  Even in 2010, I still was working on my life and wasn't even 30.

Now, I'm a full-fledged adult, whether I feel like it or not.  I have bills to pay, a professional job, and I worry about how my IRA is growing.  It's not that I don't enjoy things anymore, but what I enjoyed at 22 is totally different then how I am at 33.

I liked the performers and some of the music still tugs at my heart strings.  But I can't help by echo what Raddersons said:

"I’m rooting for Kerrigan-Lowdermilk because i think their individual songs are wonderful... but they need to give us something other than a coming of age story. They’re not 24 anymore. "

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 11/12/17 at 9:34pm

I saw it last night and really enjoyed it. I agree that Emma Hinton steals the show. This is a tony-worthy performance in my eyes. There does seem to be a lot of high belting throughout that got a little hard on the ears towards the end, especially in the mother's big song. Jay Armstrong Johnson was also amazing and I totally cried on his rendition of run away with me. I agree with most posters here about the book "telling instead of showing." Did this used to be a song-cycle? I still really enjoyed it so much because the songs are spectacular! The score is top notch. I wonder if a few more tweaks could help get it there. It would be a shame if this score didn't make it to Broadway... especially with these fine performances. I do disagree with the poster who thought the book was amateurish... with all the meta moments I found it to be the opposite, though not without problems. Seems like they used the meta narrative as a bandaid over the previous book. It somewhat works though not perfectly since everyone seems to have a problem with the book lol. I will definitely be seeing this again for Emma Hunton's performance alone.

With a new opening number and some smart rewrites I could see this on Broadway. Rooting for this creative team! Can't wait for a soundtrack!

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 11/12/17 at 10:41pm

VotePeron said: "Oh well. Maybe a concert version at microphones without the script would've been better? It definitely would've been more interesting."

It's interesting that you say this, because I saw the NAMT presentation last year and thought that 45 minute cut of the show was far more engaging and interesting than what's currently onstage at 59E59. I really wanted to like this show, as I've been a fan of some of the music for a long time, but was left disappointed.

[jawjuhh]

Posted: 11/13/17 at 12:19pm

Pretty much agree with all the previous posts-- music is great (although definitely understood the 'screaming in your face' vibes one poster mentioned, especially the mother's big feminist anthem), acting was great, story is ultimately really heavy handed. 

It was ultimately still pretty enjoyable but felt like watching an indie movie where there's basically no plot but a few funny lines and mild character development. I loved all the performances though, I was familiar with a few of these songs but these interpretations really blew me away. Really happy to have caught Jay Armstrong Johnson because his Run Away with Me was gorgeous.  I particularly enjoyed the EDM inspired song, it reminded me of NYMF's Camp Wanatachi was trying to do (but more successful)

 

 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 11/13/17 at 1:08pm

So as I said in the original post of this thread, this show meant a lot to me in my senior year of high school. I was having serious doubts about my life's direction that echoed Sam's very closely. I felt, and in a way, still feel, that the show is a more accurate psychological depiction of a teenager/young adult's struggle than most coming of age stories. I'm tired high school movies/plays with all the bullies, homework problems, cheating boyfriends, and all those clichés. This show has clichés too, but they felt more meaningful and honest than your average shallow high school story. 

When I first discovered the show, the problems with the book didn't bother me because (a) I didn't have quite as good a sense of what bad writing was, and (b) the show spoke to me so deeply that it all seemed so perfect to me. But yeah, now the dialogue feels extremely amateurish to me, and I wish they would do away completely with the narration/4th wall breaking/flashback conceit, especially since they no longer have the "autobiography" aspect to it.  

I do still think the score is excellent though, and I even enjoyed most of the new numbers. Every time a number began (particularly the familiar ones), my heart fluttered and I re-engaged with the show again. I was sorely disappointed to see they cut "I Wouldn't Change Anything," the song from the show that has always elicited the most water-works from me. I think what they put in its place did admittedly make more sense for the moment, and I understand the song was a duet between the mother and the now-cut father. But I wish they could have found another place for it, even as a solo number. 

I agree that the production feels really thin sloppy. The actors spend virtually the entire time shuffling around the stage uncomfortably, trying desperately to find something to do with their bodies in the vague and nebulous space the director has created. I do think it would have been better as a concert version with minimal staging. It's interesting that people mention the scream-belting (or screlting, as they sometimes say), because I felt that it was much LESS of a problem in this production than it has been in previous iterations that I've listened to. Whenever I listen to Patti Murin sing the score, I always think she's gonna pop a blood vessel from all the screlting. Meanwhile, I thought Krystina Alabado frequently opted for a much lighter, effortless placement in her voice, which was easier on the ears, and made her big belting moments all the more impactful. I also just enjoyed her performance in general - it felt very honest and genuine to me. And in fact she seemed like the kind of person I would have gone to high school with. 

I thought Emma Hunton was good, but Kelly is such a 2-dimensional caricature that I honestly didn't leave all that impressed with her, though through no real fault of her own. 

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 11/13/17 at 2:07pm

yes.  enjoyed Armstrong in  this.  the performances really did shine but agree the story is a heavy handed.  it's okay .  needs work. Glad i got to see it  though. 

[raddersons]

Posted: 11/14/17 at 10:39am

For anyone interested, I got this in my e-mail:

JUST $20 FOR KERRIGAN AND LOWDERMILK NEW MUSICAL, “THE MAD ONES”
Use code SKINT to snag $20 tickets* (Reg. $70!)
Valid for performances 11/16 through 11/24

[After Eight]

Posted: 11/19/17 at 8:04am

You know the expression "rope-a-dope?" The lead character in this trying exercise might well be dubbed "mope-a-dope," since moping seems to be her foremost character trait. Suffice to say, it doesn't make for a winning presence. A high school valedictorian spends an entire evening equivocating  on whether to go to an Ivy League school or to hit the road à la Jack Kerouac. A real tough call, wouldn't you say? Especially for a class valedictorian! Anyhow, after about twenty minutes of this, I wanted to hit the road à la moi.

The valedictorian, her mother, and best friend all get ample opportunity to bare their angst in song. The poor audience has to bear their angst in silence.

[Hamilfan2]

Posted: 11/19/17 at 10:53am

Is anyone seeing this show sometime soon and able to grab me an extra Playbill?  I am currently abroad and will not have a chance to see it    will happily reimburse you for postage!

[missthemountains]

Posted: 11/21/17 at 11:03pm

This was truly dreadful. I'm sorry, but what a mess! I'm confused how this even got this far. It's trying to be way too many things. The cast is top notch, and tonight Ben Moss went on for Frankhauser on book and did a great job. The audience was really sympathetic because many, like myself, were industry or press comps. That being said these actors are doing the absolute best they can with a total turd. I cannot wait for this whole trend of pop-riff musicals dealing with high school drama (Dear Evan Hansen, Next To Normal) to end. The biggest problem is this show just doesn't know what it wants to be. It's trying too hard to be feminist and current, there's not enough characters to tell this story, and Samantha Brown is just not a likeable character. Why Kelly would want to be her friend is completely beyond me. The boyfriend character is useless. The mom character is fun, but feels so stereotyped. It just doesn't feel cohesive at all. And after a while just all the songs sound completely the same. Lastly, the design was confusing. The set was very unspecificed, the costumes felt like they were bought from Target. If this gets good reviews and has a long life, I will be very, very, confused. I should also mention that I am the target audience for this: millennial theatre-goer, loves contemporary stories and intimate musicals...and I couldn't for the life of me get into it.