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

I wonder if this will be considered a new musical or a revival for awards purposes. Do the Drama Desks, Lortel Awards, etc. have the equivalent of the "classics rule"?

Since the show has never had a single run in New York, it would 100% be considered a new musical.

Yeah it's not just the first major production in NY, it's the first production.

I've always loved the music. The problem at Goodspeed IMO was the book.

Very cool! "Run Away With Me" is such a great song, and I'd be interested to hear a full cast recording.

I find Kerrigan and Lowdermilk's career trajectory really interesting. For a time in the early/mid 2000s, it seemed like they were THE young musical theater songwriters in New York, the next big thing, lots of interest around them, etc. And then it just kind of never happened. They've written a lot of music but have had very few productions in New York.

Updated On: 8/28/17 at 08:30 AM

Having seen Samantha Brown when it was done at Goodspeed in 2011, I would say there's some truth to that. The show itself just wasn't coming together in any meaningful way. And while some of the music was really good, there was plenty that wasn't memorable, and some songs didn't really seem to serve the show. Perhaps it's a case of needing an actual librettist rather than trying to do it yourself. We'll see with this production.

More globally, it just surprises me how much of a nonstarter their career has been. I guess they've remained in the musical theater consciousness through cabarets and concerts, but they've written a whole lot of shows that just haven't gotten produced. And they've been dwarfed by a lot of composer/lyricist teams who started after them (hi Pasek and Paul). Not that any of this is out of the ordinary, but there was just so much buzz around them when they were starting out, it just has always been really intriguing to be how they never took off in terms of getting their actual shows produced.

Fankhauser singing "Run Away With Me"? Yeah, I'll go.

Interesting that the article says "An additional cast member will be announced at a later date." Emphasis on "AN." They specified that it was one more cast member, as opposed to the usual "additional casting." The original show had both of her parents as key characters. Will she only have one parent in this version? If so, I'm guessing it'll be her mom. I can see them cutting "My dad is a statistician" but not "I Know My Girl." That would mean "I Wouldn't Change Anything" would probably be a solo rather than a duet, which could work, but the usual duet arrangement is very beautiful.

I really like this casting. I have a weakness for this show, so I'm happy too see it continue to flourish. This and Tales from the Bad Years are just simple, relatable stories.

I wonder if the title change is to avoid confusion with well-known TV travel host and QVC spokesperson Samantha Brown?

Just got notified that the first preview (tomorrow) was cancelled and my tickets are being refunded. I'm going to buy later in the run. I haven't seen anything further about this.

I couldn't find specifics about why the first preview was cancelled, but I did find a tweet from Kerrigan and Lowdermilk on Twitter (https://twitter.com/kaitandbrian/status/927727257027796992) explaining it is due to an unforeseeable medical issue. Hope everyone's OK.

Also, props to Kait for being incredibly nice and offering to meet up for drinks with the distraught fan who is in town just for one night to see the performance that has now been cancelled.

Gasp! Guess I'm seeing Jay Armstrong Johnson tomorrow! :O

I hope Ben is okay though!

Updated On: 11/7/17 at 11:50 AM