First of all, i would definitely run away with Jay Armstrong Johnson. I believe it was this iconic pleading ballad that first led me to Kerrigan and Lowdermilk a few years ago. Their sole recording consists of some amazing named stars singing these amazing, varied, and inspiring songs. And while I was aware a few had stories or came from song cycles, they mainly existed in the short world of that singular song. However, “The Mad Ones” takes some of my favorites, a few songs to me, and weaves them into a piece that is at both times heartbreaking as motivational.
Shtick is always hit or miss and the whole “we are in Sam’s head and everything is a mixture of memory slash thought slash wish/dream/desire” could have easily been hokey or confusing but instead it adds to the intimacy of the entire piece. This show doesn’t try to be about anyone except for Sam and therefore it helps that we are fully immersed in her Sam-ness. Krystina Alabado portrays the neurotically lost ingenue with amazing heart and talent. Portraying someone who is so unsure of who she is herself creates an interesting opportunity to take risks and really morph from scene to scene. This is an important skill because the other three characters are each uniquely entertaining but similarly grounded and sure of their specific roles. Because of this Krystina’s Sam is often a chameleon or mirror; changing to match or reflecting back upon her current scene partner.
I loved Kystina and truly rooted for her but I would be lying if I didnt say that Emma Hunton didn’t command attention whenever she entered the stage. She was brassy, bold, and beautifully comical which is so important because this character is all about balance in this show. She is Sam’s heart, both tied down and begging to be free.
Playing “the mom” or “the parent” in a very millenial show can easily shift towards overplayed trope land but Leah Hocking’s Beverly and her quirky love of statistics (no matter how depressing) was a lot of fun to see. The parallels between Beverly and Kelly in the way they control and speak for Sam create an amazing dynamic. This trio is filled with love, although miguided at times.
Jay Armstrong Johnson stepped in at the last minute to take on the male romantic lead of Adam with no preparation time due to a medical need from Ben Fankhauser and performed his gorgeous heart out. This show has a lot of female empowerment, platonic female love, and sisterhood themes but Adam is either too stupid or too in love to worry about sticking out like a sore male thumb. Jay could get a laugh just by entering and gave a lot of humanity to a character that easily shift towards one dimensional The balance between Adam and Sam is something that would usually take center stage but in many ways this subplot is just an additional spice in an already moving show.
“Moving” is an important word when discussing The Mad Ones. Between the constant driving/On the road/Kerouac/freedom/car references and the score that carries the audience continuously forward the idea of movement is vitally important. So get a move on it and get a ticket for this limited run show
I really love “Tot Su Zein Ist Komisch” as a duet between Rebecca and Magda rather then a solo (I just love Rebecca and wish she had more to do in the show), one of the few surprisingly very good changes made on Broadway. Rebecca here is understudy Robin Irwin, with principal Leah Hocking as Magda.
