Whether a novel, play or musical, coming-of-age stories succeed best when they create a sense of immediacy and empathy with the audience. Tesseract Theatre Company’s emotionally connected and realistically raw production of The Mad Ones, by Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk, gives the story the heart and resonance it needs to thoroughly entertain.
It is early morning in late summer, and Sam is sitting in the car, keys in hand, pondering the age-old question: “Should I stay, or should I go?” She’s dealing with deep personal loss and a cloud of uncertainty, which she’s trying to unravel by thinking through the past year and discussions with her best friend Kelly, which are shown as flashbacks. The daughter of a statistician mom, she’s obsessed with Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and the idea of driving until she finds someplace new where she can reinvent herself. The truth is that, as she wrestles with a mountain of facts and figures that constantly intrude on the chaos she’s trying to balance in her mind, Sam wishes she had her mom’s confidence or her friend’s hunger for adventure.
Melissa Felps shines as the brilliant but bruised Sam. She’s conflicted and palpably frightened of something she can’t express, her pain raw and overwhelming, but never tipping into melodrama — a welcome approach that feels connected and authentic. As Kelly, Grace Langford embodies youthful energy and excitement, a young woman alive with desire, curiosity and rebellion. Felps and Langford create a strong, convincing bond and have phenomenal voices, ensuring key songs such as “Freedom,” “Top Ten” and “The Mad Ones” are well-harmonized and delivered with suitable emotional punch.
Sarah Gene Dowling portrays warmth with a touch of humor and sarcasm as Beverly, Sam’s mom. She and Felps harmonize nicely in “My Mom Is A Statistician,” and she has a lovely, angsty moment in “Miles To Go,” which nervously reflects on the last 50 years of the women’s movement as a way to show Beverly’s hopes and fears for her valedictorian daughter. Cody Cole is plaintive and kind as boyfriend Adam, with a nice, mellow voice that adds depth to the ensemble numbers. But there’s a sense that Adam is a sketch of the reliable boyfriend rather than a fully realized character, and the musical might be more focused and memorable with just Sam, Kelly and Beverly telling the story.
Driven by three well-defined, relatable and authentically drawn women, The Mad Ones is a quietly powerful look at modern femininity that doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable truths and life’s harshest realities. Intimate and vulnerable, the lack of big diva moments actually heightens the emotional weight of this poignant story. Director and choreographer Kevin Corpuz ensures the pacing and movement flow in accordance with Sam’s internal compass, sweeping the audience along in the current. Speaking truths both personal and universal, The Mad Ones reveals loss and change as the seeds of growth in a beautifully tender production. The captivating musical is likely to elicit more than a few tears from the audience; I recommend bringing a tissue or two, just in case.
Book and music by Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk. Directed by Kevin Corpuz. Presented by Tesseract Theatre at the Marcelle (3310 Samuel Shepard Drive) through Sunday, November 12. Showtimes vary by date, and tickets are $25 to $30.
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