Blank Theatre Company’s “The Mad Ones,” with Karylin Veres and Rachel Guth/Photo: Elizabeth Stenholt
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You’re greeted by simplicity. A simple set, a simple backdrop and simple lighting. Only to quickly realize that the story unfolding is not simple at all. It’s a statistical anomaly. After all, Samantha Brown’s mom, Beverly, is a statistician, so she should know. “The Mad Ones” is a calculated musical risk—though however you look at it, Blank Theatre Company’s production comes out ahead.
Based on an excerpt from Jack Kerouac’s autobiography “On The Road,” “The Mad Ones” is a story of finding oneself. Sam finds herself at a loss for what to do after high school. Despite being valedictorian, she isn’t sure that Ivy League school is the right choice anymore. When her path takes a sharp and painful turn, Sam must come to terms with the fact that life goes on.
As best friends Sam and Kelly, Rachel Guth and Karylin Veres could not have been better cast. Not only are these two incredibly talented vocalists, but their stage chemistry is off the charts. Every scene they’re in electrifies the space. Veres, in particular, commands attention with every smirk. You may not walk in expecting this show’s musical range to play the field, yet the stylings are abundant—and Guth and Veres don’t miss a beat.
Blank Theatre Company’s “The Mad Ones,” with Karylin Veres and Anne Sheridan-Smith (top row); Aidan Leake and Rachel Guth (bottom row)/Photo: Elizabeth Stenholt
But we can’t forget the show’s other two performers, Anne Sheridan-Smith and Aidan Leake, as Beverly and Adam. Smith’s sassy, sentimental mother is resplendent and very Bette Midler-esque. While Leake, as the awkward but well-intentioned boyfriend, is utterly charming.
“The Mad Ones” had an off-Broadway run in 2017. Written by Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk as a concert-style musical, the tunes in this show are remarkable. Not only are they catchy, deep and, at times, silly, they’re the show’s stars. There are twenty-one songs in the show. It’s almost a “Les Misérables” level of everyone is always singing. Fittingly, “The Mad Ones” comes about halfway through the show and was a personal favorite. Though “My Mom’s a Statistician” has to be a close second.
Although the show goes at a quick clip at nearly a hundred minutes without intermission, it could’ve been about fifteen minutes shorter. There’s a point in the show when it feels like we’ve reached a natural conclusion, and since it doesn’t end, it starts to feel too long. Thematically, it sometimes starts to verge into an after-school special territory, which doesn’t feel like the road the show is supposed to take.
Even so, director Wyatt Kent’s production is an apt homage. Not just an homage to the Kerouac quote but to crossroads and how we cross them when we must.
“The Mad Ones” is presented by Blank Theatre Company at Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture, 2936 North Southport, through August 11. Showtimes: Thursday-Saturday (and Monday, August 5), 7:30pm; Sundays, 3pm; Saturday, August 10, 2pm. Tickets are $15-$30, available at blanktheatrecompany.org.
