"'The Mad Ones' is a nonstarter...It feels like a claustrophobic, overheated road trip. We’re the ones stuck in the car...Too much rewriting has over-narrowed the characters into one-note clichés...Their tuneful songs reward flashy vocalism and are generic enough to flatter many kinds of interpretation. But only sometimes are they truly theatrical...The rest of the 14 songs, stacked like pancakes and nearly as identical, glop together...Plays are not playlists."
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"Kerrigan and Lowdermilk are good at crafting catchy theater pop...Under Stephen Brackett’s fluid direction, the vocally gifted performers deliver the songs with conviction. But Samantha is a cipher, and the show is weighed down by stock characters, familiar metatheatrical devices and multiple clichés. Although 'The Mad Ones' might be enjoyable as an original cast album, on stage it has the same problem as many an angsty teen: It’s not as original as it thinks it is."
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"Musical cliché...Kerrigan and Lowdermilk set their confused story to a generic musical theater score...Director Stephen Brackett's staging is efficient...After sitting through 100 minutes of muddled plotlines and passionate wailing, it is hard not to see 'The Mad Ones' as a musical tribute to YOLO...If you want to see a great musical, I suggest you hit the road, Jack."
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"The production has a well-developed story, great staging, and a memorable score...People of all ages can relate to this touching and humorous story...The four-person cast of 'The Mad Ones' is a dream team...These Broadway stars master the thoughtful, clever dialogue along with the charm and spirit of the musical score...Rich, contemporary songs with live musical accompaniment that beautifully express the themes in the show."
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“Kerrigan and Lowdermilk lay bare Sam's dilemma with considerable tenderness and wit...The first half is both intriguing and a little bit frustrating...But the second half suddenly, sharply comes to life...Brackett handles this material with sensitivity, keeping the first half from seeming too precious and zeroing in on the conflicts that drive the action to its conclusion...It takes some time to get going, but, on its own terms, it has some exquisite moments."
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“The unpretentious little musical, has almost no dramatic tension, with a thin plot that serves mostly as a frame for showcasing the songwriting team...The performers deliver on all the charm, energy, and humor they can muster. With the exception of two of the numbers, however, the score itself is mostly unmemorable theater pop...If Kerrigan and Lowdermilk want to ramp things up, they would do well to listen to the kinds of heart-thumping musicals the cast members have on their bios.".
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“Occasionally sluggish with no plot, no narration, little focus, slivers of flashbacks. The songs evolve out of memories. The lyrics are incisive and emotional. The music is contemporary and often repetitive...Many of the songs are belted and these performers are up for it. A fine orchestra in the balcony adds melodic harmonies. With a solid cast, changes in the characters emerge subtly through the show...This show will appeal most to coming-of-age viewers with many ‘if only’ moments to face.”
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“The drawn-out opening number is a young woman alone on the relatively bare stage singing a lackluster song about driving. It’s not a very promising start...The mostly harsh music is heavy on the strings and has repetitive, thumping motifs. The lyrics are simple and declarative and inspire the cast to at times border on yelling...It’s only fitfully compelling but could strike a chord with those have an affinity with the subject matter.”
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