Theatre Review: 'The Mad Ones' at Sacred Heart University

FAIRFIELD - The Sacred Heart University Theatre Arts Program is presenting “The Mad Ones,” a musical with book, music and lyrics by Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk. The show is part of the Performing Arts Department’s 2021-2022 season and is directed by Jerry Goehring,the Executive Director of Performing Arts at SHU, with musical director Tom Morris.

Goehring is a Tony- and Grammy-nominated producer, whose credits include the Tony-nominated “A Christmas Story” and “Be More Chill (Best Score.) He recently produced the latter at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Other Palace theatre in London, at The Shaftesbury Theatre in the West End and is due to roll out internationally post-COVID.

“The Mad Ones” is the story of Samantha Brown as she balances on the edge of her future, car keys (literally) in hand. As she sits in the driver’s seat, she faces a choice: will she follow in her mother's footsteps, take the dare of her most impetuous best friend Kelly and chart a new path. Formerly known as “The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown,” opened off-Broadway in November of 2017.

The script is a good fit for four university-aged performers and the musical compositions by the writing team move it along well. Goehring has all of the supporting performers sit on the stage on stools for almost all the performance, awaiting their entrances in reduced light. There are bits of comedic touches, especially the references to the one and only Sting.

Grace Peknic, a freshman majoring in strategic communications, public relations and advertising and theatre arts, leads the cast in the role of Sam and gives a performance that is spot on throughout. It is a joy to hear her clear singing voice.

SHU junior Kimmy Johnson is a delight as the bff Kelly, full of personality and daring. Allie Cimaglia, a junior theatre arts media arts double major at SHU, ages up to play the role of Sam’s statistician mother Beverly (never “Bev.”) Perhaps not so coincidentally, she has written a book about the stats on road accidents.

Sophomore Nick Rubano doesn’t have all that much to do as Sam’s boyfriend Adam, but when he is on, he does well.

The musical director, a musician who performs on keyboards, organ and percussion, sits at the back of the stage playing piano with Dick Neal on guitar. Morris was involved with three other SHU shows that I have attended, namely “Falsettos,” “In the Heights,” and “Be More Chill.”
The set design by the students in the department is simple with lighting design by SHU junior Samuele DeLuise quite effective. Costumes by Marykate Kiley, a junior nursing major, are contemporary and appropriate to the four characters. Hair and makeup design by sophomore Lauren Baroletti also matches the characters. The sound and projection design by sophomore Matthew Cordova worked very well.

The show is presented in the former university chapel now transformed into a black box theatre without an intermission. Masks are required on campus, and the cast members followed all Equity COVID rules.

You can run away with the cast of “The Mad Ones” at one of the remaining performances. Throw out your roadmap and experience the freedom of the highway. The Performance dates are February 10-13 and 17-20. You can get your tickets for general admission to The Little Theatre on the SHU campus at the Edgerton Center Box Office, open Monday to Friday, 12pm-4 pm or call (203) 371-7908.

Next up at SHU will be “Sweat” by Lynn Nottage in March, followed by the musical “A Chorus Line” on the mainstage in early April.

Nancy Sasso Janis, a SHU graduate, has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.