Road Maps, Detours and Powerhouse Vocals Drive ‘The Mad Ones’

Road Maps, Detours and Powerhouse Vocals Drive ‘The Mad Ones’

By Lynn Venhaus

An 18-year-old girl in a car. Life looms large at that age, so much ahead, not much in the rear-view mirror. Is she ready to embark on her journey?

The expertly produced “The Mad Ones” from Tesseract Theatre captures those feelings –that yearning for experiences and the exhilaration of the possibilities about the road ahead, but also wanting to leave the past behind. And regrets, we’ve all had a few.

The show, first produced in 2017, formerly known as “The Unauthorized Biography of Samantha Brown,” focuses on that moment when you prepare to leave home – off to college or work or other adventures – and the memories that flood your brain during a turning point. What does Samantha do when people around her give advice? And how can she move on when certain things hold her back?

Ensemble. Photo by Florence Flick

As besties Samantha and Kelly, Melissa Felps as the smart one and Grace Langford as the wild one sing their hearts out in Kait Kerrigan and Bree Loudermilk’s off-Broadway musical theatre sensation. This contemporary drama is laced with humor and isn’t going for easy answers or tying things up neatly, but rather a process of discovery, which can feel overwrought because of the intense material.

This four-person show taps into choices, grief, and loss, and how the detours of life just force us off the road – even when we’re just getting started. Three of the four performers make their Tesseract debut, in line with the company’s mission to include fresh voices and new perspectives. (Langford was seen earlier this year in “The Last Five Years.”)

While Felps and Langford, both tremendous belters, are a dynamic duo as the oh-so-dramatic BFFs, Sarah Gene Dowling as Sam’s mom Beverly and Cody Cole as Sam’s boyfriend Adam are also noteworthy.

Dowling conveys warmth and wisdom as sometimes overbearing Beverly, strong in her touching “Miles to Go” solo, and zealous in “I Know My Girl” accompanied by the ensemble. Cole, while not on stage that much, works to make dim-bulb Adam more than the one-note character as written. His “Run Away with Me” reveals a tender side.

Sarah Gene Dowling and Melissa Felps. Photo by Florence Flick.

The characters are rather sketchily drawn, but the performers work overtime to make them relatable. The book could use some tweaking – as the non-linear story arc can be clunky in disclosure and sometimes murky.

However, the propulsive songs are exceptionally expressive, and the ensemble delivers them with a deeply felt commitment, especially “Moving On,” “Drive” and “Remember This.” They have fun introducing themselves in “We’re Just in Your Head.”

Once dialed in, the production is more than crossroads and “On the Road” references (title included). No need for spoiler alert– but expect life to happen while they’re busy making other plans.

Felps, in her best performance to date, exhibits plenty of verve, but also frets in the way that teenage girls do, with moms and boyfriends to deal with – and with a pesky live-wire best friend judging her decisions and nudging her out of her comfort zone.

Her poignant delivery of “The Girl Who Drove Away” and “There Was a Party” aptly captures her impassioned but sensible valedictorian character, while she excels in the duets, smoothly collaborating with her partners.

With Cole as the not-as-intelligent beau, the couple is playful in “Simple as That,” funny in “The Proposal,” and sweet and hopeful in “Say the Word.”

The mother-daughter relationship is humorously captured in “My Mom Is a Statistician” while she’s learning to drive, a running plot point.

Cody Cole, Melissa Felps, Grace Langford. Photo by Florence Flick.

But the calling card here is puckish Langford and earnest Felps’ stupendous harmony. Their heartfelt vocals are best in a song grappling with life’s blows – “Ordinary Senior Year,” and revisiting memories and dreams in “Freedom.” They really have fun with “Top Ten” – you must listen to the lyrics. (A dig about Sting’s musical?! Hilarious. More Sting jokes to come (?!)

Both high-spirited actresses have worked together before, in a regional production of “Urinetown” in summer 2022, and they have an easy chemistry that allows their characters to resonate emotionally. The two singers reach a zenith with their power in “Go Tonight” (written as a shouting match, it seems – some of the bombastic delivery could have been more nuanced to mix up the intensity).

Lyricist Kerrigan and composer Loudermilk’s musical has inspired a cult-like following, in a similar way that “Dear Evan Hansen” did in 2017. As this work has been in development for many years, several numbers went viral on YouTube. More than 15,000 pieces of digital music from the score have already been sold since 2009.

The work of high-octane director-choreographer-performer Kevin Corpuz, a big fan of Kerrigan-Loudermilk, always has an energy to it, and in his directorial debut, has maintained a noticeable momentum in The Marcelle space. The staging, to use a driving reference (that are plentiful in this show), has muscular power.

Music Director Joe Schoen’s interpretation of the score has both a fleetness and a sleekness to it, with Schoen conducting and playing keyboard, and superb sound from Adam Rugo on guitar, Chuck Evans on violin, and Zach Neumann on a second keyboard.

The creative crew has contributed to outstanding production values – Jacob Baxley on sound design, Brittanie Gunn on lighting design, and Todd Schaefer’s striking scenic design that allows a fluidity, while Stage Manager Sarah Baucom keeps the action smooth.

Photo by Florence Flick.

Gunn, co-founder and creative director, and Corpuz, also creative director, are ushering in a new era at the 12-year-old Tesseract that promises to be exciting as they reach new goals with musical productions and continue their commitment to new voices with their summer play festival.

“The Mad Ones” is a crowd-pleasing choice after positive response to “Kinky Boots,” “Ordinary Days,” and “The Last Five Years,” yet still taking risks and meeting challenges. Next up is “The Inheritance,” the 2020 Tony Award winner for Best Play, in April, New Musical Summer Fest in July, and the musical “Anastasia” in November 2024.

In the iconoclastic words of Jack Kerouac: “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or a saw a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”

Tesseract Theatre Company presents “The Mad Ones” Nov. 3-12, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. at The Marcelle, 3310 Samuel Shepard Dr, St. Louis, 63103, in Grand Center. The show is 1 hour, 40 minutes, without intermission. For more information, visit the website: www.tesseracttheatre.com

Melissa Felps as Samantha. Photo by Florence Flick

Tesseract’s Leap of Faith Musical ‘Ordinary Days’ Is a Memorable Journey

Tesseract’s Leap of Faith Musical ‘Ordinary Days’ Is a Memorable Journey

By Lynn Venhaus

What a pleasant surprise the leap of faith “Ordinary Days” is – as the inaugural musical presentation of Tesseract Theatre Company, as an original musical by Adam Gwon, as a coda to this year and as a reflective piece for our third winter of a pandemic.

An intimate, affecting sung-through musical that intersects the lives of four young New Yorkers, “Ordinary Days” resonates with its struggles, search for fulfillment and the palpable sense of yearning from the new-to-me quartet.

Discovering the vocal talents and comedic timing of Brittani O’Connell, Jacob Schmidt, Micheal Lowe, and Lauren Tenenbaum is also part of the fresh-and-fun experience.

As directed by veteran Elisabeth Wurm, the cast maneuvers like the New Yorkers they portray. There’s a certain rhythm to moving around the city, and the four performers nail the aptitude and the attitude. (Full disclosure: my youngest son has lived there since 2011, so I have visited over the years, and have observed the natives, transplants, and tourists.)

When navigating the hustle and bustle, I am often reminded of Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics to “Another Hundred People” in “Company”: “It’s a city of strangers, Some come to work, some to play… Some come to stare, some to stay And every day The ones who stay
Can find each other in the crowded streets and the guarded parks…”

Worried about their futures while still clinging to their hopes and dreams, these two pairs have found each other in a city misrepresented by a cold-hearted perception. It’s not, but you must learn survival — “If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere” is pretty much true.

Tenenbaum is Deb, a small-town girl with dreams of more, who is in grad school and misplaces a notebook crucial to her thesis. It’s found by Warren, a guileless goofy guy played by Schmidt, who is too pleasant and agreeable for his own good, for he’s one of those random guys passing out flyers on the street who is repeatedly ignored. His job is cat-sitting but he’s the proverbial struggling artist. He’s desperate to fit in – can he still be chipper when trying not to get swallowed whole by the city?

Frazzled high-strung Deb is always in a hurry, and will eventually learn to be in the moment, or else the treasured little things in life will pass her by. She thinks Warren is weird, but eventually they become good friends.

Jacob Schmidt, Lauren Tenenbaum

 The other couple is romantically linked. They have been together for a while but mulling over taking it to the next level, as Jason moves his things in to Claire’s. But something isn’t quite right. O’Connell plays Claire, whose backstory includes a 9-11 casualty, and Lowe is Jason, whose journey leads to commitment, but is Claire ready?  

Learning to appreciate the simple things of life – while feeling lonely, isolated, and out of sorts – has been a common theme during the coronavirus pandemic, which has brought a gamut of emotions to the surface since March 2020.

So, Adam Gwon’s play, written in 2008, takes place in 2005, which is important for the actions and transitions. It is a marvel of relatable key moments – Oh, youth! The 30s! – and somehow, reverberates with the same contemplations we’ve had during this pandemic era of uncertainty.

Gwon is a noteworthy talent, included in Dramatists Magazine’s “50 to Watch,” and “Ordinary Days” put him on the map. His lyrics are sharp and vibrant, have an everyman quality and universal appeal. (He also wrote the revue “Old Jews Telling Jokes,” which was presented by New Jewish Theatre in 2014.)

Tesseract’s presentation of “Ordinary Days” is a fine introduction to his music, and Music Director Zach Neumann deftly plays the keyboards and keeps the pace brisk for the singers, whose strong enunciations and interpretations really make the vivid lyrics hit home.

Schmidt sets a convivial tone with “One By One By One,” then shades his character’s personality through “Life Story” – his heart and his humor apparent.

Tenenbaum, also quirky but bursting with possibilities, explains her life to date in “Don’t Wanna Be Here” and her mojo in “Dear Professor Thompson, Part I” – continuing her funny bundle of nerves.

Deb and Warren’s meet-cute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art turns into a sweet duet “Sort of Fairy Tale” – ‘violent punctuation”! And continues with “Big Picture.”

Brittani O’Connell, Micheal Lowe

The Met figures into Claire and Jason’s relationship, but not as positive as the other pair’s.

While moving in, gifted vocalists O’Connell and Lowe explore their next-step feelings in “Let Things Go” and “The Space Between,” and go through their stuff in “I’m Trying.” They succinctly sum up a couple’s argument with a lighter humorous touch in “Fine.”

Among the most poignant is O’Connell’s “I’ll Be Here” – which should elicit leaky eyes from nearly everyone – and Lowe’s simple but so eloquent “Favorite Places.”

The hits just keep on coming — “Hundred-Story City” captures the love-hate relationship that New Yorkers have with the concrete jungle. And “Rooftop Duet/Falling” ties the show together.

Claire has realized she must let go of the past before she can move on, and O’Connell’s character arc is the deepest felt, but all performances are warm and captivating. They harmoniously come together in the stirring finale “Beautiful.”

With the focus squarely on the individuals and how they factor in with others, the set design is simple, and relies on photographs projected on the large screen – sights of living in New York City. (NYC always feels familiar because we’ve seen it so many times in entertainment.)

If you feel that you have taken away from our recent 21st century life-and-death experience the importance of connection, like I have, then this timely and charming reminder to appreciate beauty and joy in our lives, no matter how small or fleeting, delivers its heartfelt message as only live theater can.

This may be Tesseract’s first musical, but it won’t be their last, as they are planning to present the two-hander “The Last Five Years” by Jason Robert Brown in February and the Tony Award winner for Best Musical in 2013, “Kinky Boots,” later this year.

I’m liking this leap of faith Taylor Gruenloh has set his company on – and the first step is a knockout, a memorable musical for our times. Dare I say “optimistic”?

Tesseract Theatre Company presents “Ordinary Days” Nov. 18-27 on Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 4 p.m. at the. Zack Theatre, 3224 Locust. Tickets are available at MetroTix.com or at the box office before the performance. $25 for general audience and $20 for students. For more information, visit www.tesseracttheatre.com