The Mad Ones – Review

The Mad Ones: The Other Palace Studio, London

9th May 2025

★★★★

The Mad Ones is a new contemporary musical theatre shows brimming with catchy pop songs. Having had a successful run at Birmingham’s Old Joint Stock, The Mad Ones is now playing in London for a month-long run. The show is a coming-of-age musical about Samantha Brown as she relives her senior year. After losing her best friend Kelly in a car accident, Samantha must decide if she should follow her mother’s dreams for her or to drive off into a new life leaving the past behind her.

This new production has some really powerful moments. The relationship onstage between Courtney Stapleton (Kelly) and Dora Gee (Samantha) is tangible throughout and builds to a heartfelt climax in Act 2. Both of them demonstrate superb acting through song and vocally are very powerful. With each performer having a different vocal quality, they contrast each other yet work brilliantly in harmony, creating a beautiful sound. The emotion onstage is tangible and heartfelt and there are plenty of tears offstage in the audience too at this touching piece. Dora Gee’s moving journey is performed excellently. Courtney Stapleton uses her whole body to convey every emotion as though she is really living in Kelly’s shoes. Whilst this production tackles the hard topic of grief there are also plenty of comic moments, particularly in the first act, as the audience get to learn about Samantha’s relationship with Kelly. All of the cast excel onstage although during the first act the role of Samantha’s boyfriend Adam (Gabriel Hinchcliffe) is left slightly redundant. In the second act, the relationship between Samantha and her mother, played by Thea Jo Wolfe, is built upon and developed further as we see the effect the summer has had on her future. 

The Other Palace Studio is a great venue for this show as it is intimate enough to convey the intensity of the story and yet still has enough space onstage to allow movement – and of course a car. The set by Reuben Speed is cleverly designed to be solely focused on the car situated centrally on the stage. All of the action comes back to this car and the idea of Samantha running away, leaving her life behind and starting anew. The backdrop of broken glass, representing not only the car accident which claimed Kelly’s life but also how Samantha’s life had been cut into pieces, works well with the dramatic lighting by Joanne Marshall and further adds to the atmosphere.

This original piece features a moving score by Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk. There is some variety within the score with some beautiful piano ballads and also more upbeat numbers. The Mad Ones is full of strong vocals and each lyric is performed with conviction. The show is almost sung through – which makes it even more powerful as we don’t interrupt the tension onstage. There are a few numbers which feel slightly at odds with the rest of the show but overall every moment is used well, maximising the impact of the story during the production which is just under 2 hours. 

The Mad Ones delves into themes of love, loss, and the search for self love and acceptance. It is an emotional coming-of-age story, reflecting on the choices we make and the paths we follow. This contemporary new musical has impressive vocals, a poignant storyline and is heartfelt – definitely one to check out during its limited run in London. 

The Mad Ones is playing until the 1st June. For tickets and more information please click here.

Photo Credit: @PerroLocoPro

AD – PR invite in exchange for a honest review.