The Mad Ones
Written by: Kerrigan and Lowdermilk
Based on an idea by: Zach Altman and Bree Lowdermilk
Directed by: Sarah Campbell
First Australian Independent Production
30th April - 16 May, 2026 at The Loading Dock Theatre
Mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved. Samantha Brown sits in a hand-me-down car with the keys clutched in her hand.
Caught between her well-intentioned mother, high-school sweetheart Adam, and the memory of her more-than-best-friend Kelly, Sam has to make a decision. Will she follow the path she always thought she’d take, or summon the courage to drive into a future she can’t imagine?
Full of huge, soaring songs and the perfect blend of humour and heartache, this gorgeous musical reminds us that it’s truly better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.
The Mad Ones is contemporary musical theatre at best. Brimming with catchy songs, it may just be your new obsession.
Team
Producer: The Little Big Theatre Co
Director: Sarah Campbell
Musical Director: Nicholas Till
Prod & Stage Manager: Bronwyn Dyer
Lighting: Holly Nesbitt
Sound: Peter Miller
Marketing Assistant: Andrew Topinio
Creative Producer: Megan Robinson
Set design: Sarah Campbell
Costume design: Megan Robinson
Production photos: Yingying Zhang
Cast
Meg Robinson as Samantha Brown
Teo Vergara as Kelly Manning
Tisha R. Kelemen as Beverly Brown
Ethan Malacaria as Adam
Gabi Lanham as Swing (Sam, Kelly)
Holly Horsfall as Swing (Adam, Bev)
Band
Keys: Nicholas Till
Keys 2: Jonathan Zhang
Violin: Annabella Chen
Guitar: Felix Staas
Reviews for The Mad Ones
★★★★★ - Sydney Arts Guide
★★★★★ - What’s The Show
★★★★½ - Stagedoor Reviews
★★★½ - Cultural Binge
Faith in Theatres
Sydney Hit Musicals
“You would be mad to miss this show. The Little Big Company’s production of ‘The Mad Ones’, at Loading Dock Theatre in Darlinghurst, is a must-see new musical” - What’s The Show
“Under Sarah Campbell’s instinctive direction and Nicholas Till’s tight musical direction… throwing the audience into every gear shift of Sam’s breakdown. This is savvy direction that reads and feeds the pulse of a generation who feel everything at full tilt” - Faith in Theatres
“Under Sarah Campbell’s direction, the relationship between Sam and Kelly is rendered with remarkable care…Every moment of almost-contact is charged” - Stagedoor Reviews
“As for production values, The Mad Ones shines with more strength than it does on paper. Directed by Sarah Campbell, her staging is a definite high point—beautifully complemented by Holly Nesbitt’s lighting, creating a compelling, evocative and visually stimulating atmosphere” - Sydney Arts Guide
“Directed with a kind of restraint that allows the text and the actors to take centre stage, these scenes do not feel heightened or theatrical for the sake of it. They feel lived. Raw. By the end, there is a collective effort in the room to hold it together. I know I was not the only one blinking away hot tears” - Stagedoor Reviews
“The singing is stratospheric…The cast are wow. [The Mad Ones is] Beautifully crafted, compelling and memorable” - Sydney Arts Guide
“What amazing vocals and energy from this intimate cast… [The Mad Ones is] the roadtrip we didn’t know we needed“ - Sydney Hit Musicals
“Meg Robinson is absolutely stunning as Samantha. Robinson has an incredible voice and delivers a nuanced performance... Teo Vergara as Kelly is a tour de force... There is great chemistry between the two. The show lights up when they share the stage” - Sydney Arts Guide
“At the centre is Sam Brown, played with aching clarity by Megan Robinson… Robinson carries a massive internal odyssey with a masterclass in poignant transparency, projecting conflict while remaining the show’s emotional anchor… she makes the audience sit inside every bruising, quiet moment of growing up” - Faith in Theatres
“Teo Vergara provides a wonderful spark as the radiantly fearless Kelly, haunting the stage with restless and electric energy. Ethan Malacaria brings a lovely grounded, gentle warmth to Adam… while Tisha R. Kelemen delivers a shrewdly observed performanceas Sam’s fierce mother, balancing maternal pragmatism with a quiet desperation” - Faith in Theatres
In a city where independent musical theatre can feel like an uphill battle, this kind of work matters. It matters that companies like this keep going, keep making, keep insisting on the value of the form. It is not easy. It is, however, essential. We love to see it. I love to see it. - Stagedoor Reviews
