A REVIEW OF MADDIE - A NEW MUSICAL
What intrigued me most about Maddie was the idea of a downtown musical I had never heard of - something fresh, mysterious, and full of potential. The cover art suggested a sinister femme fatale with Gene Tierney’s icy elegance, staring out at us through a jagged tear in the page. Was this going to be a moody, sophisticated musical echoing the gothic intrigue of Rebecca? Or maybe a violent, seductive exploration of a sociopath à la Basic Instinct? Perhaps even a sly, manipulative lover in the vein of Heaven Can Wait?
Well…the answer is none of the above.
What unfolds is a curious blend of retro-Broadway earnestness and metaphysical melodrama, where sincerity and camp wrestle for dominance. In this downtown NYC production, a flapper from the 1920s possesses the body of a young woman in the 1970s, setting the stage for a twisted, time-warped love triangle. Maddie – A New Musical draws clear inspiration from three stronger predecessors - On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, 42nd Street, and, unexpectedly, Andrew Lippa’s Wild Party - while trying to forge a voice of its own. It simmers with ambition, genre pastiche, and tonal contradiction: a stew whose ingredients never quite blend, but still manage to create something strangely satisfying and hard to forget.
The opening thirty minutes mislead the audience into thinking this is a sub-Neil Simon comedy; a Barefoot in the Park but overloaded with clunky exposition straining to establish premise and character, leaving us rapping our fingers restlessly. Then, Maddie the Flapper finally makes her entrance, and the emotional hooks begin to land. Much of that success belongs to the cast:
Kelly Maur, who plays dual lead roles, is a performer with a remarkable command of contrast. She moves fluidly between the whiny, beleaguered Neil Simon-esque wife and the vampy, seductive single flapper. Her STUNNING voice, physicality, and timing give Maddie the dimension the show needs - where the music, lyrics, and book keep veering toward camp and cardboard characters.
Joe Lewis, the anxious husband, channels Andrew Keenan-Bolger with that overwrought, melodramatic energy appropriate only to musical farces. While it borders on camp, just like Keenan-Bolger, there’s an earnestness to Joe’s performance that anchors key moments with heart. He ticks the key boxes: to get seduced by the wrong woman and sound gorgeous doing it.
Truman Griffin as the villain’s sidekick serves the show well…and the eyes even better. Perfect musical comedy fodder.
When Shannon Payette Seip makes her entrance, fully embracing the role of a musical theater villainess in the grand tradition of Dorothy Brock, it becomes immediately clear that this show wants to be a classic musical comedy: 42nd Street, Me and My Girl, and Crazy for You. The Act II chase scene only confirms this intention - a gleeful nod to the genre’s madcap traditions.
But then, surprisingly, one of my favorite moments in the entire show arrives.
In a twist driven by farcical plot contrivance, Mrs. Payette Seip, now overtaken by a ghost, steps into a scene that is unexpectedly complex and emotionally layered. Gone is the cartoonish villainess; in her place stands a woman whose motives are ambiguous…even altruistic. The accompanying song doesn't simply reiterate the dialogue, it builds the scene - deepening our understanding of the character.
It reminded me of that magical turning point in 42nd Street when Dorothy Brock softens and admits Peggy might do an even better job than she - a moment filled with grace and unexpected humility. Similarly, here we’re left wondering: Is she sincere? Or is she saying what Jan needs to hear in that moment? That the ambiguity remains unresolved is a credit to the creative team, and even more a testament to the actress herself.
Mrs. Payette Seip shows an impressive ability to transition from broad musical farce to a mature, multi-faceted character. She brings the depth, nuance, and flexibility necessary to make us believe this turn, and to feel something genuine in the midst of what has become a broad farce. It’s a rare actress who can wink at the audience one minute and move them the next…and Shannon Payette Seip nails it.
My second favorite scene comes courtesy of Sally’s number, “What Would Maddie Do?” From what I understand, this was a late addition to the show - designed to give the spunky best friend her moment in the spotlight. Thank goodness it made it in, because it’s an absolute banger. It allowed the explosively energetic Lexis Trechak (who has perfect comic timing) to jolt the audience into smiling and forgiving any of the lesser numbers preceding it. In fact, the song is so good I found myself wanting one more verse and chorus - one final build to elevate it from a high-energy character song to the full-blown, rousing, showstopping dance number it’s clearly yearning to be.
Let’s take a minute to underscore the most impactful feature of this production of Maddie. It’s a downtown musical, subject to all the constraints of a downtown venue and a downtown budget. Musical moments are hampered by the limitations of a budget-conscious arrangement - just a synthesizer and a drum pad. This sparse instrumentation struggles to fill the theater with enough presence to create an immersive atmosphere. When the arrangement calls for a walking bass line, as it often does, the pianist is left to voice the 7ths, 9ths, and 11ths with only the right hand. The result is long passages of muddy chord clusters. Had the production sprung for a live bass player, the pianist could have used both hands to distribute the voicings more clearly, yielding a cleaner, more beautiful accompaniment that surrounds the vocals rather than pounds at them. This is not the musicians’ fault. The fault lies with the budget.
I’ve struggled since Sunday to articulate the thing you want to know most. How are the songs?
What’s evident above all else is the immense amount of creativity, joy, and affection that Shaun McKenna and Steven Dexter poured into the music. The songs are crafted with care and enthusiasm. The result is a score that leans heavily into a mid-1990s, white-guy-musical-theater-pop sound. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. However, instead of embracing the eerie, unsettling possibilities of its premise, the musical aligns itself with the buoyant verve of shows like 42nd Street, Crazy For You, and Me and My Girl. The challenge with that alignment, of course, is that those shows simply have better songs - melodies that soar, rhythms that beg for tap shoes, comedy numbers that burst with helium, bright color, and invention.
Maddie, by contrast, often plays it safer. For example, the most poignant and original idea of the show - that the love of your life returns from the dead in a younger body while you’ve aged - is, sadly, pushed aside. Instead, the narrative embraces the love triangle with a twist, focusing on Jan’s jealousy over her husband’s attraction to the ghost possessing her. (Put your hand down, On a Clear Day.) The music could have gone in a darker direction, reckoning with the psychological horror baked into the premise - schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder, clinical depression, not to mention the uncomfortable question of consent. But it didn’t. Okay. That’s a creative choice. However, at least five times I found myself wishing the songs would move the story forward, exploring the next emotional beat rather than simply reiterating the one we just heard in the dialogue. Without surprise or dramatic progression, the songs need showstopping melodies to carry them. While there’s charm here, the tunes rarely rise to that level. If this show wants to flirt with Golden-Age pastiche, then it needs to lean all the way in.
I would be remiss not to mention a glaring musical perplexity: the music was composed in the 2020’s about a flapper from the 1920’s who takes over a woman from the 1970’s. Yet the music ignores all these eras and sounds mid-1990’s. Is this a shortcoming? That depends entirely on intent. If the creators are using the 1990s musical style as a kind of postmodern collage - layering periods to make a point - it might be brilliant. If not, and it’s just a byproduct of contemporary habits and tastes slipping in, it could feel confusing - if not banal - to an audience expecting period-appropriate cues. (This, by the way, is the thing I find most disappointing about The Great Gatsby currently running on Broadway.) I have too much respect for the creative team’s creativity and competency to conclude disappointment. I’m merely going to flag this perplexity and let you decide if the music style works or not.
Fortunately, the cast brings texture and energy even when the script, lyrics, and book feel a bit pedestrian and uncertain what kind of musical they’re presenting. The cast holds nothing back, treating the material with full emotional investment and - particularly for the West Village - a refreshing lack of irony.
Does Maddie – The Musical warrant a trip downtown? YES!
I LOVE when a director, creative team, crew, and cast recognize the limitations of budget and venue, yet push through to create a world we ultimately enjoyed for two acts. Hats off to Andrew Winans for directing Maddie with specificity, energy, and fun choreography given a small stage. Hats off to Shaun McKenna, Steven Dexter, and Stephen Keeling for tackling a unique and challenging kind of musical. Go see this show, and, no matter its shortcomings, pay respect to the hustle.
RUNNING MAY 17-JUNE 18, 2025
The Players Theatre - 115 MacDougal St. New York, NY 10012