What I liked
The balance of different styles and levels of humour involved appealed to me very much. Intellectual jokes, puns, celebrity roasts and references; hell even fisting made an appearance. I think this is very successful because it appeals to a wide range of tastes and sensibilities, allowing the audience to indulge in the humour they enjoy or understand best even if it isn’t always that same type of joke or comic structure. The balance between “high-brow” and “low-brow” was maintained well, as i didn’t ever feel like this was some elite “you have to know the culture of the moment” tupe of show nor was it ever the kind that left you feeling blue (too many curses or gross expressions). It was a perfect balance which made us enjoy the inconsistencies and wild explosions of the show and our poor character’s mental state even more.
What I didn't like
The speed of some of the lines would lead to a loss of clarity for me; while not something that derailed the performance by any means, there were times when i found myself straining to put together the sentence before we dove into another tangent. I would just recommend either a slight pause/slowing of the line or more aspiration on the consonants to help with the clarity. But this is a small complaint and was brushed aside by the explanations or examples often presented after.
My overall impression
M.A.D.D About the Boy is an absolute must see performance. Brought to life by the wildly indulgent eccentricities of a character that is two parts chaos, one part unfiltered honesty.
Relatable, witty, and oddly vulnerable; MADD about the boy offers a unique perspective into the world of social media, romantic/sexual cues, self-imposed boundaries, and the reckless behaviour that can lead us into situations we swore we outgrew. Precise referential comedy, relatable awkward moments with family, the pressure of the holidays, the strong presence of Jewish humour, and the undying manic energy of the character all culminate in an hour-long confession of faults and the journey to realise how they came to be.
She is aided in this confession by the soft and seamless artistic touch of director Nico Fife; the show’s success on technical, performance, and literary grounds are due in large part to the silent work done behind the scenes so that the madness onstage is able to manifest itself in the most truly unhinged, entrancing, and gut-busting manner.
