THE ESSENTIAL STRAIGHT & NARROW

A lo-fi ode to the Kodachrome 1970s, rock and roll antics, and the mystical American Southwest: The Essential Straight & Narrow recalls a roadside layover in Pinos Altos, New Mexico, where passing the time becomes reliving the past. Between original country rock songs, bouts of $10,000 Pyramid, and late night craft time, The Mad Ones turn out an intimate anthem about regret and reinvention. 

Creator Credits

Created by The Mad Ones in collaboration with the ensemble, Directed by Lila Neugebauer, Set Design by Laura Jellinek, Costume Design by Ásta Bene Hostetter, Lighting Design by Mike Inwood, Sound Design by Stowe Nelson, Dramaturgy by Sarah Lunnie

Featuring Marc Bovino, Joe Curnutte, Michael Dalto and Stephanie Thompson, with Clare Barron, Jonathan Bock, Blake DeLong, Maya Lawson, Matthew Summersgill, and Merlin Whitehawk

Production History

A developmental production entitled Untitled Biopic Project ran at the 2013 Ice Factory. The Essential Straight & Narrow premiered at the New Ohio Theatre in May 2014.

Press Raves

The New York Times Critics’ Pick

  • “Ingenious and tricksy, its story lines tantalize and confound. But just when you’re ready to dismiss it as a postmodern goof, it shoots straight at your heart. With excellent aim.” —Alexis Soloski

  • "Say what you will about the Mad Ones, they don’t pander." —Alexis Soloski

  • "If it’s a single as good as 'The Essential Straight & Narrow,' play it again.” —Alexis Soloski

The New York Times Stage Memories from 2014

"HEARTY PARTY: A chicken, a mermaid, a sad clown and a Navajo chief crowd a motel room in New Mexico, boozing and dancing and bobbing for apples. Riotous and melancholy, this Halloween bacchanal at the close of the Mad Ones’ The Essential Straight & Narrow lets the good times roll and then, as evening collapses into morning, the bad ones, too." —Alexis Soloski

TimeOut NY | 4 Stars

  • "No one does period like The Mad Ones...there’s a party straight out of Fellini, a Cassavetes hangdog vibe, a pair of jeans borrowed from Jane Fonda. The band jams briefly, and though you’ll keep reminding yourself that there never was any such group, you’ll miss it keenly. I still hope they get back together. Maybe they’ll tour?" —Helen Shaw

Awards and Nominations

  • American Theatre Wing's Henry Hewes Design Award Nominations for Laura Jellinek (Set Design), Ásta Bene Hostetter (Costume Design) and Mike Inwood (Lighting Design)

Production Support

The Essential Straight & Narrow is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and the Puffin Foundation. The Essential Straight & Narrow was developed through the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Process Space Residency, a SPACE on Ryder residency, and the Archive Alliance.

Select Photo Credit Fitz Patton, Chance Magazine