The Mads Are Back (or simply "The Mads") is a live riffing project featuring former Best Brains members Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff.[1] Though they are billed as "The Mads", they do not appear in character as Dr. Clayton Forrester and TV's Frank.
Trace and Frank began riffing together in early 2015, formalizing the partnership in October, 2015 with a tumblr account, Facebook page, and a web site (eventually). They have performed in live venues across the country, riffing old movies in the traditional MST3K style. The films being riffed are not typically announced to attendees ahead of time.
Beaulieu and Conniff have discussed the pleasant time they've had on tour on their movie podcast Movie Sign with the Mads.
On January 25th 2018, The Mads Are Back show at the Alamo Draft House in New York City featured an in-person appearance by Kim Cattrall, who introduced a riffing of The Tingler.
The show experienced a hiatus during 2019 when Frank Conniff had some health concerns. Touring eventually resumed after Frank recovered.
In 2020, live performances were suspended due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. A series of paid live-streaming events took place starting in July. Each event featured a film that had previously been riffed in a live stage show, with some new material. At the conclusion of each event, the Mads and their producer announced the date and content for the next event.
Contents
Broadcast Shows
- Glen or Glenda - July 21, 2020
- The Tingler - August 18, 2020
- Walk the Dark Street - September 15, 2020
- Night of Shorts - October 20, 2020
- The Brain from Planet Arous - November 17, 2020
- Santa Claus vs. the Devil - December 15, 2020
Other Known Riffed Movies
- Plan 9 from Outer Space
- The Monolith Monsters
- The Choppers
- The Neanderthal Man
- The Creature Walks Among Us
- Deadly Prey
- La La Land
Known Riffed Shorts
- More Dates for Kay (also riffed at the RiffTrax MST3K Reunion Show)
- Office Etiquette (also riffed at the RiffTrax Summer Shorts Beach Party)
- Are You Listening? (also riffed at the RiffTrax Day of the Shorts 2019)
- The Cautious Twins (also riffed at the RiffTrax Day of the Shorts 2019)
