Near normal There’s something about this messy, yet vibrant and unpredictable musical, which premiered on Broadway in 2010 and is finally hitting the West End, that left me with tears streaming down my face after 145 minutes on a muggy summer night. I conclude that the reason is that the story of a mother and her family’s struggles with bipolar disorder is so profound and heartbreakingly human.
My first impression of Tom Kitt’s music was not very good, as it suddenly switched from gentle to chaotic. First night At first I was indignant about watching another musically inconsistent show, but the more I thought about it the more I understood that this spoke to a central idea of the musical: that the numbers exist to emphasize something that the standard dialogue doesn’t fully convey.
The production amplifies the poignant emotions of the entire cast, from Eleanor Worthington-Cox’s heartbreaking performance as Natalie (a daughter despairing over her mother’s neglect in songs like “Superboy and the Invisible Man” as she deals with hallucinations of her dead son, Gabe), to the fine singing of Caissie Levy as the lead character, Diana, and Jamie Parker’s raw performance as Dan, her supportive husband. The whole company gives it their all.
If you’ve read my reviews People, places, things and Devil’syou’ll know my view that the current era of mental health theatre is struggling to get the right message across, balancing being open and honest and at the same time not coming off as defeatist or nasty. Next to normal, Brian Yorkey’s book, under the direction of Michael Longhurst, flawlessly explores the impact of mental health on multiple members of a family with commendable and substantial detail.
While the level of intimacy between Diana and the ghost of Gabe (Jack Wolf) sometimes felt a little uncomfortable and unusual for a mother-son relationship, the exploration of grief, how to cope with it, and how to persevere in the midst of hardship felt surprisingly authentic.
The development of Natalie’s relationship with Henry (Jacques Offresio) follows a classic meet-and-greet-reunion storyline over two acts, but the focus on the mental state and Natalie’s fears of her own shortcomings (no doubt influenced by Diana imagining herself projected onto Natalie) gives a shocking dynamic to a typical love story. Indeed, while the anguish Diana and others go through is painful to watch (and much of the film is bittersweet), there’s a genuine bittersweet quality to this subplot.
In terms of the setting, Chloe Rumford’s domestic kitchen set allows for some great ideas in terms of scene transitions, with the kitchen counter doubling as a hospital bed when Diana undergoes electroconvulsive therapy in Act 2. The live band is positioned high and blinds slide up and down all over the place, allowing for some beautiful, swirling video design by Tal Rosner, but it also clearly establishes the idea that Gabe has broken away from reality, throwing his hands up at the glass wall and yearning to become prominent in her psyche again.
While I think Yorkie’s story is the most moving, some songs, especially “Perfect for You,” brought me to tears, and I still have the lyrics to “I’m Alive” playing in my head. The fact that the breezy opening number, “Just Another Day,” suggests that this musical will soon be something completely different, ditching the fanfare for something far more serious, and bursting into unexpected energetic moments that make the story more unpredictable and highlight the complexities of mental illness.
Since seeing it on Thursday, I’ve had a hard time wrestling with my overall opinion of the production, and I’m not sure whether its wild musical numbers and some of the minor quibbles mentioned above merit a lower rating, but I’ll always maintain that only the best shows move you. feel On a very serious level Near normal It certainly is, it’s one of the most moving musicals I’ve seen in a while.
★★★★★
Near normal is running at Wyndham’s Theatre until September 21st.
Subtitles will be added on September 7th, and audio description will be added on September 14th.
Production image: Mark Brenner.
Disclaimer: I was invited to attend a complimentary viewing of “Next to Normal” in exchange for writing a review of the performance as a member of the press. I was not compensated for this article and all opinions expressed above are my own and honest.
