The latest musical being featured at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle is the description-defying Broadway hit, Next to Normal. This show was nominated for an incredible 11 Tony awards in the 2008-2009 season, and won 3. I’ve seen Next to Normal twice since it arrived in Seattle, and I’m hoping to see it several more. (If only I had unlimited time and money….)
Next to Normal is a staggeringly beautiful, heart-wrenching, modern musical about the trials of a family dealing with a mother living with bipolar disorder. Before I go any further, I feel obligated to say that if mental illness is upsetting or a delicate subject for you, this is probably not the musical for you. This show is not happy. It is incredibly honest, and there don’t seem to be areas that they are afraid to explore. Next to Normal is also not for children, as it includes foul language, as well as talk about death, drugs, and suicide. That said, I personally found it to be very moving, and was fascinated.
The main character, Diana Goodman, is a suburban housewife whose bipolar disorder has taken a turn for the worse. After months of therapy and medications, she is eventually recommended for electroconvulsive therapy – shock therapy. The family’s world is turned upside-down, as they all wonder if they’ll ever live a “normal” life. I’d prefer not to say much about the plot, because there are twists everywhere, and I found that I enjoyed the show a lot more having not heard any spoilers beforehand.
I will say a few things about this production though: first, the music is brilliant. It’s a raw rock sound with just enough showtune mixed in, and it fits the raw emotion of the show. Secondly, the cast that is performing here is just wonderful. Some of the actors are very young (there are a few teenage characters), and all of them do great justice to this very heavy material. Besides that, traveling on the tour with this cast is the show’s original star (she won a Tony, among other awards, for her portrayal of Diana Goodman), the immensely talented Alice Ripley. Since buying the soundtrack, I have become a big fan of Alice Ripley’s voice, which is intense and rough and dark in a way that works great with this character. However, when I saw Next to Normal on its first weekend in Seattle, she was ill — singing under-key, and almost impossible to understand. Having not gone back yet, I can’t say whether she’s any better now, but would issue a warning that if you go for the sole purpose of seeing Alice Ripley (who is a Broadway star of this generation), you might be disappointed.
Next to Normal will be running at the 5th Avenue Theatre through March 13th. Tickets are available at the box office downtown or online here . The 5th Avenue has a special ticket policy for patrons under 25 — present photo ID with your birth date at the box office on the day of the show, and you can get a $20 ticket. Enjoy, Novite theater-goers! Also currently running in collaboration with the 5th (being presented at the ACT Theatre) is the brand new musical Vanities. Get more info on that here.
Next to Normal is a staggeringly beautiful, heart-wrenching rock musical about the trials of a family living under the stresses of a mother with bipolar disorder. Before I go any further, I’m probably obligated to say that if mental illness is a delicate subject for you or is something you find upsetting, this is not the musical for you. This show is not happy. It is incredibly honest, and there don’t seem to be areas that they are afraid to explore. Next to Normal is also not for children, as it includes foul language, as well as talk about death, drugs, and suicide. That said, I personally found it to be very moving, and was fascinated.
The main character, Diana Goodman, is a suburban housewife whose bipolar disorder has taken a turn for the worse. After months of therapy and medications, she is eventually recommended for electroconvulsive therapy – shock therapy. I’d prefer not to say much about the plot, because there are twists everywhere, and it’s better to know nothing going in. I will say a few things about this production though: first, the music is brilliant. It’s a raw rock sound with just enough showtune mixed in, and it fits the raw emotion of the show.
Secondly, the cast that is performing here is incredibly talented. The show consists of only six actors (a family of four, a family friend, and Diana’s doctor) who fill the entire stage with their great presence and voice. Traveling on the tour with this cast is the original star (she won a Tony, among other awards, for her portrayal of Diana), the immensely talented Alice Ripley. Since buying the soundtrack, I am a big fan of Alice Ripley’s voice, which is incredibly intense and rough. However, when I saw this show on its first weekend here, she was sick, singing under-key, and almost impossible to understand. Having not gone back yet, I can’t say whether she’s any better now, but would issue a warning that if you go for the sole purpose of seeing Alice Ripley (who is a Broadway star of this generation), you might be disappointed.
Next to Normal will be running at the 5th Avenue Theatre through March 13th. Tickets are available at the box office downtown or online at 5thavenue.org. The 5th Avenue has a special ticket policy for patrons under 25 – present photo ID with your birth date at the box office on the day of the show, and you can get a $20 ticket. Enjoy, Novite theater-goers! Also currently running in collaboration with the 5th is the new musical Vanities. Get more info on that here.
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