Next To Normal

Every so often in my theater going, I come across a show that really reminds me why I am so obsessive about theater. Next To Normal, the musical that I saw the first Sunday night and then the subsequent Sunday night, is one of those shows. I only vaguely knew the story going into the show, and had only heard a couple of songs clips on their website. As it turns out these were both advantages. The show is about a mother who is battling severe depression and bipolar disorder and how that affects her family. There are a couple of fairly big surprises written into the plot so it is best to not know too much of the story when seeing this show for the first time. As maudlin as that all sounds, the story grabbed me from the beginning of the show and kept me engaged for the entire evening.

Like all good musicals, I left the theatre wanting to listen to the cast recording incessantly. (I am listening to it as I type.) Sadly the cast recording did not come out for a week and one day after I first saw the show! So I had to endure a week with only the few clips on the website to sate my appetite. The score actually reminded me a bit of Spring Awakening, another musical which affected me like Next To Normal. The songs are very much in the pop rock vein. Some of the songs actually sound like stand alone pop songs, but they work really well in the context of the show. Thankfully I was finally able to download the cast recording and I have been listening to it ever since!

Next To Normal is a rather small show. This is the entire cast of 6 people, and amazingly everyone in the cast is fantastic!