Feeling Electric
Encyclopedia
Next to Normal is a rock musical
with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey
and music by Tom Kitt
. Its story concerns a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder
and the effect that her illness has on her family. The musical also addresses such issues as grieving a loss, suicide
, drug abuse
, ethics in modern psychiatry, and suburban life.
Next to Normal received several workshop performances before it debuted off-Broadway
in 2008, winning the Outer Critics' Circle Award for Outstanding Score and receiving nominations for Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Actress (Alice Ripley) and Outstanding Score. After an Off-Broadway
run, the show then played at the Arena Stage
in its temporary venue in Arlington, Virginia
from November 2008 to January 2009.
The musical opened on Broadway
in April 2009. It was nominated for eleven 2009 Tony Awards and won three, Best Original Score
, Best Orchestration
and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Alice Ripley. It also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
, becoming just the eighth musical in history to receive the honor. The previous musical to win the Pulitzer was Rent
, in 1996, which was also directed by Michael Greif. In awarding the prize to Kitt and Yorkey, the Pulitzer Board called the show "a powerful rock musical that grapples with mental illness in a suburban family and expands the scope of subject matter for musicals."
The Broadway production closed on January 16, 2011 after 21 previews and 733 regular performances.
in Issaquah, Washington
, then at several venues in New York City, including Cutting Room, featuring Norbert Leo Butz
as Dan and Sherie Rene Scott
as Diana with Benjamin Schrader as Gabe, Anya Singleton as Natalie, and Greg Naughton as Dr. Madden, with a subsequent staged reading in late 2002 at the Musical Mondays Theater Lab in New York.
In 2005 it was workshopped again at Village Theatre starring Amy Spanger
as Diana, Jason Collins as Dan, Mary Faber
as Natalie and Deven May
as Dr. Madden. In September 2005, the musical ran at the New York Musical Theatre Festival
, with Spanger as Diana, Joe Cassidy as Dan, Annaleigh Ashford
as Natalie, Benjamin Schrader as Gabe, and Anthony Rapp
as Dr. Madden, attracting the attention of producer David Stone. Second Stage Theatre
workshopped the piece in both 2006 and 2007, featuring Cassidy and then Greg Edelman as Dan, Alice Ripley as Diana, Mary Faber
and then Phoebe Strole
as Natalie, Rapp as Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine and Skylar Astin
as Henry. Meanwhile, at the urging of Stone and director Michael Greif
, who had joined the team, the creators focused the show on the family's pain rather than on the critique of the medical establishment.
under its current name at Second Stage Theatre
from January 16 through March 16, 2008, directed by Greif, with Anthony Rapp as assistant director and musical staging by Sergio Trujillo
. The cast featured Ripley as Diana, Brian d'Arcy James
as Dan, Aaron Tveit as Gabe, Jennifer Damiano as Natalie, Adam Chanler-Berat as Henry, and Asa Somers as the Doctors. The understudies were Jessica Phillips, Kevin Kern, Corey Boardman, and Morgan Weed. The surname of the family was changed from Brown to Goodman. Although the show received mixed reviews, at least one reviewer criticized it for pushing an irresponsible message about the treatment of bipolar disorder and for failing to strike the proper balance between pathos and comedy. The critics found the show internally confused, and the team decided to make major changes in both the book and score, including eliminating the original title song, "Feeling Electric". They concentrated the story entirely on the emotions of Diana and her family as they confront bitter truths.
production at the Arena Stage
in its temporary theatre in Crystal City, Virginia
, from November 21, 2008 through January 18, 2009. Greif returned as director. Ripley and most of the off-Broadway cast participated, but d'Arcy James remained in New York to play the title character
in Shrek the Musical, being replaced by J. Robert Spencer
. Louis Hobson played Dr. Madden and Dr. Fine. Mary Mossberg replaced Jessica Phillips, Michael Berry replaced Kevin Kern, Tim Young replaced Corey Boardman, and Meghann Fahy replaced Morgan Weed. The critics noticed that "comic songs and glitzy production numbers" had been replaced by songs that are complementary to the emotional content of the book; the production received rave reviews.
at the Booth Theatre
on March 27, opening on April 15, 2009. The cast from the Arena Stage production returned as well as the director, Greif. The musical was originally booked for the 1,096-seat Longacre Theatre
, but, according to producer David Stone, "When the Booth Theatre became available... we knew it was the right space for Next to Normal".
Reviews were favorable. Ben Brantley
of The New York Times wrote that the Broadway production is "A brave, breathtaking musical. It is something much more than a feel-good musical: it is a feel-everything musical."
Rolling Stone Magazine called it "The best new musical of the season – by a mile." Next to Normal was on the Ten Best of the Year list for 2009 of "Curtain Up".
Next to Normal set a new box office record at the Booth Theatre for the week ending January 3, 2010, grossing $550,409 over nine performances. The previous record was held by the 2006 production of Brian Friel's Faith Healer with a gross of $530,702. One year later Next to Normal broke that record again during its final week on Broadway (week ending January 16, 2011) grossing $552,563 over eight performances. The producers recouped their initial investment of $4 million a few days after its one year anniversary on Broadway. At the end of its run Next to Normal grossed $31,764,486 the most out of all the shows that ran at the Booth Theatre earning double the amount of money than its closest competition, I'm Not Rappaport.
Kyle Dean Massey
played Gabe for part of 2009 joining the cast regularly in January 2010, and Brian d'Arcy James
, who originated the role of Dan in the Off-Broadway production, joined the Broadway cast in May 2010 for a limited engagement. Married couple Marin Mazzie
and Jason Danieley
took over the roles of Diana and Dan Goodman on July 19, 2010. John Kenrick
wrote in November 2010 that the show "is glowing with breathtaking brilliance as it ends its Broadway run."
The Broadway production closed on January 16, 2011 after 21 previews and 733 regular performances.
Twitter (2009)
In May 2009, about six weeks into the Broadway Production, Next to Normal began publishing an adapted version of the show over Twitter
, a social media network. Over 35 days, the serialized version of the show was published in the form of tweets, short messages utilized by Twitter
, a single line from a character at a time. The Twitter
performance ended the morning of June 7, 2009, the morning of the 2009 Tony Awards. The initiative earned the musical the 2009 OMMA Award for Best in Show Situation Interactive.
, Los Angeles
, California, from November 23, 2010 through January 2, 2011. The tour is then scheduled to play in 16 cities in the U.S., and end in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in July 2011. Alice Ripley reprises her role as Diana, Asa Somers plays Dan, with Emma Hunton as Natalie, Curt Hansen
as Gabe, Preston K. Sadleir as Henry and Jeremy Kushnier
as Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine.
, Massachusetts.
, Orlando, Florida
.
in Norway, with Heidi Gjermundsen Broch
as Diana, Frank Kjosås as Gabe, Charlotte Frogner
as Natalie, Jon Bleiklie Devik as Dan, Thomas Bye as Henry, and Lasse Kolsrud as the Doctors. It opened to rave reviews, which made the theatre announce a second season starting October 8, 2011. Press release tells the original Norwegian cast will be performing the second season as well.
, Finland
at Studio Pasila. The last performance is scheduled for December 8th 2011.
from March 11 through March 27, 2011 and from October 07 through October 26, 2011. The cast included Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as Diana, Jett Pangan as Dan, Felix Rivera as Gabe, Bea Garcia as Natalie, Markki Stroem as Henry, and Jake Macapagal as the Doctors.
in Melbourne
, Australia
. Performances were originally from April 28 running through May 28, 2011, and then extended to June 4. The cast included Gareth Keegan as Gabe, Kate Kendall as Diana, Matt Hetherington as Dan, Benjamin Hoetjes as Henry, Christy Sullivan as Natalie, and Bert LaBonté as the Doctors.
. Performances begin at May 5 running through June. This is the first time that "Next to Normal" is translated to Spanish.
The Cast included Patricia de al Puente as Diana, Paul Martin as Dan, replaced later by Jean Paul Strauss, Gisela Ponce de León as Natalie, and Renato Bonifaz as Gabriel.
.
The Cast includes Kolleen Park and JiHyun Kim as Diana, and KyoungJoo Nam and JungYeol Lee as Dan. The production is directed by Laura Pietropinto, who was the Assistant Director of Next to Normal on Broadway, and is produced by Musical Heaven.
in Vancouver, BC. Performances run September 8-October 9, 2011 on the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage
.
Another Canadian production is being produced by The Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg, MB from April 19-May 12, 2012. The production will star Jennifer Lyon as Diana.
Suburban mother Diana Goodman waits up late for her curfew-challenged son and comforts her anxious and overachieving daughter, Natalie. Dan, her husband, then rises to help prepare her family for "Just Another Day." But when her lunch-making takes a turn for the bizarre with sandwiches covering the table, chairs, and floor, the rest realize something is not right. As Dan helps the disoriented Diana, Natalie hurries off to school and the refuge of the piano practice room ("Everything Else"), where she's interrupted by Henry, a classmate who likes to listen to her play — and clearly likes her.
Over the ensuing weeks, Diana makes a series of visits to her doctor, while Dan waits in the car outside, questioning how to cope with his own depression ("Who's Crazy?/My Psychopharmacologist and I"). Diana has suffered from bipolar disorder coupled with hallucinations for sixteen years; Doctor Fine continually adjusts her medications until she says that she doesn't feel anything, at which point he declares her stable. Natalie and Henry grow closer until one day he professes his love for her ("Perfect For You") and they kiss for the first time. Diana witnesses this and realizes that her best years may be behind her, but she misses feeling her high highs and her low lows ("I Miss the Mountains"). With her son's encouragement, she flushes away her medication.
A few weeks later, Dan looks forward to dinner with his family ("It's Gonna Be Good"), but when Diana emerges with a cake singing "Happy Birthday" to her son, Dan and Natalie are devastated. Dan holds Diana and explains that "He's Not Here". Their son died sixteen years ago from an intestinal obstruction before Natalie was born. Natalie storms off. Dan mentions a return to the doctor, but Diana refuses, saying that he can't possibly hurt the way she does ("You Don't Know"). Dan tries to coax her into trusting him, and their dead son joins them onstage, convincing his mother to trust him rather than his father ("I Am The One"). In her room, Natalie vents her anger to Henry, then refuses Diana's apology as her brother watches and taunts her ("Superboy and the Invisible Girl").
A few days later, Diana starts work with Doctor Madden. As her son rises to assert his presence ("I'm Alive"), Dan and Natalie doubt the sessions are helping, but Doctor Madden proposes hypnosis to help Diana discover the roots of her trauma ("Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling"). Finally, Diana agrees it's time to let her son go. Diana goes home to clean out her son's things, pausing to listen to a music box ("I Dreamed a Dance"). Her son appears and dances with her, then invites her to come away with him ("There's a World"), and she does.
At the hospital, where Diana lies sedated and restrained, with self-inflicted gashes to her wrists, Doctor Madden explains to Dan that ECT
is the standard course of treatment for drug-resistant patients who are imminently suicidal. Dan goes home to clean up after Diana and decide what to do ("I've Been"). The next day, Diana lashes out at Doctor Madden, refusing the treatment ("Didn't I See This Movie?"), but Dan arrives and convinces her it may be their last hope ("A Light In The Dark").
Act II
Diana receives a series of ECT treatments over two weeks. Meanwhile Natalie explores clubs and drugs ("Wish I Were Here"). Diana returns home from the hospital, but she has lost nineteen years of memory ("Song of Forgetting"). At school, Henry confronts Natalie about her avoiding him, and invites her to the spring formal dance ("Hey #1").
Dan and Diana visit Doctor Madden, who assures them that some memory loss is normal ("Seconds and Years") and encourages Dan to use photos, mementoes, and the like to help Diana recover. Dan gathers the family to do so ("Better Than Before"), with minor success, but when Natalie pulls the music box from a pile of keepsakes, he whisks it away, leaving Diana puzzled. Her son appears, unseen ("Aftershocks"), while Diana tells Dan there's something she's desperate to remember that's just beyond her reach. When Henry arrives looking for Natalie, Diana is given great pause, studying his face and asking his age. He reminds her of someone. Unnerved, Henry hurries up to Natalie's bedroom, to convince her to join him at the dance the next night ("Hey #2").
Diana returns to Doctor Madden ("You Don't Know [Reprise]") who suggests she further explore her history and talk more with her husband. Diana goes home and searches through the boxes of keepsakes, finding the music box, Dan tries to stop her, but the memories of her baby son rush back ("How Could I Ever Forget?"). When Diana confesses remembering her son as a teenager, and demands to know his name, Dan refuses and instead insists they need to return for more treatment ("It's Gonna Be Good [Reprise]"). Henry arrives to pick up Natalie, who has dressed for the dance, just in time for both of them to witness an agitated Dan grab the music box from Diana's hands and smash it to pieces on the floor.
Diana confronts Dan, wondering why he perseveres after how much trouble she's given, while upstairs, Natalie asks Henry much the same question ("Why Stay?"). Dan answers, echoed by Henry, both vowing to stay steadfast ("A Promise"), but just as both couples embrace, their son reappears ("I'm Alive [Reprise]"), sending Diana running to Doctor Madden, asking Natalie to drive her, leaving Dan and Henry behind.
Diana asks Madden what can be done if the medicine has missed the true problem. With her questioning comes the realization that it's not her brain that's hurting: it's her soul ("The Break"). Madden assures her relapse is common, and suggests more ECT ("Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling [Reprise]"). Diana refuses, and though Doctor Madden urges her to continue treatment for her chronic, deadly disease, she thanks him and goes. Natalie, waiting outside, is distressed to learn her mother has left treatment, and Diana explains herself ("Maybe [Next to Normal]"), opening up to her daughter for the first time. She urges Natalie on to the school dance, where Henry awaits to comfort and embrace her ("Hey #3/Perfect for You [Reprise]").
Diana tells Dan that she is leaving him, explaining that he can't always be there to catch her; she needs to take a risk and deal with things on her own for once ("So Anyway"). She goes, leaving their son with him. As Dan wonders how she could have left him after he stood by her for so long, their son approaches, telling Dan he's not going anywhere ("I Am The One [Reprise]"). Dan grows more distraught until at last he faces the boy and calls him by his name for the first time: Gabriel.
Natalie comes home to find her father sitting alone in the dark, in tears. She comforts him and turns the lights on in the room, before assuring him that the two of them will figure things out ("Light"). Henry arrives to study, and Natalie tells him Diana has gone to stay with her own parents. Diana is alone and still hurting, but hopeful. Dan visits Doctor Madden hoping to talk about Diana, but stays to talk about his own struggle. Once again Gabriel watches over them all, as life goes on.
Act I
Act II
Notable Broadway Replacements
even though it had not been on the list of three candidates submitted to the twenty-member Pulitzer Prize board by the five-member Drama jury. Jury chairman Charles McNulty publicly criticized the Board for overlooking the three plays that were not running on Broadway at the time of the Award in favor of one that was.
Rock musical
A rock musical is a musical theatre work with rock music. The genre of rock musical may overlap somewhat with album musicals, concept albums and song cycles, as they sometimes tell a story through the rock music, and some album musicals and concept albums become rock musicals...
with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey
Brian Yorkey
Brian Yorkey is an American playwright, lyricist, and theatre director. He shared the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2009 Tony Award for Best Original Score with composer Tom Kitt, and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Next to Normal.A native of Issaquah,...
and music by Tom Kitt
Tom Kitt (musician)
Tom Kitt is an American composer, conductor, orchestrator and musician. For his score for the musical Next to Normal, he shared the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama with Brian Yorkey...
. Its story concerns a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
and the effect that her illness has on her family. The musical also addresses such issues as grieving a loss, suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
, ethics in modern psychiatry, and suburban life.
Next to Normal received several workshop performances before it debuted off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
in 2008, winning the Outer Critics' Circle Award for Outstanding Score and receiving nominations for Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Actress (Alice Ripley) and Outstanding Score. After an Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
run, the show then played at the Arena Stage
Arena Stage
Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest Washington, D.C. Its declared mission"is to produce huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit. Arena has broad shoulders and a capacity to produce anything from vast epics...
in its temporary venue in Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
from November 2008 to January 2009.
The musical opened on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in April 2009. It was nominated for eleven 2009 Tony Awards and won three, Best Original Score
Tony Award for Best Original Score
The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics...
, Best Orchestration
Tony Award for Best Orchestrations
-1990s:1997*Jonathan Tunick – Titanic**Michael Gibson - Steel Pier**Luther Henderson - Play On!**Don Sebesky and Harold Wheeler - The Life1998*William David Brohn – Ragtime**Robert Elhai, David Metzger and Bruce Fowler - The Lion King...
and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Alice Ripley. It also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than the calendar year...
, becoming just the eighth musical in history to receive the honor. The previous musical to win the Pulitzer was Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
, in 1996, which was also directed by Michael Greif. In awarding the prize to Kitt and Yorkey, the Pulitzer Board called the show "a powerful rock musical that grapples with mental illness in a suburban family and expands the scope of subject matter for musicals."
The Broadway production closed on January 16, 2011 after 21 previews and 733 regular performances.
Workshops and readings (2002–2007)
The musical began in 1998 as a 10-minute workshop sketch about a woman undergoing electroshock therapy, and its impact on her family, called Feeling Electric. Yorkey brought the idea to Kitt while both were at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. Kitt wrote a rock score for the short piece, which was highly critical of the medical treatment. Both Yorkey and Kitt turned to other projects, but they "kept returning to Feeling Electric", eventually expanding it to a full-length musical. This had a reading in 2002 at the Village TheatreVillage Theatre
Village Theatre is a 5013 non-profit professional producing musical theatre company founded in 1979. Village Theatre is based out of Issaquah and Everett, Washington, both near Seattle...
in Issaquah, Washington
Issaquah, Washington
Issaquah is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 30,434 at the 2010 census.Based on per capita income, Issaquah ranks 25th of 522 areas in the State of Washington to be ranked....
, then at several venues in New York City, including Cutting Room, featuring Norbert Leo Butz
Norbert Leo Butz
Norbert Leo Butz is an American actor best known for his work in Broadway theatre.-Personal life:Butz was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Elaine and Norbert Butz...
as Dan and Sherie Rene Scott
Sherie Rene Scott
Sherie Rene Scott is an American actress, singer and writer. She is a co-founder of Grammy winning Sh-K-Boom Records and Ghostlight Records and has appeared in numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway musicals and plays appears on numerous solo and original cast recordings.-Life and career:Scott was...
as Diana with Benjamin Schrader as Gabe, Anya Singleton as Natalie, and Greg Naughton as Dr. Madden, with a subsequent staged reading in late 2002 at the Musical Mondays Theater Lab in New York.
In 2005 it was workshopped again at Village Theatre starring Amy Spanger
Amy Spanger
-Biography:A graduate of Triton Regional High School in Byfield, Massachusetts, Spanger made her Broadway debut in 1995 in the musical Sunset Boulevard, following a half-year run in the pre-Broadway national tour of Jekyll & Hyde...
as Diana, Jason Collins as Dan, Mary Faber
Mary Faber
Mary Faber is an American singer, actress, and dancer. Faber graduated from the Governor's School for the Arts and Brandeis University.-Stage career:...
as Natalie and Deven May
Deven May
Deven Shaw May is a Broadway performer, actor and photographer. He is most famous for his portrayal of the half-bat, half-human boy in Laurence O'Keefe's Off-Broadway musical, Bat Boy, for which he won a Theatre World Award for "Outstanding New York Debut," as well as Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel...
as Dr. Madden. In September 2005, the musical ran at the New York Musical Theatre Festival
New York Musical Theatre Festival
The New York Musical Theatre Festival is an annual three-week fall Festival which presents more than thirty new musicals at venues in New York City's midtown theater district...
, with Spanger as Diana, Joe Cassidy as Dan, Annaleigh Ashford
Annaleigh Ashford
Annaleigh Ashford is an American actress known for her Broadway credits in Wicked, Legally Blonde, and Hair.-Early life:Annaleigh Ashford was born Annaleigh Swanson in Denver, Colorado to Holli Swanson, a gym teacher...
as Natalie, Benjamin Schrader as Gabe, and Anthony Rapp
Anthony Rapp
Anthony Deane Rapp is an American stage and film actor and singer best known for originating the role of Mark Cohen in the Broadway production of Rent in 1996 and later for reprising the role in the film version and the Broadway Tour of Rent in 2009...
as Dr. Madden, attracting the attention of producer David Stone. Second Stage Theatre
Second Stage Theatre
Second Stage Theatre is an award-winning contemporary Off-Broadway theater company.-Mission:The theatre's mission is to give new life to contemporary American plays and to produce the world premiers of new plays by both established and emerging playwrights...
workshopped the piece in both 2006 and 2007, featuring Cassidy and then Greg Edelman as Dan, Alice Ripley as Diana, Mary Faber
Mary Faber
Mary Faber is an American singer, actress, and dancer. Faber graduated from the Governor's School for the Arts and Brandeis University.-Stage career:...
and then Phoebe Strole
Phoebe Strole
Phoebe Strole is an American actress and singer.-Stage career:While in high school, Strole performed in several musicals at Casa Manana Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas, including Evita, Violet and Bye Bye Birdie. In 2001, Strole starred as Jean in A Different Moon at the Penguin Repertory Theatre in...
as Natalie, Rapp as Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine and Skylar Astin
Skylar Astin
Skylar Astin is an American actor, best known for his performance as "Georg" in the Tony award winning musical, Spring Awakening.-Early life and education:...
as Henry. Meanwhile, at the urging of Stone and director Michael Greif
Michael Greif
Michael Greif is a stage director and producer, born in Brooklyn, New York. He has received three Tony Award nominations and won the Obie Award....
, who had joined the team, the creators focused the show on the family's pain rather than on the critique of the medical establishment.
Off-Broadway (2008)
Next to Normal was produced off-BroadwayOff-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
under its current name at Second Stage Theatre
Second Stage Theatre
Second Stage Theatre is an award-winning contemporary Off-Broadway theater company.-Mission:The theatre's mission is to give new life to contemporary American plays and to produce the world premiers of new plays by both established and emerging playwrights...
from January 16 through March 16, 2008, directed by Greif, with Anthony Rapp as assistant director and musical staging by Sergio Trujillo
Sergio Trujillo
Sergio Trujillo is a Colombian dancer and choreographer for the theatre and opera who was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography for Jersey Boys.-Career:...
. The cast featured Ripley as Diana, Brian d'Arcy James
Brian d'Arcy James
Brian d'Arcy James is an American actor and musician.-Personal life:James was born in Saginaw, Michigan, the son of Mary , a seller of children's books, and a lawyer father, Thomas F. James. Brian's maternal grandfather was Harry F. Kelly, former Governor of the state of Michigan...
as Dan, Aaron Tveit as Gabe, Jennifer Damiano as Natalie, Adam Chanler-Berat as Henry, and Asa Somers as the Doctors. The understudies were Jessica Phillips, Kevin Kern, Corey Boardman, and Morgan Weed. The surname of the family was changed from Brown to Goodman. Although the show received mixed reviews, at least one reviewer criticized it for pushing an irresponsible message about the treatment of bipolar disorder and for failing to strike the proper balance between pathos and comedy. The critics found the show internally confused, and the team decided to make major changes in both the book and score, including eliminating the original title song, "Feeling Electric". They concentrated the story entirely on the emotions of Diana and her family as they confront bitter truths.
Arena Stage (2008)
The rewritten musical was then given a regional theatreRegional theatre in the United States
Regional theaters, or resident theaters, in the United States are professional or semi-professional, theater companies that produce their own seasons. The term regional theatre most often refers to professional theatres outside of New York City...
production at the Arena Stage
Arena Stage
Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest Washington, D.C. Its declared mission"is to produce huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit. Arena has broad shoulders and a capacity to produce anything from vast epics...
in its temporary theatre in Crystal City, Virginia
Crystal City, Virginia
Crystal City is an urban neighborhood in the southeastern corner of Arlington County, Virginia, south of downtown Washington, D.C.. Its residents can live, shop, and work without going outside, due to its extensive integration of office buildings and residential high-rise buildings using...
, from November 21, 2008 through January 18, 2009. Greif returned as director. Ripley and most of the off-Broadway cast participated, but d'Arcy James remained in New York to play the title character
Shrek (character)
Shrek is a fictional character from the children's book Shrek! and the Shrek films. He is the main protagonist of both the book and the films...
in Shrek the Musical, being replaced by J. Robert Spencer
J. Robert Spencer
Robert John Spencer is an American actor and singer, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his work in the Broadway musical Next to Normal....
. Louis Hobson played Dr. Madden and Dr. Fine. Mary Mossberg replaced Jessica Phillips, Michael Berry replaced Kevin Kern, Tim Young replaced Corey Boardman, and Meghann Fahy replaced Morgan Weed. The critics noticed that "comic songs and glitzy production numbers" had been replaced by songs that are complementary to the emotional content of the book; the production received rave reviews.
Broadway (2009–2011)
Next to Normal began previews on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the Booth Theatre
Booth Theatre
The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 222 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan, New York City.Architect Henry B. Herts designed the Booth and its companion Shubert Theatre as a back-to-back pair sharing a Venetian Renaissance-style façade...
on March 27, opening on April 15, 2009. The cast from the Arena Stage production returned as well as the director, Greif. The musical was originally booked for the 1,096-seat Longacre Theatre
Longacre Theatre
The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 220 West 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.-Theatre History:Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts in 1912, it was named for Longacre Square, the original name for Times Square...
, but, according to producer David Stone, "When the Booth Theatre became available... we knew it was the right space for Next to Normal".
Reviews were favorable. Ben Brantley
Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. "Ben" Brantley is an American journalist and the chief theater critic of The New York Times.-Life and career:...
of The New York Times wrote that the Broadway production is "A brave, breathtaking musical. It is something much more than a feel-good musical: it is a feel-everything musical."
Rolling Stone Magazine called it "The best new musical of the season – by a mile." Next to Normal was on the Ten Best of the Year list for 2009 of "Curtain Up".
Next to Normal set a new box office record at the Booth Theatre for the week ending January 3, 2010, grossing $550,409 over nine performances. The previous record was held by the 2006 production of Brian Friel's Faith Healer with a gross of $530,702. One year later Next to Normal broke that record again during its final week on Broadway (week ending January 16, 2011) grossing $552,563 over eight performances. The producers recouped their initial investment of $4 million a few days after its one year anniversary on Broadway. At the end of its run Next to Normal grossed $31,764,486 the most out of all the shows that ran at the Booth Theatre earning double the amount of money than its closest competition, I'm Not Rappaport.
Kyle Dean Massey
Kyle Dean Massey
Kyle Dean Massey is an American theatre performer, best known for playing Gabe in the Broadway musical Next To Normal, and for appearing in the ensemble and as the understudy for Fiyero in Wicked on Broadway and on the first North American tour...
played Gabe for part of 2009 joining the cast regularly in January 2010, and Brian d'Arcy James
Brian d'Arcy James
Brian d'Arcy James is an American actor and musician.-Personal life:James was born in Saginaw, Michigan, the son of Mary , a seller of children's books, and a lawyer father, Thomas F. James. Brian's maternal grandfather was Harry F. Kelly, former Governor of the state of Michigan...
, who originated the role of Dan in the Off-Broadway production, joined the Broadway cast in May 2010 for a limited engagement. Married couple Marin Mazzie
Marin Mazzie
Marin Joy Mazzie is an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theater. She was nominated for the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Olivier Award for her role as Lilli/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate, and won the Outer Critics Circle Award...
and Jason Danieley
Jason Danieley
Jason D. Danieley is an American actor, singer, concert performer and recording artist. He is married to fellow Broadway star, Marin Mazzie-Biography:...
took over the roles of Diana and Dan Goodman on July 19, 2010. John Kenrick
John Kenrick (theatre writer)
John Kenrick is an American author, teacher and theatre and film historian. Kenrick is an adjunct teacher of musical theatre history at New York University, Brind School – University of the Arts and The New School, and lectures frequently on the subject elsewhere...
wrote in November 2010 that the show "is glowing with breathtaking brilliance as it ends its Broadway run."
The Broadway production closed on January 16, 2011 after 21 previews and 733 regular performances.
Twitter (2009)
In May 2009, about six weeks into the Broadway Production, Next to Normal began publishing an adapted version of the show over Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, a social media network. Over 35 days, the serialized version of the show was published in the form of tweets, short messages utilized by Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, a single line from a character at a time. The Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
performance ended the morning of June 7, 2009, the morning of the 2009 Tony Awards. The initiative earned the musical the 2009 OMMA Award for Best in Show Situation Interactive.
Equity National Tour (2010-2011)
Next to Normal began a U.S. tour at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson TheatreAhmanson Theatre
The Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that comprise the Los Angeles Music Center.Through the generosity of philanthropist Robert H. Ahmanson, construction began on March 9, 1962. The theatre opened on April 12, 1967 with a production of More Stately Mansions starring Ingrid Bergman,...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California, from November 23, 2010 through January 2, 2011. The tour is then scheduled to play in 16 cities in the U.S., and end in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in July 2011. Alice Ripley reprises her role as Diana, Asa Somers plays Dan, with Emma Hunton as Natalie, Curt Hansen
Curt Hansen (actor)
Curt Hansen www.curthansen.com is an American-born actor/singer. A Wisconsin native, Curt has performed on Broadway in the final cast of Hairspray, as well as other Broadway readings and workshops. Recently Curt was the Gabe understudy/cover in the Tony award winning Broadway musical Next to Normal...
as Gabe, Preston K. Sadleir as Henry and Jeremy Kushnier
Jeremy Kushnier
Jeremy Kushnier is a stage actor and songwriter.- Overview :Kushnier is most well known for his role in the Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys in the role of Tommy Devito and was one of the "Top 10 Great Chicago Performances of 2007". He starred in the Chicago cast, and then opened the Vegas...
as Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine.
Non-Equity National Tour (2012)
A Non-Equity National Tour of Next to Normal will be starting in 2012. The only announced stop (so far) is in Kansas City, MO at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts from June 5th - June 10th, 2012.Dallas (2011)
The first regional premier played in Dallas, TX from June 10 to July 3, 2011, in a production by Uptown Players, at the Kalita Humphreys Theater. Directed by Michael Serrecchia with Patty Breckenridge as Diana, Gary Floyd as Dan, Erica Harte as Natalie, Anthony Carillo as Gabe, Jonathan Gilland as Henry, and Jonathan Bragg as the Doctors Fine/Madden.Cincinnati (2011)
The show will run September 7 to September 25, 2011 at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, Ohio, starring Broadway veteran Jessica Hendy.Salt Lake City (2011)
The show will run September 16 to October 1, 2011 at Pioneer Theatre Company of Salt Lake City, Utah. Cast stars Judy McLane as Diana and features Jonathan Rayson as Dan, Ephie Aardema as Natalie, Matt Dengler as Gabe, Alex Brightman as Henry, and Ben Crawford as Doctors Fine/Madden.Oklahoma City (2011)
The show will run from November 11 to November 20 at the Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre in Oklahoma City, OK, starring Stacey Logan with Lane Fields, Matthew Alvin Brown, Anderson Daniel, Jennifer Hiemstra, and Jordan Justice. Music Direction by Drew Wutke.Western Illinois University (2011)
The show will run from December 9 to December 10 at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. The cast includes Lori Kay as Diana, James Bleecker as Dan, Erin Norlie as Natalie, Blake Davy as Gabe, Isaac Jankowski as Henry and Aaron Zetterlund as Doctors Fine/Madden. Directed by Michael Kelly with Music Direction by Dr. Matt Bean.Sarasota (2011-2012)
The show will run from November 2 to January 7 at Florida Studio Theatre's Keating Theatre in Sarasota, FL. Starring Stacia Fernandez as Diana, Leo Daignault as Dan, Ashley Picciallo as Natalie, Mike Backes as Gabe, James LaRosa as Henry, and Scott Guthrie as Dr. Fine/Dr. Madden.Milwaukee (2011)
The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre will present the show from December 6, 2011 to January 15, 2012 at the Quadracci Powerhouse Theatre in Milwaukee, WI.Coral Gables (2012)
The show will run from January 18 to February 12 at the Actors Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables, FLBoston (2012)
The show will run March 9 to April 7, 2012 at the SpeakEasy Stage Company, BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts.
Midvale, Utah (2012)
Next To Normal will run for three weeks at the Midvale Main Street Theatre, just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. Performances are March 15th-31st.Orlando (2012)
The show will run June 8 to July 8, 2012 at the Mad Cow TheatreMad Cow Theatre
Mad Cow Theatrebegan in late 1997 as a simple two-show project between a group of actors/directors in a former blueprint studio in Maitland, Florida...
, Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
.
Norway (2010-2011)
The European premiere and the first non-English language production opened September 3, 2010 at Det Norske TeatretDet Norske Teatret
Det Norske Teatret is a theatre in Oslo. The theatre was founded in 1912, after an initiative from Hulda Garborg and Edvard Drabløs. It opened in 1913, touring with two plays, Ervingen by Ivar Aasen and Rationelt Fjøsstell by Hulda Garborg...
in Norway, with Heidi Gjermundsen Broch
Heidi Gjermundsen Broch
Heidi Gjermundsen Broch is a Norwegian actress, singer and musical artist.Gjermundsen went at Paul McCartney's famous Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts in 1995-1997...
as Diana, Frank Kjosås as Gabe, Charlotte Frogner
Charlotte Frogner
Charlotte Frogner is a Norwegian Actress, best known outside of Norway for her role in the Norwegian Zombie film Dead Snow. She has been employed by the Oslo's Det Norske Teatret since 2004 where she has appeared in a number of productions and acted for Norwegian television...
as Natalie, Jon Bleiklie Devik as Dan, Thomas Bye as Henry, and Lasse Kolsrud as the Doctors. It opened to rave reviews, which made the theatre announce a second season starting October 8, 2011. Press release tells the original Norwegian cast will be performing the second season as well.
Helsinki (2010)
The Finnish production opened December 2, 2010 in HelsinkiHelsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
at Studio Pasila. The last performance is scheduled for December 8th 2011.
Manila (2011)
The Asian premiere was staged by Atlantis Productions Inc. at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati, PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
from March 11 through March 27, 2011 and from October 07 through October 26, 2011. The cast included Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as Diana, Jett Pangan as Dan, Felix Rivera as Gabe, Bea Garcia as Natalie, Markki Stroem as Henry, and Jake Macapagal as the Doctors.
Melbourne (2011)
The Australian premiere of the musical played at the Melbourne Theatre CompanyMelbourne Theatre Company
The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne. Founded in 1953, it is the oldest professional theatre company in Australia, and has its own theatre, The MTC Theatre – which houses the 500-seat Sumner Theatre and the 150-seat Lawler Studio – located in Melbourne's Arts...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Performances were originally from April 28 running through May 28, 2011, and then extended to June 4. The cast included Gareth Keegan as Gabe, Kate Kendall as Diana, Matt Hetherington as Dan, Benjamin Hoetjes as Henry, Christy Sullivan as Natalie, and Bert LaBonté as the Doctors.
Peru (2011)
The Peruvian premiere of the musical was played at the Teatro Marsano, in Lima, PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. Performances begin at May 5 running through June. This is the first time that "Next to Normal" is translated to Spanish.
The Cast included Patricia de al Puente as Diana, Paul Martin as Dan, replaced later by Jean Paul Strauss, Gisela Ponce de León as Natalie, and Renato Bonifaz as Gabriel.
South Korea (2011-12)
The Asian premiere of Next to Normal is playing from November 18-February 12, 2012 at the Doosan Arts Center in Seoul South KoreaSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
The Cast includes Kolleen Park and JiHyun Kim as Diana, and KyoungJoo Nam and JungYeol Lee as Dan. The production is directed by Laura Pietropinto, who was the Assistant Director of Next to Normal on Broadway, and is produced by Musical Heaven.
Canada (2011-12)
The first Canadian regional production of Next to Normal is being mounted by The Arts Club TheatreThe Arts Club Theatre
The Arts Club Theatre Company is a professional theatre company in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Arts Club was founded in 1958 originally as a private club until 1964, when the group became the Arts Club Theatre Company and established itself at a theatre on Seymour Street in Downtown...
in Vancouver, BC. Performances run September 8-October 9, 2011 on the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage
Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage
The Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage is a landmark theatre at 12th and Granville Street in Vancouver, British Columbia which serves as the main stage for the Arts Club Theatre Company. The Stanley first opened as a movie theatre in December 1930, and showed movies for over sixty years before...
.
Another Canadian production is being produced by The Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg, MB from April 19-May 12, 2012. The production will star Jennifer Lyon as Diana.
The Netherlands (2012)
The Dutch premiere is January 16 2012 at DeLaMar Theater in Amsterdam. Cast is Simone Kleinsma (Diana), Wim van den Driessche (Dan), Michelle van de Ven (Natalie), Freek Bartels (Gabe), Jonathan Demoor (Henry) and René van Kooten (Dr. Fine/ Dr. Madden).Denmark (2012)
The Danish premiere is February 18, 2012 until April 15, 2010, at Nørrebro Teater in Copenhagen. Cast is Cecilie Stenspil, Troels Lyby, Laus Høybye, Tom Jensen, Kenneth Müller Christensen and Kristine Marie Brendstrup.Sweden (2012)
A two month run from February 2 until March 30 is announced at Wermland opera in Karlstad, Sweden. Cast is Cecilie Nerfont Thorgersen as Diana, Ole Aleksander Bolstad Bang as Gabe, Christer Nerfont as Dan, Tove Edfeldt as Natalie, Jonas Schlyter as Henry, and Melker Sörensen as the Doctors.Argentina (2012)
The Argentinian premiere will be on January 3 2012 at Liceo Theater in Buenos Aires. The cast includes Laura Conforte (Diana), Alejandro Paker (Dan), Florencia Otero (Natalie), Matías Mayer (Gabe), Fernando Dente (Henry) and Mariano Chiesa (Dr. Fine/ Dr. Madden).Synopsis
Act ISuburban mother Diana Goodman waits up late for her curfew-challenged son and comforts her anxious and overachieving daughter, Natalie. Dan, her husband, then rises to help prepare her family for "Just Another Day." But when her lunch-making takes a turn for the bizarre with sandwiches covering the table, chairs, and floor, the rest realize something is not right. As Dan helps the disoriented Diana, Natalie hurries off to school and the refuge of the piano practice room ("Everything Else"), where she's interrupted by Henry, a classmate who likes to listen to her play — and clearly likes her.
Over the ensuing weeks, Diana makes a series of visits to her doctor, while Dan waits in the car outside, questioning how to cope with his own depression ("Who's Crazy?/My Psychopharmacologist and I"). Diana has suffered from bipolar disorder coupled with hallucinations for sixteen years; Doctor Fine continually adjusts her medications until she says that she doesn't feel anything, at which point he declares her stable. Natalie and Henry grow closer until one day he professes his love for her ("Perfect For You") and they kiss for the first time. Diana witnesses this and realizes that her best years may be behind her, but she misses feeling her high highs and her low lows ("I Miss the Mountains"). With her son's encouragement, she flushes away her medication.
A few weeks later, Dan looks forward to dinner with his family ("It's Gonna Be Good"), but when Diana emerges with a cake singing "Happy Birthday" to her son, Dan and Natalie are devastated. Dan holds Diana and explains that "He's Not Here". Their son died sixteen years ago from an intestinal obstruction before Natalie was born. Natalie storms off. Dan mentions a return to the doctor, but Diana refuses, saying that he can't possibly hurt the way she does ("You Don't Know"). Dan tries to coax her into trusting him, and their dead son joins them onstage, convincing his mother to trust him rather than his father ("I Am The One"). In her room, Natalie vents her anger to Henry, then refuses Diana's apology as her brother watches and taunts her ("Superboy and the Invisible Girl").
A few days later, Diana starts work with Doctor Madden. As her son rises to assert his presence ("I'm Alive"), Dan and Natalie doubt the sessions are helping, but Doctor Madden proposes hypnosis to help Diana discover the roots of her trauma ("Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling"). Finally, Diana agrees it's time to let her son go. Diana goes home to clean out her son's things, pausing to listen to a music box ("I Dreamed a Dance"). Her son appears and dances with her, then invites her to come away with him ("There's a World"), and she does.
At the hospital, where Diana lies sedated and restrained, with self-inflicted gashes to her wrists, Doctor Madden explains to Dan that ECT
Electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy , formerly known as electroshock, is a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in anesthetized patients for therapeutic effect. Its mode of action is unknown...
is the standard course of treatment for drug-resistant patients who are imminently suicidal. Dan goes home to clean up after Diana and decide what to do ("I've Been"). The next day, Diana lashes out at Doctor Madden, refusing the treatment ("Didn't I See This Movie?"), but Dan arrives and convinces her it may be their last hope ("A Light In The Dark").
Act II
Diana receives a series of ECT treatments over two weeks. Meanwhile Natalie explores clubs and drugs ("Wish I Were Here"). Diana returns home from the hospital, but she has lost nineteen years of memory ("Song of Forgetting"). At school, Henry confronts Natalie about her avoiding him, and invites her to the spring formal dance ("Hey #1").
Dan and Diana visit Doctor Madden, who assures them that some memory loss is normal ("Seconds and Years") and encourages Dan to use photos, mementoes, and the like to help Diana recover. Dan gathers the family to do so ("Better Than Before"), with minor success, but when Natalie pulls the music box from a pile of keepsakes, he whisks it away, leaving Diana puzzled. Her son appears, unseen ("Aftershocks"), while Diana tells Dan there's something she's desperate to remember that's just beyond her reach. When Henry arrives looking for Natalie, Diana is given great pause, studying his face and asking his age. He reminds her of someone. Unnerved, Henry hurries up to Natalie's bedroom, to convince her to join him at the dance the next night ("Hey #2").
Diana returns to Doctor Madden ("You Don't Know [Reprise]") who suggests she further explore her history and talk more with her husband. Diana goes home and searches through the boxes of keepsakes, finding the music box, Dan tries to stop her, but the memories of her baby son rush back ("How Could I Ever Forget?"). When Diana confesses remembering her son as a teenager, and demands to know his name, Dan refuses and instead insists they need to return for more treatment ("It's Gonna Be Good [Reprise]"). Henry arrives to pick up Natalie, who has dressed for the dance, just in time for both of them to witness an agitated Dan grab the music box from Diana's hands and smash it to pieces on the floor.
Diana confronts Dan, wondering why he perseveres after how much trouble she's given, while upstairs, Natalie asks Henry much the same question ("Why Stay?"). Dan answers, echoed by Henry, both vowing to stay steadfast ("A Promise"), but just as both couples embrace, their son reappears ("I'm Alive [Reprise]"), sending Diana running to Doctor Madden, asking Natalie to drive her, leaving Dan and Henry behind.
Diana asks Madden what can be done if the medicine has missed the true problem. With her questioning comes the realization that it's not her brain that's hurting: it's her soul ("The Break"). Madden assures her relapse is common, and suggests more ECT ("Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling [Reprise]"). Diana refuses, and though Doctor Madden urges her to continue treatment for her chronic, deadly disease, she thanks him and goes. Natalie, waiting outside, is distressed to learn her mother has left treatment, and Diana explains herself ("Maybe [Next to Normal]"), opening up to her daughter for the first time. She urges Natalie on to the school dance, where Henry awaits to comfort and embrace her ("Hey #3/Perfect for You [Reprise]").
Diana tells Dan that she is leaving him, explaining that he can't always be there to catch her; she needs to take a risk and deal with things on her own for once ("So Anyway"). She goes, leaving their son with him. As Dan wonders how she could have left him after he stood by her for so long, their son approaches, telling Dan he's not going anywhere ("I Am The One [Reprise]"). Dan grows more distraught until at last he faces the boy and calls him by his name for the first time: Gabriel.
Natalie comes home to find her father sitting alone in the dark, in tears. She comforts him and turns the lights on in the room, before assuring him that the two of them will figure things out ("Light"). Henry arrives to study, and Natalie tells him Diana has gone to stay with her own parents. Diana is alone and still hurting, but hopeful. Dan visits Doctor Madden hoping to talk about Diana, but stays to talk about his own struggle. Once again Gabriel watches over them all, as life goes on.
Musical numbers
Note: The song titles are not listed in the programAct I
- "Prelude" – Orchestra
- "Just Another Day" – Diana, Natalie, Gabe, Dan
- "Everything Else" – Natalie
- "Who's Crazy" / "My Psychopharmacologist and I" – Dan, Doctor Fine, Diana, ensemble
- "Perfect for You" – Henry, Natalie
- "I Miss the Mountains" – Diana
- "It's Gonna Be Good" – Dan, Natalie, Gabe, Henry, Ensemble
- "He's Not Here" – Dan
- "You Don't Know" – Diana
- "I Am the One" – Dan, Gabe, Diana
- "Superboy and the Invisible Girl" – Natalie, Diana, Gabe
- "I'm Alive" – Gabe
- "Make Up Your Mind" / "Catch Me I'm Falling" – Doctor Madden, Diana, Dan, Natalie, Gabe
- "I Dreamed a Dance" – Diana, Gabe
- "There's a World" – Gabe
- "I've Been" – Dan
- "Didn't I See This Movie?" – Diana
- "A Light in the Dark" – Dan, Diana
Act II
- "Wish I Were Here" – Diana, Natalie
- "Song of Forgetting" – Dan, Diana, Natalie
- "Hey #1" – Henry, Natalie
- "Seconds and Years" – Doctor Madden, Dan, Diana
- "Better Than Before" – Doctor Madden, Dan, Natalie, Diana
- "Aftershocks" – Gabe
- "Hey #2" – Henry, Natalie
- "You Don't Know" (Reprise) – Diana, Doctor Madden
- "How Could I Ever Forget?" – Diana, Dan
- "It's Gonna Be Good" (Reprise) – Dan, Diana
- "Why Stay?" / "A Promise" – Diana, Natalie, Dan, Henry
- "I'm Alive" (Reprise) – Gabe
- "The Break" – Diana
- "Make Up Your Mind" / "Catch Me I'm Falling" (Reprise) – Doctor Madden, Diana, Gabe
- "Maybe (Next to Normal)" – Diana, Natalie
- "Hey #3" / "Perfect for You" (Reprise) – Henry, Natalie
- "So Anyway" – Diana
- "I Am the One" (Reprise) – Dan, Gabe
- "Light" – Diana, Dan, Natalie, Gabe, Henry, Doctor Madden
Casts
The principal casts of the major productions of the musical are as follows.| Role | Original Off-Broadway Cast | Original Broadway Cast | Final Broadway Cast | Original US Tour Cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diana Goodman | Alice Ripley | Alice Ripley | Marin Mazzie Marin Mazzie Marin Joy Mazzie is an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theater. She was nominated for the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Olivier Award for her role as Lilli/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate, and won the Outer Critics Circle Award... |
Alice Ripley |
| Dan Goodman | Brian d'Arcy James Brian d'Arcy James Brian d'Arcy James is an American actor and musician.-Personal life:James was born in Saginaw, Michigan, the son of Mary , a seller of children's books, and a lawyer father, Thomas F. James. Brian's maternal grandfather was Harry F. Kelly, former Governor of the state of Michigan... |
J. Robert Spencer J. Robert Spencer Robert John Spencer is an American actor and singer, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his work in the Broadway musical Next to Normal.... |
Jason Danieley Jason Danieley Jason D. Danieley is an American actor, singer, concert performer and recording artist. He is married to fellow Broadway star, Marin Mazzie-Biography:... |
Asa Somers Asa Somers Asa Somers is an American stage, film, and television actor. He is an alumnus of the Phillips Exeter Academy and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and Theatre Studies at Yale University.-Stage work:... |
| Natalie Goodman | Jennifer Damiano Jennifer Damiano Jennifer Damiano is an American actress and singer, most known for originating the role of Natalie Goodman in Next to Normal on Broadway. She was nominated for the 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in that musical... |
Jennifer Damiano Jennifer Damiano Jennifer Damiano is an American actress and singer, most known for originating the role of Natalie Goodman in Next to Normal on Broadway. She was nominated for the 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in that musical... |
Meghann Fahy Meghann Fahy Meghann Fahy is an American actress and singer, best known for her role as Natalie Goodman in Next to Normal and as Hannah O'Connor on One Life to Live.- Personal life :... |
Emma Hunton |
| Gabriel "Gabe" Goodman | Aaron Tveit Aaron Tveit Aaron Kyle Tveit is an American theatre and film actor originally from Middletown, New York. He is known for originating the roles of Gabe in Next to Normal and Frank Abagnale Jr... |
Aaron Tveit Aaron Tveit Aaron Kyle Tveit is an American theatre and film actor originally from Middletown, New York. He is known for originating the roles of Gabe in Next to Normal and Frank Abagnale Jr... |
Kyle Dean Massey Kyle Dean Massey Kyle Dean Massey is an American theatre performer, best known for playing Gabe in the Broadway musical Next To Normal, and for appearing in the ensemble and as the understudy for Fiyero in Wicked on Broadway and on the first North American tour... |
Curt Hansen Curt Hansen (actor) Curt Hansen www.curthansen.com is an American-born actor/singer. A Wisconsin native, Curt has performed on Broadway in the final cast of Hairspray, as well as other Broadway readings and workshops. Recently Curt was the Gabe understudy/cover in the Tony award winning Broadway musical Next to Normal... |
| Henry | Adam Chanler-Berat Adam Chanler-Berat Adam Brian Chanler-Berat is an American theater performer and film actor. He was born in West Nyack, Rockland County, in New York where he attended Clarkstown High School South. He then attended Marymount Manhattan College.- Theater:... |
Adam Chanler-Berat Adam Chanler-Berat Adam Brian Chanler-Berat is an American theater performer and film actor. He was born in West Nyack, Rockland County, in New York where he attended Clarkstown High School South. He then attended Marymount Manhattan College.- Theater:... |
Adam Chanler-Berat Adam Chanler-Berat Adam Brian Chanler-Berat is an American theater performer and film actor. He was born in West Nyack, Rockland County, in New York where he attended Clarkstown High School South. He then attended Marymount Manhattan College.- Theater:... |
Preston K. Sadleir |
| Dr. Fine/Dr. Madden | Asa Somers Asa Somers Asa Somers is an American stage, film, and television actor. He is an alumnus of the Phillips Exeter Academy and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and Theatre Studies at Yale University.-Stage work:... |
Louis Hobson | Louis Hobson | Jeremy Kushnier Jeremy Kushnier Jeremy Kushnier is a stage actor and songwriter.- Overview :Kushnier is most well known for his role in the Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys in the role of Tommy Devito and was one of the "Top 10 Great Chicago Performances of 2007". He starred in the Chicago cast, and then opened the Vegas... |
Notable Broadway Replacements
- Brian d'Arcy JamesBrian d'Arcy JamesBrian d'Arcy James is an American actor and musician.-Personal life:James was born in Saginaw, Michigan, the son of Mary , a seller of children's books, and a lawyer father, Thomas F. James. Brian's maternal grandfather was Harry F. Kelly, former Governor of the state of Michigan...
played Dan in a limited run from May 17, 2010, to July 18, 2010. - Kyle Dean MasseyKyle Dean MasseyKyle Dean Massey is an American theatre performer, best known for playing Gabe in the Broadway musical Next To Normal, and for appearing in the ensemble and as the understudy for Fiyero in Wicked on Broadway and on the first North American tour...
was called to play Gabe from June 9 through September 6, 2009 while Aaron TveitAaron TveitAaron Kyle Tveit is an American theatre and film actor originally from Middletown, New York. He is known for originating the roles of Gabe in Next to Normal and Frank Abagnale Jr...
performed in Catch Me if You CanCatch Me if You Can (musical)Catch Me If You Can is a musical with a libretto by Terrence McNally and a theatrical score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. It follows the story of con artist Frank Abagnale, Jr...
at the 5th Avenue Theatre5th Avenue TheatreThe 5th Avenue Theatre is a landmark theater building located in Seattle, Washington, USA. It has hosted a variety of theatre productions and motion pictures since it opened in 1926. The building and land is owned by the University of Washington and was once part of the original campus...
in Seattle, WA. He remained an unofficial standby due to Tveit's Gossip GirlGossip GirlGossip Girl is an American young adult novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar and published by Little, Brown and Company, a subsidiary of the Hachette Group. The series revolves around the lives and romances of the privileged teenagers at the Constance Billard School for Girls, an elite...
filming schedule, taking on the role full time after Tveit's January 3, 2010 departure from the production.
Literary references and allusions
- During Act I, Gabe reads a paperback copy of The Catcher in the RyeThe Catcher in the RyeThe Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage confusion, angst, alienation, language, and rebellion. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major...
. Kyle Dean Massey said, "I read about a page a night." Salinger's novel about grieving a loss is read by the character who is the loss. In Catcher, Holden struggles with the loss of a brother, Allie, who died of leukemia. - When sorting through a box of items from her son's room, Diana picks up a music box from the box to reveal a copy of Goodnight MoonGoodnight MoonGoodnight Moon is an American children's book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. It was first published in 1947, and is a highly acclaimed example of a bedtime story. It is about a child saying goodnight to everything around: "Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight...
underneath. - Natalie carries a hardcover copy of Flowers for AlgernonFlowers for AlgernonFlowers for Algernon is a science fiction short story and subsequent novel written by Daniel Keyes. The short story, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960...
, which she is studying in school. Both the novel and "Next to Normal" deal with psychological experimentation. - Diana alludes to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a 1975 American drama film directed by Miloš Forman and based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey....
, Sylvia PlathSylvia PlathSylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. Born in Massachusetts, she studied at Smith College and Newnham College, Cambridge before receiving acclaim as a professional poet and writer...
, and Frances FarmerFrances FarmerFrances Elena Farmer was an American actress of stage and screen. She is perhaps better known for sensationalized and fictional accounts of her life, and especially her involuntary commitment to a mental hospital...
in the song "Didn't I See This Movie?". - Diana also reads from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a play by Edward Albee that opened on Broadway at the Billy Rose Theater on October 13, 1962. The original cast featured Uta Hagen as Martha, Arthur Hill as George, Melinda Dillon as Honey and George Grizzard as Nick. It was directed by Alan Schneider...
, a play by Edward AlbeeEdward AlbeeEdward Franklin Albee III is an American playwright who is best known for The Zoo Story , The Sandbox , Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , and a rewrite of the screenplay for the unsuccessful musical version of Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's . His works are considered well-crafted, often...
which deals with marital stress caused by similar issues of "Next to Normal". On her YouTube site, Alice Ripley said that she uses Albee's play as a bible, drawing inspiration for Diana.
Pulitzer Prize Controversy
Next to Normal won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for DramaPulitzer Prize for Drama
The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than the calendar year...
even though it had not been on the list of three candidates submitted to the twenty-member Pulitzer Prize board by the five-member Drama jury. Jury chairman Charles McNulty publicly criticized the Board for overlooking the three plays that were not running on Broadway at the time of the Award in favor of one that was.
Original Off-Broadway production
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Broadway.com Audience Award | Favourite New Off-Broadway Musical | ||
| Drama Desk Award Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category... |
Outstanding Actress in a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since... |
Alice Ripley | ||
| Outstanding Music Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music is an annual award presented by the Drama Desk, a committee comprising New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Tom Kitt Tom Kitt (musician) Tom Kitt is an American composer, conductor, orchestrator and musician. For his score for the musical Next to Normal, he shared the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama with Brian Yorkey... |
|||
| Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Musical | |||
| Outstanding Featured Actor | Aaron Tveit Aaron Tveit Aaron Kyle Tveit is an American theatre and film actor originally from Middletown, New York. He is known for originating the roles of Gabe in Next to Normal and Frank Abagnale Jr... |
|||
| Outstanding Lighting Design | Kevin Adams | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Award Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets... |
Outstanding Score | Tom Kitt Tom Kitt (musician) Tom Kitt is an American composer, conductor, orchestrator and musician. For his score for the musical Next to Normal, he shared the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama with Brian Yorkey... and Brian Yorkey Brian Yorkey Brian Yorkey is an American playwright, lyricist, and theatre director. He shared the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2009 Tony Award for Best Original Score with composer Tom Kitt, and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Next to Normal.A native of Issaquah,... |
||
Original Broadway production
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Broadway.com Audience Award | Favourite New Broadway Musical | ||
| Favourite Leading Actor in a Broadway Musical | J. Robert Spencer J. Robert Spencer Robert John Spencer is an American actor and singer, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his work in the Broadway musical Next to Normal.... |
|||
| Favourite Leading Actress in a Broadway Musical | Alice Ripley | |||
| Favourite Featured Actor in a Broadway Musical | Aaron Tveit Aaron Tveit Aaron Kyle Tveit is an American theatre and film actor originally from Middletown, New York. He is known for originating the roles of Gabe in Next to Normal and Frank Abagnale Jr... |
|||
| Favourite Featured Actress in a Broadway Musical | Jennifer Damiano Jennifer Damiano Jennifer Damiano is an American actress and singer, most known for originating the role of Natalie Goodman in Next to Normal on Broadway. She was nominated for the 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in that musical... |
|||
| Favourite Diva Performance | Alice Ripley | |||
| Favourite Onstage Pair | Alice Ripley and J. Robert Spencer J. Robert Spencer Robert John Spencer is an American actor and singer, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his work in the Broadway musical Next to Normal.... |
|||
| Favourite Breakthrough Performance: Male | Aaron Tveit Aaron Tveit Aaron Kyle Tveit is an American theatre and film actor originally from Middletown, New York. He is known for originating the roles of Gabe in Next to Normal and Frank Abagnale Jr... |
|||
| Favourite Breakthrough Performance: Female | Jennifer Damiano Jennifer Damiano Jennifer Damiano is an American actress and singer, most known for originating the role of Natalie Goodman in Next to Normal on Broadway. She was nominated for the 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in that musical... |
|||
| Helen Hayes Award Helen Hayes Award A Helen Hayes Award is a theater award named for the famed actress Helen Hayes to recognize excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are managed by Linda Levy Grossman. and presented by the Washington Theatre Awards Society.-Awards:The Helen Hayes... |
Outstanding Non-Resident Production | |||
| Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Production | J. Robert Spencer J. Robert Spencer Robert John Spencer is an American actor and singer, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his work in the Broadway musical Next to Normal.... |
|||
| Outstanding Lead Actress, Non-Resident Production | Alice Ripley | |||
| Outstanding Supporting Performer, Non-Resident Production | Jennifer Damiano Jennifer Damiano Jennifer Damiano is an American actress and singer, most known for originating the role of Natalie Goodman in Next to Normal on Broadway. She was nominated for the 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in that musical... |
|||
| Aaron Tveit Aaron Tveit Aaron Kyle Tveit is an American theatre and film actor originally from Middletown, New York. He is known for originating the roles of Gabe in Next to Normal and Frank Abagnale Jr... |
||||
| Tony Award Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway... |
Best Musical Tony Award for Best Musical This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical, first awarded in 1949. This award is presented to the producers of the musical.-1940s:* 1949: Kiss Me, Kate – Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Samuel and Bella Spewack... |
|||
| Best Book of a Musical Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical The Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligible... |
Brian Yorkey Brian Yorkey Brian Yorkey is an American playwright, lyricist, and theatre director. He shared the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2009 Tony Award for Best Original Score with composer Tom Kitt, and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Next to Normal.A native of Issaquah,... |
|||
| Best Original Score Tony Award for Best Original Score The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics... |
Tom Kitt Tom Kitt (musician) Tom Kitt is an American composer, conductor, orchestrator and musician. For his score for the musical Next to Normal, he shared the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama with Brian Yorkey... and Brian Yorkey |
|||
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical is awarded to the actor who was voted as the best actor in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival... |
J. Robert Spencer J. Robert Spencer Robert John Spencer is an American actor and singer, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his work in the Broadway musical Next to Normal.... |
|||
| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Alice Ripley | |||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical This is a list of the winners and nominations of the Tony Award for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical. The award, introduced in 1950, was previously named as Best Performance by a Featured or Supporting Actress in a Musical until 1976.... |
Jennifer Damiano Jennifer Damiano Jennifer Damiano is an American actress and singer, most known for originating the role of Natalie Goodman in Next to Normal on Broadway. She was nominated for the 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in that musical... |
|||
| Best Direction of a Musical Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. Prior to 1960, category for direction included plays and musicals.-1950s:Note: this category was for both dramatic and musical productions... |
Michael Greif Michael Greif Michael Greif is a stage director and producer, born in Brooklyn, New York. He has received three Tony Award nominations and won the Obie Award.... |
|||
| Best Orchestrations Tony Award for Best Orchestrations -1990s:1997*Jonathan Tunick – Titanic**Michael Gibson - Steel Pier**Luther Henderson - Play On!**Don Sebesky and Harold Wheeler - The Life1998*William David Brohn – Ragtime**Robert Elhai, David Metzger and Bruce Fowler - The Lion King... |
Michael Starobin Michael Starobin Michael Starobin is an orchestrator, arranger, and Musical Director, primarily for the stage and television.-Career:The first Broadway musical that Starobin provided the orchestrations for was Sunday in the Park with George in 1984, for which he won the 1984 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding... and Tom Kitt Tom Kitt (musician) Tom Kitt is an American composer, conductor, orchestrator and musician. For his score for the musical Next to Normal, he shared the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama with Brian Yorkey... |
|||
| Best Scenic Design | Mark Wenland | |||
| Best Lighting Design Tony Award for Best Lighting Design This is a list of the winners of the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a play or musical, first presented in 1970. In 2005 the category was divided with each genre represented separately.-1970s:* 1970: Jo Mielziner – Child's Play... |
Kevin Adams Kevin Adams For the NHL player, see Kevyn Adams.Kevin Adams is an American theatrical lighting designer. He has earned three Tony Awards for lighting design.-Biography:... |
|||
| Best Sound Design Tony Award for Best Sound Design The first Tony Award for "Best Sound Design of a Play" and "Best Sound Design of a Musical" was given in the 2007-2008 season.-2000s:*2008: Mic Pool – The 39 Steps**Simon Baker – Boeing-Boeing**Adam Cork – Macbeth... |
Brian Ronan | |||
| 2010 | Broadway.com Audience Award | Favourite Long-Running Musical | ||
| Favourite Replacement Male | Kyle Dean Massey Kyle Dean Massey Kyle Dean Massey is an American theatre performer, best known for playing Gabe in the Broadway musical Next To Normal, and for appearing in the ensemble and as the understudy for Fiyero in Wicked on Broadway and on the first North American tour... |
|||
| Pulitzer Prize for Drama Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than the calendar year... |
||||
External links
- Official Website
- Twitter Performance Transcript
- Lortel Archives listing
- Interview with Brian Yorkey on MyNortwest.com
- NY Times Feature: An Out-of-Town Overhaul Helps Next to Normal Find Focus
- NY Times Feature: On Broadway, 'Next to Normal' Aims for Truth About Mental Illness
- Daily News Broadway review 2009
- Entertainment Weekly Broadway review 2009
- Associated Press Broadway review 2009
- Washington Post Broadway Review 2009
- NY Times off-Broadway review, February 2008
- TheatreMania review, February 2008
- http://www.hkt.fi/ohjelmisto/play.php?name=next