After a sold-out run at the Donmar Warehouse last year (where it made its UK premiere), the Broadway musical Next to Normal has now transferred to London’s West End.
Characteristically American this brash production doesn’t do anything by halves, from big belting rock numbers, massive talent (and voices) on stage, bold honesty, and plenty and plenty of pharmaceuticals.
Musical theatre at its most belting, it really does put you inside someone’s bipolar nightmare, so much so that by the second half I almost yearned for a silent pause, but I suppose the manic atmosphere is apt – and instructive.
Next to Normal peers directly into the domestic life of a middle-class American family, and lays painfully bare the irreparable impact of loss and mental illness. The thoughts and feelings of the characters take such priority that at interval stage I couldn’t really recall what had happened beyond their souls screaming desperately to be seen and heard.
In fact, rather a lot had happened: the mother’s life was in jeopardy, the daughter got her first boyfriend, and the whole family had been driven to recklessness. Nevertheless, the plot’s movement, and the people within it, felt clouded somewhat by the lack of respite from belting number to belting number. It’s plain overwhelming, and granted that may be the point, but the guitar chords, and refrain of pain began to tire. Much like with Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis, visiting other people’s mental anguish is about as fun as it sounds.
Despite my reservations around the musical’s book (don’t talk to me about the ending), the cast are undeniably exceptional: Grammy Award nominee Caissie Levy (the original Elsa in Broadway’s Frozen); Olivier winner and Tony nominee Jamie Parker (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child); Trevor Dion Nicholas (Hamilton) Jack Wolfe (Pinnochio); Olivier winner and BAFTA nominee Eleanor Worthington-Cox (Matilda the Musical) and Jack Ofrecio (The Merry Wives of Windsor). Their voices and emotional expression were all faultless.
“Superboy and the Invisible Girl” was a singularly memorable number that I will play on repeat (look it up). In a production where all the characters are struggling with mental illness, and they’re all vying for attention from each other and the audience, the missing piece is a clear definable protagonist. I wasn’t invested in the fate of any one of them, so when it came to curtain, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Next To Normal plays at Wyndham’s Theatre until September 21, 2024, for a strictly limited 14-week season.
Website: www.nexttonormal.com
Music: Tom Kitt
Book & Lyrics: Brian Yorkey
Director: Michael Longhurst
Musical Supervisor: Nigel Lilley
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