Next To Normal

(This is Victoria's post.)

Next to Normal is a rock musical by Brain Yorkey and Tom Kitt. Directed by Michael Greif, it opened Off-Broadway in 2008 and then Broadway the next year. The show has received several awards including the Tony Award for Best Score and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The musical to win the Pulitzer the year before was Rent which was also directed by Greif.  It was nominated for 11 Tony Awards.

                  Brian Yorkey is a native of Issaquah, Washington and graduated from Columbia University where he met Tom Kitt. He served as the associate artistic director for Village Theatre for six years before Next to Normal.  Tom Kitt has composed and orchestrated many awarding winning musicals including High Fidelity and American Idiot. His new musical Bring it On recently opened on Broadway. He received the Frederick Loewe Award for Dramatic Composition for Next to Normal. Kitt and Yorkey’s most recent project is a new musical called If/Then starring Idina Menzel and directed by Michael Greif. The show is set to open on Broadway Spring 2014.

                  Next to normal began as a ten minute piece called Feeling Electric that Kitt and Yorkey wrote as a final project for the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop. Their inspiration was a segment about electroconvulsive therapy on Dateline NBC. Yorkey has been quoted saying, “exponentially harder to write an original musical. Musicals that go wrong can be ridiculous because it’s a ridiculous art form. People bursting into song can be ridiculous. But musicals that go right can be sublime."

                  Next to Normal tells the story of a mother who struggles with several illnesses including manic depression, bipolar disorder, and delusional fits. Some symptoms of bipolar disorder are increased sex drive, disconnected racing thoughts, empty moods, feelings of guilt, worthlessness and helplessness, poor judgement, inappropriate elation, grandiose notions, and delusions.  It explores the effects of loss on a person and the effects that these illnesses have on a family. The musical addresses issues like suicide, drug abuse, and ethics in modern psychiatry.

                  The set is made to look like a doll house. There are doors that slide open and closed so we can see inside the home of this suburban family. It is also a symbol for Diana. For instance, Gabe’s room is in the attic/ Diana’s mind. When the musical begins it seems like the audience is about to watch a show about a typical suburban family. It is not until after the opening number that we realize Diana is not all there. I found it interesting that we do not realize Gabe is a vision until 30 minutes into the show. Up until that point we think the entire family can see him. You will notice if you chose to read the play and watch it on Youtube, that they are somewhat different. Some songs were cut from the show when it moved to Broadway.

                  I enjoyed the use repetition in this musical. Many times the word crazy was used but sometimes it was good and sometimes it was bad. Also the word perfect. In the song I Miss the Mountains Diana talks about the importance of feeling. At this point the doctors have taken away all feeling from her. But she would rather feel pain than nothing at all.

                  Throughout the show we learn that Dan never got to grieve his son’s death. He was too busy taking care of Diana. This show explores the effects of mental illness on a family. Natalie is constantly in the shadow of her older brother who does not exist. She is always afraid she will end up crazy just like her mother. This is why she is scared connect with Henry. I love the brief glimpses into Diana’s mind. One example is when she first meets the doctor and she sees him as a rock star.

                  I’m Alive  is when we get to see Gabe’s point of view for the first time. Diana cannot get rid of Gabe until she comes to terms with the fact that he is dead and grieves his death. The musical not only deals with the effects of drugs but also the effects of hypnosis and electric shock therapy.  “The aim of ECT is to induce a therapeutic clonic seizure (a seizure where the person loses consciousness and has convulsions) lasting for at least 15 seconds.”

Questions:

1.)   Which is worse, the symptom or the cure?

2.)   Is forgetting better than feeling pain? What was the effect of forgetting for both Diana and Dan?

3.)   What are the parallels between Gabe, Dan, and Henry?

4.)   Did you think the emotion was lost because the dramatic moments were sung instead of spoken?

5.)   Did Gabe live in Diana’s soul or her mind?

6.)   Why did Diana decide to leave and not Dan?

7.)   Why did Dan not admit to being able to see Gabe?

8.)   Do you think Henry was a bad influence on Natalie?

9.)   If Henry had not been in Natalie’s life, what do you think would have happened to Natalie?

10.)Why did Dan never talk to Natalie about Gabe?

11.)Do you think musicals like Next to Normal and Rent are the future of musical theatre? Is it possible to have a dramatic musical be as realistic as a dramatic play?