Have you heard of the show Next to Normal? Whenever I mention it to friends, I kind of get a glance as if to say, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” But they’re all missing out big time, because Next to Normal is an incredible show.
Next to Normal is a Tony and Pulitzer award-winning show that was on Broadway in 2007 and originally starred some incredible people, including Alice Ripley, Jennifer Damiano, and my ultimate love, Aaron Tveit.
The show focuses on Diana, a mum who suffers from bipolar disorder and probably PTSD (although it’s not mentioned) caused by the death of her son when he was a baby. It shows how the family copes when Diana goes through a series of treatments, including ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), which leads to devastating side effects including memory loss.
It sounds like a barrel of laughs, but it’s such an incredible show and the music is amazing and ugh, I just love this show so much. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack for about six years, and I never get tired of it.
This is the only show that I’ve watched a full bootleg of on YouTube, which isn’t something I usually encourage (because it’s like pirating a film), but as I said, this show was on Broadway 12 years ago, so right now, there’s no other way to access the show, and that makes me die inside a little. I NEED TO SEE THIS SHOW.
4 Reasons Why Next to Normal is My Favourite Show of All Time, Ever
Character development
The characters in Next to Normal are so developed right from the beginning – so much more than I’ve seen in so many other musicals. Not only that, but they all have their own arc throughout the show that sees them develop even more, and you find yourself developing opinions and feelings towards every single person in the show. Whether it’s a film, a book, or a stage show, one of my must-haves is good, developed characters, and Next to Normal has some of the best.
Incredible writing
The songs. THE SONGS. Next to Normal, written by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, is one of the only shows to have won a Pulitzer Prize, which is usually awarded to literary fiction. That’s how incredible the writing is. In so many shows, there are songs that I feel are there to add a bit of padding to the show, or to get stuck in people’s heads. But with this show, every song is important to the show and moves it along, and with hardly any dialogue throughout the show, the songs are there to tell the story. You can listen to the cast recording of the show and pretty much understand the entire plot, and that’s amazing.
Ridiculously talented performers
The original Broadway cast includes Alice Ripley, Jennifer Damiano, Aaron Tveit (later replaced by Kyle Dean Massey), and J. Robert Spencer (later replaced by Brian d’Arcy James). There are only six performers in the whole show… for a musical, that’s a very small cast, but each of the performers play their own roles as well as being part of the ensemble in scenes where their characters aren’t included. The vocal abilities of the cast are just insane, and their intense portrayal of the characters sends shivers down your spine.
Dark themes that are uncommon in musical theatre
The themes explored in Next to Normal, including bipolar disorder, ECT, memory loss, and drugs, just to name a few, usually aren’t explored through the medium of musical theatre – and that’s what makes this show so special. It might not be the most feel-good show in the world, but it makes you realise how difficult it might be to have someone going through such a harsh treatment, and how it affects the rest of the family.
Next to Normal feels truly unique, and I’ve never heard of a show that deals with these themes in the same way that this show does. I honestly don’t think I’ll ever find a show like Next to Normal, and that’s exactly why I love it so much.
(I just wish it would come back so I can actually see the damn thing.)
