Next To Normal is an intimate exploration of family and loss. At its heart is Diana Goodman, a suburban wife and mother living with bipolar disorder and haunted by her past. Donmar Artistic Director Michael Longhurst directs this powerful rock musical about a far‑from‑average family.
Where this show unambiguously succeeds is in its sympathetic but clear-sighted depiction of a family buckling under buried grief and an impossible present. Brian Yorkey’s book presents us with clearly-drawn portraits of how people respond differently to trauma. There’s a deftly handled and meaty exploration of how little Western society is prepared to truly face loss, our unwillingness to let go of relationships and the risk of unaddressed, harmful patterns of behaviour becoming a family legacy. As Kitt’s attention-grabbing score and Yorkey’s lyrics wheel through differing genres, we get an aural sense of the characters’ messy kaleidoscope of feelings. Longhurst also sharpens the show’s welcome black humour in its bleakest moments with his vivid staging.
The subject matter is of course not for everyone, and some are sure to be triggered, but with one in four of us experiencing some form of mental health problem every year, it is only right that such a production is afforded a platform of this scale. Some might long for a little more subtext and others might suggest the musical is a tad too long. Act One feels tighter whereas Act Two at times lingers. The climax makes up for this with Light. The closing number is optimistic while refusing to shy away from the darkness; it encapsulates this timely and unique musical.
2008 | Off-Broadway |
Original Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
2009 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2010 | US Tour |
1st National Tour US Tour |
2010 | US Tour |
2nd National Tour US Tour |
2013 |
Weston Playhouse Production |
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2020 | Washington, DC (Regional) |
Kennedy Center Broadway Center Stage Production Washington, DC (Regional) |
2024 | West End |
West End |
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