Next to Normal

Music by Tom Kitt

Book and Lyrics by Brian Yorkey

Directed by Michael Greif

Booth Theatre

222 West 45th Street

212-239-6200

 

Review by Amy Krivohlavek

 

Ups and Downs: Jennifer Damiano, Aaron Tveit and Adam Chanler-Berat are Next to Normal.

 

I have had a bipolar relationship with Next to Normal. When the edgy new musical — which chronicles a mother’s battle with bipolar disorder and its hazardous effects on her fractured family — premiered off-Broadway at Second Stage last year, I thought its self-consciously silly, wink-wink atmosphere trivialized its potent and profound subject matter. But after an outing at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., Next to Normal has bounced back to New York, and I am thrilled to report that the show has been transformed into a seamless, riveting, must-see event — anchored by the tremendous talents of its courageous, compelling cast.

 

The basic elements are still there: As Diana (Alice Ripley) tries on treatments and dabbles in dosages, her family hovers at the periphery, struggling to move forward after a tragic event from years ago. But this time, Tom Kitt (music) and Brian Yorkey (book and lyrics) have managed to get the tone just right. Kitt’s immediately infectious rock score still sensitively probes the characters’ moods, cascading from jazzy riffs to lilting lullabies. However, instead of jarring bits of comic relief, the humor now emanates more from the inside-out than from the outside-in. When Diana reflects, “People who think they’re happy just haven’t thought about it enough yet,” the audience reflexively laughs, then thinks, then continues to laugh, but with a heightened sense of awareness and complicity.

 

Ripley’s brilliantly nuanced performance anchors the ride, and she devours the role in a dynamite diva turn. She’s joined again by Jennifer Damiano, who makes a powerful impression as Natalie, the daughter; and Aaron Tveit, who shows off captivating vocal chops as Gabe, the son. The charming Adam Chanler-Berat also returns as Natalie’s boyfriend, Henry. New to the New York cast are Louis Hobson, who brings warmth to Diana’s doctors (even in absurd situations), and J. Robert Spencer, who gives a charged performance as Diana’s husband, Dan. His enigmatic everyman qualities only deepen the cost of Dan’s denial, and he quietly seethes beneath a calm, robotic surface.

 

The inevitable explosion of emotion is mirrored in Ken Adams’s lighting, which infuses Mark Wendland’s industrial, multi-level set with streaks of luminescence and jolts of electricity. Michael Greif, who knows a thing or two about directing rock musicals, stages the production with grace and grit.

 

Next to Normal artfully zooms in on a family in crisis, and the things that cripple them — denial, numbness, the refusal to examine difficult issues — are also the things that often cripple modern musical theater audiences. Kitt and Yorkey’s irresistible story will grab you and force you to look, listen, and feel — but only if you dare.