Next to Normal

When Next to Normal won 3 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for a musical about death, grief, suicide, drugs and mental illness, reactions were mixed. Here was an absolutely stunning score but a book and lyrics that were confronting at every turn. It is not, nor will it ever be, to everybody’s taste. Yet it is a musical that all lovers of Music Theatre should see.

WMTC have pulled out all the stops with this production. It gives us a gob-smacking set; a killer band under the direction of Tyson Legg; some of the best voices I’ve ever heard anywhere; a true leading lady of real talent and glamour, lighting effects with strobe and projection. It’s all state of the art and worthy of the best theatre on Broadway. It should hit us in the gut and grab us by the heart: And yet… If only:-

If only Director Shaun Kingma (I absolutely ADORED his vision for La Cage Aux Folles at the National theatre) had kept his director’s hat firmly on his head when dealing with himself as designer. The set and lighting design frequently pull focus from what really matters…..the CHARACTERS. Everything is played for the darkness of mental illness, ignoring the fact that there is real (temporary) JOY in mania for the sufferers and their families, before the repercussions flatten them. As the black holes are emphasised to extremes in depression, so too are the magic carpet rides of mania, and that should be obvious ( but wasn’t) in the show’s opening.

Everything in this production plays at the one level, superbly done and wonderfully professional, but without the highs and lows which are there in the subtext .The attempted suicide scene is reduced visually to one wipe of a wet rag across the upstage area.

The cast is amazing vocally. Rosa McCarty (Diana) has staggering stage presence, great sophistication and a voice to die for. She is a star. What she isn’t, in this production, is “an ordinary housewife” who has lost a child and never come to terms with it. I’m not sure if my lack of emotional involvement is because of the way she has been directed, or some superficiality in her acting skills. I’d like to think it’s the former. Paul Watson is very believable and great vocally as her husband (Dan) yet, again, I found no true chemistry or intimacy between him and Diana. Zachary Alaimo as the daughter’s boyfriend (Henry) has real warmth and vocal strength and Michael Butler as the two doctors is an asset in any musical production.

But the real revelations are Brittany Lewis (Natalie) as the neglected daughter crying out to be noticed even if she has to take drugs to do so; and Bradley Dylan as the memory of the dead Gabe who refuses to leave. Both are vocally marvellous and impress on a very real emotional level with Bradley’s Gabe having a slightly sinister edge which suggests an awareness of the destruction he’s causing. Both of these young players are stars in the making.

Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference. Much as I admire a great set and lighting design, I don’t want it to distract me. No matter how great a show looks, I’d much rather have the story speak to me. Believe me I was listening.

FOOTNOTE. Depression is an illness like any other. If you or someone you know is a sufferer, please contact your doctor or Beyond Blue. There is help available.

Coral Drouyn

Photographer: Gavin D. Andrew.