Next to Normal

Why a new independent theatre company would choose the treacherously difficult and equally problematic Next to Normal as their debut production escapes me. Sure, it has a manageable cast of only six characters, but the talent required for each of those characters is monumental – especially the leading role of Diana, who spends the night in the spotlight waging an intensely personal war against the challenges of mental illness. Then there are Diana’s children – Gabe and Natalie – whose journeys through the show are extraordinarily complex, musically challenging, and as far from actor-proof as you can imagine.

Diana’s husband Dan is the least-effectively drawn character (at least until the show’s penultimate, and long overdue, confrontation) – but like the rest of the ensemble, musically at least, he has his work cut out for him. Dan is most of us on the edge of the abyss, fighting to maintain his strength in the face of the chaos living with someone diagnosed with ‘bipolar disorder’ can present. And that’s just the all-American family at the centre of the firestorm that Next to Normal is as a theatrical undertaking.

As it happened, at interval I recalled that the intended Sydney production of this musical had been cancelled. And as I wiped away those pesky tears, I thought that any really smart producer would just chuck $150k at this company and ship this production north when it ends its run at Chapel off Chapel. This new company’s debut production is, astonishingly, entirely as one with the show’s huge ask and its uncompromising subject matter. Mr Taylor and Ms McGeorge display an almost flawless command of the work’s theatricality and musicality respectively, eliciting excellent performances, a great sound from the band, with particular kudos to Tim Folliot’s versatility on the guitars and Krystal Tunnicliffe’s mesmerising work on the keyboards. Ms Tulloch’s excellent and serviceable set pushed the boundaries of the capabilities at the Shirley Burke Theatre’s stage, which we only wished was about a metre or two higher.

And then there is the devastatingly brilliant, star turn from Emma Gordon-Smith as Diana.

Ms Gordon-Smith is all over this work, and if this was her opening night performance, I tremble to think how good she will be by closing night. Hardly ever offstage, and given a musical and emotional journey that would challenge the most experienced performer, there were countless moments when it was simply impossible to believe I was out in the suburbs of Melbourne and not in a Broadway theatre. Diana is Mame Dennis, Dolly Levi and Rose Hovick all rolled into one, and while Mr Kitt is more considerate on the scale to his star than Andrew Lloyd Webber is to Eva Peron, Diana still has moments of supreme musical treachery, none of which defeated Ms Gordon-Smith all night. If anything, it occasionally felt as though the show was struggling to match her, not the other way around.

Chelsea Hewson as Natalie and William Tucker as Gabe both deliver superbly accomplished performances of their complex roles. Ms Hewson perfectly captured Natalie’s petulance and weary cynicism, while Mr Tucker rose brilliantly to the challenges in the haunting Gabe. In the roles of Doctor Fine/Doctor Madden, James Robertson displayed great versatility, while Dan Smorgon as Natalie’s adoring and adorable boyfriend Henry brought a fine level of vulnerability to the important supporting role.

Dan, the Dad, is the significant flaw in this work – a problem that was only made more obvious by James Schaw’s excellent account of him. His unfailing optimism in the face of Herculean challenges is never convincing within the structure, and he is the object of everyone’s disdainful frustration for the duration. The end of Act 1 sees him placed in a very difficult position – morally and ethically – but there is never the sense that the story needed to have escorted him there so compliantly. Mr Schaw’s account taps into the unfortunate character’s contrived weakness in the script, and the glimpses of genuine realisation through a particular confrontation (I won’t give it away in any detail) are too little, too late and dramatically inert by comparison to the fire and passion of all that has gone before.

So why would a new independent theatre company choose the treacherously difficult and equally problematic Next to Normal as their debut production? Because they believe in this great flawed jewel of music theatre as much as they believe in themselves. And the rewards of their spectacular risk, ambition, passion and talent are ours to share.

I unconditionally recommend that you do.

Geoffrey Williams