Next to Normal is an operetta written by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey. It’s about a 
dysfunctional family that tries to hide their problems. Diana, in the lead role as the mother, is played by Alice Ripley. She and her husband, Dan (Michael Berry), eloped when they were really young after finding out she was pregnant. Eight months after the birth of their beautiful son Gabe (Kyle Dean Massey), a tragic event occurs, shaking Diana’s world forever. She takes many different types of pills and she goes to different therapists and yet she can’t cope with life. Her husband stands by her side the entire time, no matter how hard it is for him. They had another child, a daughter, Natalie (Jennifer Damiano), to try to make things better again, but she ends up being ignored. As Natalie puts it in one of the songs, she’s the “Invisible Girl”. She’s afraid that she’ll turn out just like her mother, and at one point she even starts stealing her pills. In the end, Diana attempts suicide, and when in the hospital, the unanimous decision is to try ECT. After having the electric shock treatment, which was a very intense scene in the operetta – lights flashing and loud music, she loses all her memory. The only thing that comes back to her is that tragic event that happened 18 years ago.
As described by my mother, the music was very “up” while the message of the show was very “down”. The music score written by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey was a Tony Award winning score. Alice Ripley, the actress who played Diana, won the Tony for her voice as well. Of all the actors though, I found her to be the weakest singer. Her voice was very pitchy in places and hard to listen to. The rock-style score was intense and engaged the audience in the show. If the music matched the (down) message, I don’t think the same effect would have been possible. For me, the best song/scene was “I’m Alive”.
The set was three stories tall, representing the house and various places that the characters went. Most of the show was very dark, and not many lights were shining, but for “I’m Alive”, they shined like there was no tomorrow and the music blasted. Gabe, the 18 year old son, sang it out like any passionate teenager would.
Overall, Next to Normal was a very moving and a very engaging operetta. The message rang out, and even made people like my mother cry (though she DOES cry for everything). In the end, the audience rose to their feet without question.
Next to Normal
Booth Theatre
March 27, 2009
Marina B. Nebro
