Next To Normal is a faultless masterpiece perfectly portraying the soul-crushing effects of grief and mental health.
Brian Yorkey’s creation of the rock musical ‘Next To Normal’ is a beautifully, heart-wrenching portrayal of the puzzling effects of grief within a family. The plot follows how a family copes with the Mother, Diana (Caissie Levy) deeply struggling with bipolar-disorder and dealing with grief like the Father, Dan (Jamie Parker). In addition, the story also reflects the difficulties of growing up in a family plagued with loss through the character Natalie (Eleanor Worthington-Cox) the daughter who goes off the rails and finds challenges with her own romantic relationship with Henry (Jack Ofrecio). The musical elegantly highlights the difficulties of getting treatment and prescriptions for mental health disorders through the psychotherapy Diana goes through with her doctor (Trevor Dion Nicholas).
The acting and singing from every single actor in the show is an absolute stand-out, particularly Jack Wolfe (playing Gabe), from the heart-felt harmonies to the relationships between everyone. Every song (and the music created by Tom Kitt) synchronised spectacularly with the story. Chole Lamford’s set and costume design was imaginative and impeccable. The frequent turning of the kitchen island worked magnificently in displaying the character’s turmoil. The scene changes and use of space (particularly the use of height with the stairs) on stage were seamless examples being the props of high chairs.
The use of lighting (designed by Lee Curran)- particularly during the songs ‘I’m alive’ and ‘You don’t know’ was absolutely incredible and almost had an immersive element to it which was intriguing. The choice made for Gabe (Jack Wolfe) to have a hand-held microphone during the song ‘I’m Alive’ was a fabulous, bold choice that worked in provoking the story further. Every single element of the show works like a dream- in particular, the writing by Brian Yorkey is amazing. There are many wonderfully crafted lines within the show. My favourite is ‘Dancing on the Air of Destruction’. Everything is so well thought through and detailed it’s truly a diamond of a show
Overall, Next To Normal is a beautiful show that is utterly human and a delight to watch. The best thing about the musical is that it perfectly reflects how everyone in Diana’s life is affected by her mental health struggles in their life without villainising Diana. Everybody in the universe needs to watch ‘Next to Normal’ as the themes it explores of family, grief and mental health are not represented enough- but bring a tissue because nobody is able to leave the theatre with a dry eye.