An Almost Perfect Proshot of an extraordinary musical
Next to Normal is one of the most significant musicals of the last twenty five years. It is the portrait of a family on the edge, and explores issues surrounding mental illness in the picture perfect American suburbia. The show follows Diana Goodman, who has severe bipolar disorder and the impact that has on her family. The show premiered in 2008, and won 3 Tony awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The 2024 West End revival was a massive success and has been professionally filmed in order to bring it to old and new audience members alike.
A great deal of care has been put into the production of this proshot. Filmed over 3 nights and compiled together from the performance at the Wyndham theatre, the show features Cassie Levy as Diana, Jamie Parker as Dan, Eleanor Worthington Cox as Natalie, Jack Wolfe as Gabe, Jack Ofrecio as Henry and Trevor Dion Nicholas as Dr.Madden/Dr.Fine. The cast are phenomenal, and all have individual moments to shine, which are further emphasised by close ups. The film is able to capture the nuances of their performances highly effectively, that one may miss if they were seeing it live.
Proshots are hugely important for preserving shows and making them more accessible. Proshots enable more people to enjoy and engage with theatre, especially when significant shows like Next to Normal have been filmed. It is an unabashedly grounded musical, the problems the characters deal with are difficult because they are real. It is the sort of musical that expands people’s perceptions of the medium.
It is a fantastic thing that this proshot exists, and is able to capture some of the magic of this particular run. The fact that it is uncensored makes a change from previous proshots of the show, and I admire that. When watching it, audience members will be able to see things in granular detail that would be impossible if you were seeing it live. Whilst it isn’t perfect, and there are some moments where I found the editing lightly questionable, it is an exciting record of an excellent production. I will certainly be seeing it again in September.