BWW Reviews: Ahmanson Goes Next to Normal

Next to Normal
book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey
music by Tom Kitt
directed by Michael Greif
Ahmanson Theatre
through January 2, 2011

To keep up with the ultra-fast pace of the modern age is difficult for most 'normal' people. Dealing with emotional pain or loss on top of average daily strife can be overwhelming. It may easily destroy a life and those connected to it as well. In the Pulitzer Prize winning Next to Normal, the problem is presented via a wife and mother, who has been diagnosed as bi-polar. Her behavior patterns show extreme mental instability verging on insanity, and the effects on her husband and teen daughter are astronomical. Eventually a heartfelt loss from the past unravels that is at the core of the woman's suffering. Structured in a most unique way, Next to Normal is akin to a rock opera, but it is not completely sung; there is intermittent dialogue. The most emotional moments, though, come through song, so the music and book flow together, and with the three tiered open set and loosely structured staging, it all comes together as an unparalleled musical drama.

Back in the 70s A Chorus Line broke tradition with its atypical structure. Was it a musical or a drama? Most argued: a combination of both. Next to Normal will undoubtedly do the same in this decade with its heavy emphasis on dramatic themes of emotional unbalance and dysfunction storied through music. There is nothing to compare it to. At one point in the score Diana sings her objections to ECT or electro-shock therapy by stating "I saw this before in One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest". The allusion gets a laugh but that drama was never made into a musical, at least to my knowledge. What composer Tom Kitt and lyricist Brian Yorkey have achieved is something phenomenal and amazing. When the songs can present and explain the argument and then move you more than dialogue, the results go beyond expectations. The three leveled set by Mark Wendland is another wonder in itself. Multiple meanings come into play. The first two levels are primarily the family's two story home. The first two levels could also represent earth, with the top layer heaven from which Gabe (Curt Hansen) descends in the thoughts of Diana (Alice Ripley). He alone seems to reside there. All three could also represent the mind in its various forms of unrest and healing. Diana seems to reside more on level two, on her own, toward play's end, when she is working through her pain more independently. Brilliant imaginative design!

The cast is outstanding with all reports on Alice Ripley's performance resoundingly true. She is brilliant and engaging throughout. She never crumples, remaining a fiercely strong woman at every stage. Also dynamic and real is Asa Somers as her caring husband Dan, and Emma Hunton as daughter Natalie, so headstrong yet fragile, especially concerning her own future. Hansen is physically agile as the enigmatic spirit, Preston Sadleir affable as Natalie's boyfriend Henry and Jeremy Kushnier riveting as two totally different doctors, both sadly more wrapped up in the medical profession than in their patient's healing.

This is a play that will repel some, but engage most with intelligence and feeling. Those who turn their backs on reality will like it least. Everyone deals with loss or pain in some way, and the complex but healing message of Next to Normal is curative for all, but one must first accept it with feet on the ground.

 

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