Spring 2009. You’re watching the new musical Next to Normal. You had missed its off-Broadway production a year prior, which had gotten a mixed-response, and you’re curious as to why people are more on board with the Broadway incarnation. The musical opens on the Goodmans, a quintessential suburban family, as Mom (Diana Goodman) helps her teenaged children (Gabe and Natalie) and husband (Dan) get out the door on a typical morning. A crack starts to show as Diana is packing lunches and soon begins covering the counters and floor with sandwiches. The evening becomes an exploration of Diana’s struggles with bipolar disorder, the slew of treatments that are often worse than the disease (which will ultimately include electroshock therapy), and the toll it takes on the entire family. Even though the subject matter is serious (and taken seriously), there’s a lot of humor. Alice Ripley’s Diana has rock vocals and amusingly unpredictable reactions, blended with touching pathos. It makes sense that Ripley is a manic ALL CAPS twitterer IRL. After Natalie brings her new beau (Henry) over for an ill-fated dinner, she expresses her frustration at living in that shadow of an absentee brother who garners a disproportionate amount of Diana’s love and attention (“Superboy and the Invisible Girl”)
Catch up with all the songs to date!
