With a thrilling contemporary score, Next To Normal is an emotional musical about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other. In awarding the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Pulitzer Board called Next To Normal “a powerful rock musical that grapples with mental illness in a suburban family and expands the scope of subject matter for musicals.”
Alice Ripley, who received the 2009 Tony Award® for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning Next To Normal, is reprising her acclaimed performance as Diana Goodman, a woman crippled by bi-polar disorder, for the final time as the musical’s 36-week multi-city North American tour comes to a close in Toronto.
Next To Normal also features also features Asa Somers (Dan), Curt Hansen (Gabe), Emma Hunton (Natalie), Canada’s own Jeremy Kushnier (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine) who starred as Tommy DeVito in the First National Tour, and first Canadian company, of Jersey Boys in Toronto, and Preston Sadleir (Henry).
Ripley has been portraying Diana since the musical opened more than three years ago. Her portrayal is natural and by now, partly improvisational. Emma Hunton’s powerful voice excels just as well. The whole cast makes the story more personal and of course, more emotional. The second act is when everything seems to work just perfectly from the performances to the songs. It is a show that will definitely make you laugh and perhaps cry.
There is still a whole weekend to go and find out what all the buzz is about. Next To Normal continues until July 31st at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. For more details on tickets and times, visit dancaptickets.com.