Review: Next to Normal

[usernamenumber]

Drove into NYC yesterday with phoenix_rinna, nyren, juldea, and Nikki-who-may-or-may-not-be-on-lj to see Next To Normal, which is the play (musical, actually) I mentioned in my last post, for those who asked. Don't go digging for too much information if you haven't seen it, as there are big spoilers to be had and I think the experience of seeing it is enhanced by not knowing. Also, their main page wins at creepy, though I'm not sure if that's intentional or not.

The show is a phenomenal work of art. The music is both powerful and catchy, but the story and characters beneath it are what really sets Next to Normal apart. I believe that one of the most important tests of a drama is the extent to which people leave talking about it, and then talking about themselves through it. It was a 4+ hour drive home, and the five of us talked the whole time. I got the sense that people were really letting some barriers down during the conversation, and to me, that kind of sharing and connecting with other people is one of the most enriching experiences a person can have, so that made the experience worthwhile all by its self.

That said, I might be hard-pressed to ever see it again (I say as I sit here contemplating buying the soundtrack). To paraphrase juldea, it was like a weird venn diagram of things that made different combinations of the people in our group cry. If you've seen it and have read my lj, then you can probably guess which parts broke me, and they broke me hard, but not necessarily in a bad way in the long-run. I... think I'm still processing some of the ways in which Next to Normal mirrors my own experiences to an extent that is almost creepy (I'm speaking of the end, for those who have seen it, less than the details leading up to it). Intellectually, I think I should feel validated by these similarities. After all, nothing says "it's not just you" like seeing your experiences played out in a hit broadway show. Then again, while ultimately uplifting, make no mistake that this is also a really heavy show, so maybe resonating with it is not such a great thing. In any case, looking back on the experience the next day, the memory seems to be settling as "wow, that was cathartic" instead of "ow ow ow my soul", so that's good.

To sum up, Next to Normal is hard to watch at times, but it has complex and engaging characters, some yummy artistic direction and symbolism, really good music, and some absolutely stunning performances from the actors. I'm glad I didn't go into it knowing much, partly because if I had I might have decided it wasn't my thing and skipped out, and partly because I think the experience of the show is enhanced by not knowing details of the plot, but ymmv. In any case, it's definitely best seen with friends you don't mind processing with afterwards.

Comments

[nyren.livejournal.com]

Regarding the soundtrack, if you can take the emotional weight of hearing the musical again, I really recommend it. They take out a lot of the spoken bits in the middle of songs, making some songs even more powerful due to the lack of interruption. "Catch Me, I'm Falling" is a good example in my mind. And, there's just a lot of really good music.