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Some musicals dominate the big stage. They make a lot of noise, they bring a ton of fanfare. It’s a grand spectacle with showstopping numbers, over-the-top costumes, makeup, wigs, towering set — and that’s all great. They certainly have their place.
But some musicals are meant for a more intimate setting, where the audience can fully experience every note in a song, every nuance in dialogue, and every expression upon a character’s face.
“Next to Normal,” Broadway musical by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt, fits this second bill perfectly as it allows the audience to witness firsthand the plight of the Goodman family as they cope with the effects of mental illness.
Natalie, played by Cassie Martin, escapes to the refuge of the school piano practice room and vents her frustrations through “Everything Else.”
The Wimberley Players proves there’s no better way to see a show like “Next to Normal” than in the closeness of a community theater, where audience members are so near to the stage they feel as though they are included in the action.
“Next to Normal” centers on the Goodman family, which, in the beginning, appears to be your average American family. Dan, the father, is an architect married 17 years to Diana, the mom, and together they have two children. Both seem like typical sarcastic teenagers, with Natalie, the 16-year-old daughter, being a high-achiever with hopes of one day getting into Yale.
Diana, played by Meg Steiner, sees her late son Gabe, played by Taylor Luke, when no one else does.
However, the facade of their perfect family quick unravels to reveal Diana’s 16-year struggle with bipolar disorder.
According to Director Jason Kruger, the full diagnosis of Diana’s condition is “bipolar depressive with delusional episodes,” with the secondary aspects of her disorder coming into play early on in Act 1, when the audience watches with growing alarm as Diana, eager to get a jump on the week’s lunches, begins to assemble a mountain of sandwiches while hunkering on the kitchen floor.
Meg Steiner, who plays Diana in the Wimberley Players’ production, manages to balance the tenacity of the character with her wit and her fragility. Everyone laughs along with her as she sings about the oddlyintimate-but-not-so-romantic relationship with her psychopharmacologist, but then she brings the house to tears after an electroconvulsive shock treatment resets her memory back to a time before her daughter’s birth.
“Next to Normal” delves deep into the heavy issues of grief and loss, controversial treatments for mental disorders, and the social stigma and shame surrounding them as well. But it is the sincerity and commitment of the six-member cast that truly brings the story to life.
Dan, played by Beau Gregersen, embraces Diana and manages to convince her that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may be their last hope in the song “A Light in the Dark.”
Kruger, the director, adds the element of color psychology to draw parallels between characters and to highlight the progression of their struggles. This, combined with Scott Wade’s minimalistic set design and Bill Peeler’s subtle lighting, adds to the layered sense of illusion, creating a kind of dollhouse effect in which the audience can see perfection from the outside while watching as the messy chaos devolves on the inside.
When “Next to Normal” debuted on Broadway in 2009, it won three Tony Awards including Best Musical Score. In 2010, it won the Pulitzer Prize. It was named one of the year’s best shows by The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times.
Years later, it continues to be a show that leaves a lasting impression, and getting to see it played so tenderly and heart-wrenchingly well by The Wimberley Players is one of the best ways to see it.
The cast performs the finale “Light,” a song that sheds a ray of hope on the family’s future.
"Next to Normal" runs through Dec. 1 at the Wimberley Playhouse, 450 Old Kyle Rd. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. Tickets start at $30 and are available at The Wimberley Playhouse Box Offic, website or by phone at 512-847-0575.
“Next to Normal” is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
