This is such a wonderful show. Everything you want in a musical. It won Tonys for its score and orchestration and it won the Pulitzer. There is such lightness and dark to a piece that I can unashamedly say, since I first saw it last year, is my favourite musical. And as I explained to my friend in no uncertain terms as we travelled through Sydney’s peak hour traffic and pouring rain… I’m going to be very cross if they fuck it up!
They did not.
UNSW Musical Theatre Society has produced a thrilling production of NEXT TO NORMAL . It is irrelevant that this work is being done by students acting outside their age range, in a wartime shed that I performed in as an undergrad a lifetime ago, to an opening night audience of friends and relos. For me, this was a night to remember, a production to cherish and cast to keep an eye out for.
Very controversial at its first mooting in 2002 NEXT TO NORMAL was workshopped and worked on by Tom Kitt (Music) and Brian Yorkey (Lyrics) through its off Broadway life until hitting the Great White Way in 2009. Many organizations and individuals thought it should never have been created at all. It was called disgusting and reprehensible and despite the many successes remains a contentious choice for production, even in our enlightened times.
It is about a family. A family with normality…the lack of it and the desire for it … on their mind. Diana’s illness is the catalyst for the divisiveness about this show. The lead character, she was diagnosed 16 years ago with bi-polar illness but that appears to be just a label. It might be manic depression, or schizophrenia or garden variety grief. What is clear is that Diana is not a functional mother to her gifted, disenfranchised daughter Natalie, or a reliable wife to ‘stoic and solid’ husband, Dan. But with Gabe, the teenaged son who can do no wrong, there is a better Diana. The person that Nat and Dan can only hope for.
Not cheery so far for a miserably wet night! But this is where the light and shade comes in. And achieved brilliantly in USNW MTS’ interpretation. Director Debbie Zhou has given her cast a vivid and reality based theatrical structure in which to explore the comic with the tragic. She has obviously nurtured a nuanced examination of the personalities and relationships resulting in a polished ensemble which finesses the character-driven plot with ease. There are some stellar performances on display here but never to the detriment of the whole.
The role of Diana is huge. Both vocally and emotionally. Sinead Cristaudo is marvellous. Diana can be anyone each time she enters and Cristaudo brings her on fully fleshed each time. Be she confused or driven, often delivering a wry comic line while vibrating with an impending episode. Her singing is powerful and emotive, aided by great diction and slightly adjusted music to reduce the overuse of sustained notes. Her tops soar plus she also uses her voice so well to guide the audience’s sentiments. The slight crack in her tone for “I wish I could” was just heartbreaking.
Crinkling tissue packet unwrapping was all around also for Nic Savage’s performance as Dan. It’s a tricky role as the audience does not really know why Dan is the man he is until ‘A Promise’ late in the second act but Savage makes him understandable well before that. His gentle way is beautifully expressed early on in ‘Who’s Crazy’ where Savage’s genuine emotion was heart-warmingly evident. His singing is also excellent, the top of his range as well delivered as his lower registers and his character has a truth which allows an audience to appreciate why he stays.
Musical Director Harry Collins has tight control of his orchestra and utilizes the strings perfectly for emotional mapping of the story. He has also used the guitar and drums to clever effect for the rock pulse which underlies the score. Like Zhou, he appears to have worked closely with his singers who make the most of the superbly constructed songs.
Cameron Woodhouse as Gabe, for example, has a lovely Tenor and his top notes are a delight. Gabe is touching and pleading in equal measure and his intimate final duet with Dan hit the perfect emotional note. Gabe’s solo, ‘I’m Alive’ is my go-to song for treadmill work and I would have been well ticked off if they had got it wrong! But they didn’t. My favourite was in safe hands.
Collins’ musical transcription from the usual tenor/male performer for the dual role of the Psychopharmacologist and Psychiatrist is seamless. Tash Atkins’ has a crystal clear soprano and I really enjoyed her interpretation of Dr Madden as professionally conflicted and personally concerned. The emotional response to Diana benefited from that femaleness.
The ensemble is rounded out by Liz Cooper and Ethan Taylor as Natalie and her would be boyfriend, Henry. Cooper displayed just enough annoying teenage angst early on to justify her character’s later behaviour. Her rapport with her mother was terrific and their duet ‘I Wish I Were Here’ was a thought provoking and exciting beginning to the second act which added poignancy to ‘Next To Normal’ near the end of the show. Somewhat hampered by her mic which muffled her slightly (Opening Night teething pains), Cooper did a great job of Natalie’s complex emotional and vocal landscape .
The role of Henry is a little underwritten but it didn’t show in Taylor’s interpretation. His acting was fantastic, especially in ‘Perfect For You’ where he brought the resonances of Dan and Diana to Henry and Natalie. He is often a silent witness on the stage and he handles this with presence and sustained engagement.
The lighting and staging are OK, the audio mix is good but finding its feet on Opening Night. The orchestra is note perfect and unobtrusive. But what makes this UNSW MTC production of NEXT TO NORMAL so enjoyable are the performances. The show is funny in places and so sad in many other places. It is heartbreaking and heartwarming by turns.
Every cast member was up to the task of not fucking up my favourite for which I thank them.
The show has a very short season, only playing the Studio One theatre at the University until Saturday but you really should see it. It Is a wonderful production. Simply great theatre.