Next To Normal, the American rock musical about mental illness, which premiered in New York in 2008 and won three Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, has finally arrived in London.
For a musical to win a Pulitzer Prize for Drama is a rare thing. There have been only 10 such awards, the most recent being A Strange Loop and Hamilton.
Mental illness is a taboo subject. Its stigma makes open communication and relationships difficult. The subject matter is unusually serious for a musical.
The show already has a cult following. The music is by Tom Kitt. The lyrics are by Brian Yorkey. The score is a mixture of hard rock and ballads and very enjoyable. The band is on stage, above and behind the cast.
The action takes place round a rotating kitchen counter and on a turntable floor. There is no furniture as such. The non-realistic set complements the complex emotional chaos of the lead role’s mind.
Diana (Caissie Levy), suburban woman, wife, mother, suffers from bi-polar disorder. Her world is spinning out of control. Medics offer her a variety of medications and therapies to sedate her grief, depression and despair. The treatment gets extreme. She visits a psychiatrist, who seems to her to be behaving like a crazy rock star, which is a nice comic touch.
We watch her mood swings, delusions, hallucinations, which not only disorientate her but also disorientate her husband (Jamie Parker), her son (Jack Wolfe) and her daughter (Eleanor Worthington-Cox). The relationship with her daughter is particularly fraught. The relationship with her son is special and a big surprise.
Michael Longhurst’s production, which is well cast, is notable for its compassion. There are two moments, which particularly stand out. The first is when Cassie Levy sings You Don’t Know What It’s Like (aimed at her husband and expressing her frustration about being bipolar). The second is when Jack Wolfe sings, I’m Alive, and he too has a big impact.
Next to Normal, abstract and real, heartfelt and raw, is undeniably challenging and some audiences may find it hard to watch. There is no happy ending.
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