"Next To Normal" Is A Next To Extraordinary Performance By The Flowertown Players

Considered "one of the best musicals of the 21st century and its soundtrack one of the best original soundtracks in a musical due to its graceful handling of its dark, complex subject matter and its moving and brutally honest exploration into pain," Next to Normal is next to gut wrenching and is presently showing at the James F. Dean Theatre Summerville.

A 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt, Next to Normal opened on Broadway in April 2009. It was nominated for eleven 2009 Tony Awards and won three: Best Original Score, Best Orchestration and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Alice Ripley. It also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, becoming the eighth musical in history to receive the honor.

What appears to be a seemingly normal household in suburban America is anything but. Within its walls lurks unrelenting family tragedies, a traumatized mother who struggles with the crippling effects of Bipolar Disorder, and a husband and daughter who are silently dealing with their own phantoms while dividing out time for doctors visits and medications. Despite all this, there remained a glimmer of hope, maybe not to be normal, but at least next to normal.

For Director Erik Brower, Next to Normal is personal having seen this kind of tragedy for himself with people he knew in college and you can see that personal touch in the passionate performances of the cast he brought together to portray this most difficult subject material.

Assisted by a live musical ensemble, Musical Director Kevin Thorn handled the musical score superbly. Alison Harvey(violin/synthesizer), Vanessa Chambers(cello), Megan Lamont(guitar), Josh Autrey(bass), David Carter(percussion), and Kevin Thorn(piano) didn't miss a beat.

The most capable cast poured their emotions out on the stage with powerfully moving performances and vocals. Sarah Daniel as Diana(mother) and David McLaughlin as Dan(father) fed off one another's heart wrenching portrayals with emotionally charged vocals. Allison Brower as Natalie and Johnathan Harper as Gabe(the brother) were equally gripping in their renderings. Impressively completing the full cast was Justin Borak as Henry(Natalie's boyfriend) and Carlos Nieto as Dr. Madden.

Set design, lighting, costumes, and choreography completed what was a top-notch presentation.

Next to Normal will be completing its run the 23rd to 26th. It is a next to extraordinary performance.
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