Recent arts coverage:
- Evolutionary biology. Aesthetic determinism. Live action role playing. The Rude Mechs are making a new play again
- Suburban battlefield: Women fight invisible foe in Amie Siegel’s ‘Black Moon’
- In eerie paintings by Ana Fernandez, a house isn’t just a house
More arts coverage | Follow this blog on Twitter @artsinaustin | Read recent arts reviews
Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2012 > January > 31 > Entry
Review: ‘Next to Normal’
In the opening moments of “Next to Normal,” the emotionally charged musical currently running at Zach Theatre, a mother, father, sister, and brother (The Goodman family) cheerfully go about their morning routines.
Until they notice that mom is kneeling on the floor, obsessively assembling dozens of bologna sandwiches. They all stop and stare. Maybe this is not going to be such a “normal” day after all.
Directed by Dave Steakley, “Next to Normal” tells the story of Diana Goodman (Meredith McCall), a suburban housewife with a long history of bipolar disorder. Her relapse after a period of calm launches the family into turbulence.
While Diana undergoes medical treatment under the supervision of two doctors (both played with precision by Joshua Denning), the audience is left to wonder, as Diana does, “which is worse, the symptom or the cure?”
The 2009 Broadway production of “Next to Normal” (with music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey) won several Tony awards as well as the 2010 Pulitzer Prize. The show’s rock score is packed with powerful songs, complicated rhythms, and unexpected lyrics.
Despite its heavy-sounding theme, Zach Theatre’s version of “Next to Normal” is a gripping and often very funny ride. The show’s small cast is uniformly sharp. McCall infuses her portrayal of Diana with dry wit. Her voice soars on ballads like “I Miss The Mountains,” where Diana laments that her medications allow her to feel nothing.
As her steadfast but overwhelmed husband Dan, Jamie Goodwin’s solid performance resonates. As Natalie, Diana’s driven, over-achieving teenage daughter, Kelli Schultz is a breath of fresh air, delivering some of the show’s funniest lines and tossing in some refreshing teenage sarcasm, especially in the scenes of her budding romance with stoner kid Henry (Johnny Newcomb).
Poignant, surprising, and at times utterly irreverent, “Next to Normal” pulls back the curtain on a family in crisis. It explores the difficult topic of mental illness with equal amounts of sympathy, levity, heartbreak, and hope. And it makes the audience question what, exactly, it means to be “normal” in the first place.
‘Next to Normal’ continues through March 4 Zach’s Kleberg Stage, 1510 Toomey Rd. $25-$55. 476-0541, www.zachtheatre.org
Claire Canavan is an American-Statesman freelance arts critic.
Photo: Joshua Denning and Meredith McCall. Photo by Kirk Tuck
Comments
When commenting, we ask that you keep things civil and abide by our Visitor Agreement. To report comment abuse, click here.