Alice Ripley/next to normal in Barcelona — Page 2

There are extended clips of I Miss The Mountains and Catch Me I’m Falling on YouTube. They are licensed clips and not bootleg.

This looks incredible.

threetwoone said: "There were some book changes, mostly minor. For example, the music recital in “Make Up Your Mind / Catch Me I’m Falling” was cut, as were many spoken scene intros to songs (ie. “McGyver of pot” intro scene to “Superboy and the Invisible Girl&rdquo”.



I personally won’t have the chance to cross the pond and catch this, but it sounds like this truncated book is far less about the family as a whole and far more about Diana. Cutting those two specific parts, along with cutting “Everything Else” shrinks much of Natalie’s character development and completely lessens the effect Henry has on her.


I’m sure this production is phenomenal, but it’s coming across like this edited book is really a different show with a different purpose than Kitt & Yorkey intended.

willrolandsframes said: "I’m sure this production is phenomenal, but it’s coming across like this edited book is really a different show with a different purpose than Kitt & Yorkey intended."



When a production cuts over half of the material, I think one can pretty safely assume that it’s going to be a departure from the intention of the original authors. That seems like a given at this point.

That’s an interesting analysis, regarding the new focus for the show, and it sounds like you might be right. It sounds concerning to me personally, considering I’ve always found the fleshed out supporting characters (especially Dan and Natalie) to be the real heart and soul of the show, and what makes the show work beautifully on multiple levels. But I’m all for trying new things with shows in the canon, and I’d definitely be curious to see this production for myself to see how it works.

Whenever productions make changes to the material or source material, I try to always be of the mindset that everything lost creates the potential for something gained - e.g. shifting focus from the supporting characters might shed new light on the character of Diana, and making it 1h long might create a new kind of high-intensity experience that’s totally different from the original, but has its own artistic value.

Show officially opens tonight. Do we think any reputable critics will offer a review?

Thank you so much threetwoone!

threetwoone said: "Binau, I recommend getting there 30 mins early and standing in line. The doors to the theatre open around 5-10 mins before the show starts and it’s a mad rush while everyone is admitted and takes their general admission seat.

Alice will be sitting in the centre of the stage as you enter, and I recommend sitting as close to the centre as possible, and in the direction her chair faces at the start of the show. I saw the show 3 times in total and sat in three different spots. The place I mentioned above was the best view.

To those that asked, Pascal is pre-recorded and Alice’s timing is just perfectly done. I think Pascal has some facial queues built in to his performance which Alice uses as a prompt. Its really so seamless."

Just checking should be facing her at the beginning right :)? (Slightly ambiguous to me whether in the direction her chair faces might mean sitting behind her or in front…if it was in the round)

Updated On: 7/8/22 at 05:00 AM

Any chance of the show being extended in Barcelona?

For some reason I thought this was an like an outdoor amphitheater vibe. From the looks they could easily replicate this at St. Anne.

I had the pleasure of seeing this on opening night on Wednesday and am still talking about it to everyone. I saw it 2x on Broadway so I knew this was going to be special and emotional.

Some spoilers ahead.

You walk in and Alice Ripley is already on the “stage” as you pick your seat. Definitely get there early as it is general admission. I got there at 8:00 for the 9:00 show and was third in line. There wasn’t like a “mad dash” but definitely walk with purpose because there’s two lines- those with physical tickets and those on the will call line (or something like that where they gave their name) so the lines do merge and as soon as you’re in the theater you can walk anywhere and pick your seats. Some of the boxes are marked “reserved” but they’re actually used by the actors throughout the show.

It was a little upsetting when some parts were cut. I knew going into it a lot would be cut to trim it to an hour but man did they cut a lot. Mostly extra verses, repeats, and a bunch of dialogue. Most of “A light in the dark” was cut except the last little part and some of the subplots like Natalie’s piano recital. I did appreciate they kept some of the one-liners but definitely missed some of them (“shouldn’t we turn on a light with the stairs?” And “do they actually exist?&rdquo

The part that absolutely crushed me, and I don’t remember how it was done on Broadway, was when the Dr recommends Diana goes home and cleans out Gabe’s room- she finds Gabe’s baby blanket and just held it and pretended to wrap him and pick him up. I was balling- it was such an emotional moment.

I thought Alice Ripley was phenomenal. Her “I miss the Mountains” was near perfection but I loved how fierce she was during “You Don’t Know.” It just felt so real. The only vocal change I noticed was going down the octave in “So Anyway.” I think the biggest star on the rise is Lewis Edgar who plays Gabe. His chemistry with Alice was great and he was such a highlight and so much fun to watch. What a voice! He totally forgot to tie his shoes before “Dreamed a Dance/There’s a World” which made me giggle, though luckily there were no issues with that!

The projections were great. One thing that stood out was the neurons that got more intense throughout the show- one of those little details that parallels the story that you might miss. I also like how the projected carpets would spin at times. It felt like you were on a Disney ride the way the whole room actually felt like it was moving. They use post-it’s as the meat for the sandwiches in the opening number but it makes you wonder- was Diana that stir-crazy that she didn’t even realize she was using paper? Obviously it’s cheaper than using real meat but it makes you wonder. Just another level of this musical. Another highlight of the immersive experience was being surrounded by people and seeing other people across the room crying, laughing, and things like that. Someone let out a gasp and then went “oh no” when the Dr asks “have you talked of your depression, your delusions and your son?” And it was one of those moments when you realized how sucked in the audience was and how real the whole thing felt.

I really did not want the show to end. The whole thing just worked and was a great night out. If that wasn’t my last night in Barcelona I would have gone back. It was just so much fun to watch and basically be a part. I really hope this has a transfer and this isn’t the end because this was one of the best shows I’ve ever experienced. I just hope it keeps the $35 ticket price if it comes to NY LOL!

RippedMan, Yes.


Ok so more thoughts.

First, the vibe of the show is very off-broadway/off-west end. It looks to me like a small art exhibition venue in a non-touristy area rather than a proper theatre or anything. The show feels almost like a 2nd act Sunday in the Park with George art installation rather than a traditional theatre experience (and in keeping with the theme the lobby lights below look a bit like the last Sunday revival Chromolume lights haha). Some pics to help convey the experience. Note the staff are walking around with N2N themed shirts quoting lyrics etc, which I think is a nice touch.













As discussed it’s good to get there early and the seat recommendations were very helpful, thanks! To begin with, I’ll just talk about the two major issues with the production for me before I focus on the positives. There is an easy solution to both I’d recommend, and that’s getting very intoxicated before the show so you can just try and focus on the good things haha.

• Issue 1: The sound quality is not good. I guess it’s not a proper theatre so it’s hard to do much but you are essentially sitting inside a big echo box. All the instruments do appear to be pre-recorded tracks, although actually it’s mainly the vocals that are the biggest issue. Everything sounds a bit muddy and it makes the whole affair feel a little more amateur than it should.

• Issue 2: The cuts. The cuts. I think the biggest surprise was that they actually cut entire verses out of many songs. I expected they would present a selection of full songs but they have chopped/changed all over the place to remove verses and save time. It’s hard to remember exhaustively right now and might do a better job to document the changes in future especially if the show continues to have further life but, for example, “Just Another Day”, “Perfect For you”, “I Miss the Mountains”, “So Anyway” all have noticeable cuts and it’s quite jarring to hear. The effect is a production that is centred on Diana only - all the other characters in my opinion are what James Lapine would describe as ‘colours, not characters’.

It’s interesting to see how they navigate this. For example, the way Henry/Natalie works - Henry randomly appears during “Just Another Day” to introduce the character (I don’t think he says anything if I recall). For Natalie, they play brief underscoring of ‘Everything Else’ (with piano keys projected on all walls of theatre). When Henry starts singing ‘Perfect for you” he actually starts with just singing the main melody “I could be Perfect for you” rather than all of the intro verses.

Personally, because I ‘know’ the show and characters it’s impossible for me to fully understand how it works for the uninitiated - my mind can fill the blanks where they might exist. The audience seemed to react well to the show and were shocked at the usual Gabe reveal etc, plus crying through ‘Light’ etc. so I THINK the show is working. Someone I was with who doesn’t know the show well said they thought it worked but found it a little confusing at points.

On the flip side, because the show is so short now it’s the least bored I’ve probably ever been in a musical. Everything just goes so quickly and every second is so important that there is never time to let your mind wander.

Ok now onto ‘everything else’.

Having Diana in a chair acting at the beginning was GENIUS. For about 15 minutes we are watching Alice Ripley cycle between anxiously touching her body, smiling awkwardly/uncomfortably, typing, standing up and looking at something, then returning to the seat etc. The performance has already begun. There is some high pitched/atmospheric/creepy electronic music playing the whole time to set up the atmosphere of the show. And those voices in her head? IT’S US - It’s the audience speaking. We are creeping her out!!

Weirdly, they also are projecting text onto the walls at this point about the success of the show (e.g. won 3 Tony awards and Pulitzer Prize - they also claimed it has been on the cover of Rolling Stone. Has it? Which one?). A brief description of Diana, and some statistics about anxiety/depression over COVID.

Given Alice’s return to the show and (only slightly) more aged appearance it has an uncomfortable tone that no, it’s not just the ‘7th night this week I’ve sat till morning’, but actually it’s the ‘3650th time this decade I’ve sat till morning’.

As the show progressed, I couldn’t help but realise how god damn lucky I am to be literally a couple metres away from Alice Ripley performing her Tony-award winning role in the Pulitzer Prize winning show next to normal. It was like being in a rehearsal room with her or watching a film version. In combination with her voice, which has now returned somewhat compared to the tour* (when I saw the tour it was just awful - it was like her vocal chords were inflamed and she just couldn’t get the sound out) and she now has this amazing wailing, dark edge/texture to it, her crying, her insane facial expressions (e.g. the way she looked at Natalie after listening to what she wants in the title song). I honestly think it is the best musical stage performance I personally have ever seen, and while previously I preferred Marin Mazzie’s take on the role nd vocals, Alice Ripley has now absolutely become the best Diana for me (I wish I saw her do it on Broadway in her peak rather than just the tour!).



* Interesting the high note she really really struggled with on tour to sing is now sung an octave lower to avoid the struggle. Also, the Gabe does not go for the high note at the end of “I’m Alive”.

Example highlights of Ripley’s performance include a powerful “I Miss the Mountains”, an INSANELY INTENSE “You Don’t Know/I Am The One”, the crying throughout for example in “There’s a World”; the chaotic “Didn’t I see this movie”, “The break”, a haunting “How Could I Ever Forget”. The problem this production has is much like the Broadway production - can they find someone as magnetic, as unhinged, as emotional, with such an interesting voice as Alice Ripley should they need to replace her in a future production of the show such as if it goes to London? (e.g. if Alice is unavailable, her voice gives out, or she is ‘cancelled&rsquo.

In terms of material, I don’t recall any ‘new’ material although there has been tweaks to some of the show. For example, that classic line that always seems to get an awkward pause rather than the intended laugh ‘that’s very sweet but my husband’s waiting in the car’ is now ‘my husband’s listening outside the door’ - which I think somewhat clarifies the intention of the line is to suggest Diana has been hit on.

The orchestrations to me sound similar to the OBC although there are tweaks throughout - such as bringing in that creepy high pitched atmospheric electronic music at points or having subtle changes to instruments/adding an electronic twang at points. For example, “A light in the dark” (or what’s left of it) - sounds completely different, with this beautiful strings and electronic ambience it really contrasts with the rage and anxiety of ‘Didn’t I see this movie’ to create an emotion. And there is this great electronic music interlude after it to transition into ‘Wish I Were Here’ that really works to create this uneasy feeling. In general they are quite skilled at using a lot of underscoring throughout to keep the momentum going and hold the atmosphere. In ‘Light’ the opening notes have a little bit of electronic flourish to the sounds and other electronic flourishes throughout.

Another highlight includes Adam Pascal as the Doctor - who is pre-recorded and talks to Diana through a zoom meeting (works SO well, especially the way it transitions from normal meeting to him being a rockstar) and later phone. Pascal’s rock edge voice is PERFECT for these moments and to see Alice and Pascal together in this show feels a little iconic for me. Imagine Pascal’s incredible voice singing ‘Let’s get it on BABBYYYYYY” or “open the DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR”.

The cast all have strong voices and have their moments (especially the Natalie, Gabe, Dan) but as mentioned because they are now colours and not characters, and because Alice is such a force, they are getting overshadowed.

Now, what does an ‘immersive’ production mean? Well, you are sitting in a box with four walls and a floor that is constantly being projected to. So it feels like you are ‘inside’ the show and if you get intoxicated enough, it can start to feel like you’re moving a little bit haha. The actors also are using some of the space to act while others are centre stage. For example, during “Superboy” Diana is sitting starring intensely in Gabe’s eyes. During “Wish I Were Here” Diana is being pre-recorded projected onto the screens as being part of the hallucination while at the same time she is running around dancing in a kind of manic episode. Funny!

One of the other very special moments of this show/production was ‘Light’. The characters kind of break the 4th wall a little bit more clearly than in the original production so it really feels like they are singing it TO and WITH US - like a group therapy session. At one performance some of the audience were hugging and crying - it was very very emotional and intense. I personally found it moving not just because of the content, song and staging but because I also reflect on how in the last decade the last time I saw this moment on Broadway I remember the spotlights in my face with Marin Mazzie, who is no longer with us - or other productions I have seen that just reflect to me how good this show is and pride that it still sticks around so many years later. Alice’s voice in this song on her lines just feels like she is conveying this double edged pain with optimism. After a standing ovation they also repeat the ending of Light for effect - and the audience starts clapping along, which sounds cringeworthy but again group therapy vibes.

My dream would be they take it to London somewhere and in a way that would make the show and Ripley be eligible for Olivier awards (it hasn’t been in London before). I actually think the short format and production would really suit London theatre goers, who are less sophisticated than New York theatre goers speaking generally. Not sure how it would work through with this kind of small art-installation vibe (e.g. which venue could it play at?). I also don’t know if Alice’s voice will last, if they can find a suitable replacement (if only Marin Mazzie was with us!) or whether Alice can actually mount the show in an English speaking country without being cancelled.

Anyway, despite its flaws this will go down as one of my all-time favourite theatre going experiences and to see Alice Ripley in next to normal is to me a very special musical theatre aesthetic/experience that to me is the very best of the very best.

Updated On: 7/12/22 at 08:46 AM

Just came back from Ideal. I'm so happy I got to see this - Alice is in incredible voice and the immersive production elements bring so much power to the show. The actress who plays Natalie said they're hoping it will transfer to another city but nothing is confirmed yet. I'm praying it has a life in NY with Alice.

The front of the theater was the stage door and many people were waiting for Alice but she managed to slip out another exit. The rest of the cast stopped and chatted with everyone.