CD of Next to Normal-When available?

Saw N2N yesterday and loved it! When leaving, I was told that the CD was sold out and wasn't available yet. Does anyone know when it will be? I'm desparate to hear the songs again!

Well, you can download it on i-tunes right now for $11.99

Sh-K Boom is selling them through their website for $16.99, including shipping. They're shipping them the day after you order. I got mine in the mail on Friday (and have been playing it nonstop).

The official release date in stores is May 12.

I got mine on Friday as well, and I'm thrilled that it got shipped so quickly.

However, just like the packaging of SHREK, the NEXT TO NORMAL cd is in a horrible cardboard case instead of a regular jewel case. It is a horror and an embarassment to these Broadway shows to have such cheap releases. I hope this is not the trend we have to look forward to in the CD packaging for us collectors who love the jewel cases.

I actually like the cardboard cases. They're far more durable than the plastic jewel cases which break so easily ~ sometimes the inside CD holder even before it's open...I hate when those teeth are gone. At least with the slides you don't have to worry that some plastic may have scratched the CD (I've had that happen before. Thankfully wherever I got it from (I've forgotten) took it back, but they tried to fight me on it.)

(Incidentally, my theatre pre-order came sometime between Thursday and Saturday! w00t!)

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Updated On: 4/20/09 at 12:25 PM

I fall into same camp with WAT in disliking the cardboard cases. Sure the plastic cases can break, but they are VERY easy and cheap to replace. If a cardboard case is damaged you are forced to buy the entire CD again.

For example, the plastic "teeth" on my See What I Wanna See CD broke and now I can't replace the case without purchasing the recording again. Also the wear and tear really takes a toll on the cardboard cases. My Sweet Charity revival recording, which didn't come out all that long ago, is already showing wear, and I'm very careful with my cast recordings too.

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The CD cases at the library tell a different story. The plastic jewel cases fare FAR worse than the cardboard ones.

And the n2n one doesn't have ANY teeth. It's sleeves like on old records!

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Updated On: 4/20/09 at 12:40 PM

Jordangirl, you know I love you, but I find it hilarious that you will defend anything related to NEXT TO NORMAL. I agree with you that the show itself is very good, but come on...the cheap cardboard cases on the CD? the commercial? the purple artwork?

and your pan of BILLY ELLIOT last week was so uncalled for...

"You're a horror and an embarassment."

......what kind of ****ing dumb statement is that?

What do you have against me, zoneace? What have I ever done to you?

I happen to LIKE cardboard cases regardless of the show, the advertisement, AND the purple.

And I am sorry that we saw a showing of Billy that lacked energy. It did. My unbiased parents and sister said it before I did. My sister wanted to leave at intermission she was so bored ~ and she's sat through some clunker tours. I did love the show in London and wanted to love it here. But I was disappointed. I wish we COULD have had a great experience there. I would LOVE to be able to say it compares to what I have consistently seen at n2n or any other myriad of shows I've seen. But the energy level was NOT there on Friday night for me to say that. I love how so many people on here assume that four of us who have very different tastes hallucinated the same experience.

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so its not ok for her to say that she didn't like manipulative tutu's but did like n2n?

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you forget we're talking to the person who thought Story of My Life was a revelation.

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I was stating my desire that Saturday night would be a better experience than Friday night. I would have stated that REGARDLESS of what we were seeing. It happened that we were seeing next to normal. If we were seeing In The Heights, that would have been in there. If we were seeing Mary Poppins, that would have been in there. If we were seeing Irena's Vow, that would have been in there.

Once again, I really wanted to love Billy Elliot. But what they gave me on Friday night was simply not something I could love. Yes, comparatively speaking, next to normal was the stronger show of the weekend for our viewing experience. But I would have liked to have been given something to even attempt to draw a favorable comparison with it. (And actually the majority of the review of the experience was about the middle school group spread over the entire mezz and the lack of an usher at the end of intermission to help people find their seats and not block the view of those of us in the rear mezz. Had the show been more energetic, we might have been less distracted by the stuff going on around us. I can sit through a show surrounded by kids with no problem if it's good and holding my attention. Other than the ballet sequence, Billy just didn't have the energy to hold my attention. I'm sorry.)

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