David Cromer next to normal — Page 2

Saw this last night. It was only the second preview and it definitely needs a ton of work. More specifically the staging. It’s just very confusing at times and transitions are a bit of a hot mess. I saw it with another poster on here and we both jokingly thought it should be renamed “guess which vom Gabe is going to come out of next.” I thought the performances themselves were amazing, though. It was all so raw. If you’re thinking of seeing this, I’d recommend waiting until it’s frozen. David Cromer was sitting right behind me and the artistic director of the theatre said in his pre show speech that the creative team is still vigorously trying to perfect the production.

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Well, it was a very subdued and slow-moving production. Tempos were very slow, and many scenes had very long pauses. Lots of transitions happening in blackout. Some moments of real human connection, and a more naturalistic take (the set was far less abstract and much more of an actual house than the broadway production) made it worthwhile, but there were a lot of rough spots. It was also the least funny production I've seen. Too many emotional moments were staged far upstage, and actors would often sing very emotional stuff facing upstage. In the psychopharmacologist song, Dr Fine had I guess been directed to deliver his lines in a slow, droning voice, which didn't get the laugh, and made me say to myself "oh dear, I hope the whole show isn't like this." It picked up as it went along, but a lot of staging choices felt kind of lazy and sloppy. I've followed his work ever since that brilliant Our Town, and I was kind of disappointed. There is a lot of stuff in the show that's really close to working if they can fix the staging issues and let everything clip along a little faster.

Updated On: 6/26/19 at 07:30 PM

If anyone is interested in 2 tickets for the May 18 show at 3pm please pm me. Unfortunately I may not be able to go (family medical issue). Paid $120 total. The tickets are at will call and I don’t live close enough to hand off but I talked with box office and they can arrange to switch pick up name given the circumstances - they just couldn’t refund. Please let me know!

I saw the second preview too (thanks again call_me_jorge for the ticket!!) and I pretty much agree with him. The performances are all fantastic (David Schlumpf as Dan in particular stole the show for me), but the staging needed tightening. There were sight issues. Really the only big set piece that moves is an L shaped piece of wall with a bookshelf that comes on from time to time, and there were times action was happening on the other side that I couldn't see. Also, at the beginning of the show, Natalie is playing on a real piano, but at her recital, it was mimed (probably because this happened on the upper level and they couldn't get two pianos). Also, at the very end, Diana, exits through a very big, very prominent sliding door at the back of the stage, and it felt very underwhelming. I was staring at this door the whole show, thinking "Oh man, when someone walks out that door, my jaws gonna hit the floor", but she just slid it open a few inches and walked out. Kind of a let down.

That being said, I'll reiterate that the cast is great. I actually liked the slow, droning Dr. Fine. It kind of had a dry comedy to it, and it makes more sense why Diana would get lost in the medical jargon. Henry is an old classmate of mine (graduated when I was a freshman) and it was great to see him perform again. Natalie was great, and seeing her breakdown during "Catch Me I'm Falling" broke my heart. Diana did great work, even if it felt like she was mimicking Alice Ripley at times. Gabe didn't hit all the notes, but he had a nice charm to him. David Schlumpf was my favorite part of the evening, probably as Dan. Watching him slowly be broken apart by grief over his son and his wife's drifting away was gut-wrenching. There were some really cool moments with the staging (particularly "Wish I Were Here", including some really cool lighting design with flashlights), and I really like the show being performed in such a small space. It befits the naturalistic elements of Next to Normal to see it so up close and personal.

Also, Gabe does a Fortnite Dance. That alone is worth the price of admission.