Is Next to Normal the new Spring Awakening?

But when Spring Awakening first played, was it critically acclaimed, then gathered a massive teen fanbase until it was overrun and then the show lost some of its 'reputation'?

Pretty close. Yes, it was critically acclaimed and had pretty hardcore fans, but IMHO they weren't as extreme as they can be for other shows, or at least not in the same numbers. It had a few stalkers, the girl who saw it a trillion times, the spinach girl, etc. but you can't compare any of them to ReNtheads when it opened, for example.

Has this affected the reputation of the show? I think it's a very good production, strong score and staging. But I could've smacked a girl or two who confused Broadway with an N'Sync concert. They certainly made it difficult to take the show seriously, which is too bad.

If so, will "Next to Normal" suffer the same fate?
It really is nothing compared to ReNT, Wicked or Legally Blonde - those were hardcore and A LOT.

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The big difference for me is that Wicked, Legally Blonde, Rent, and Spring Awakening were all specifically marketed to the teen demographic.

Next to Normal has been marketed to adults, but for whatever reason, the teens have gravitated to it. That in and of itself doesn't bother me, but their behavior is irritating to the nth degree.

Yawn

Yeah, which is why it is an opinion.

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I'm a little guilty of comparing everything I see to Wicked, but I have an excuse. I managed to make it until about age 23 until I saw my first live theatre production. I saw Wicked in London with Kerry Ellis, and I was just blown away by the theatre and atmosphere... I loved everything about it.

I've seen everything I can since then and always find myself comparing everything to that initial love I felt for Wicked. I can't help it.

I was following the thread of conversation. Take it easy.

Updated On: 10/19/09 at 10:12 AM

Um, what does that have to do with anything in this thread?

Um, by being directly related to the previous post? Just a thought.

I guess people just skipped over jonmbway4652's post that stated:

"It also bothers me when people compare EVERYTHING they see to see Wicked."

I think it is pretty clear cherios was responding to that statement, considering it was the last sentence of the previous post. Not sure how that was confusing or unclear. Unless the point was to just pick on someone, but it's usually more effective for it to be justified in some way.

As for the topic, I'm going to say "no". Next to Normal doesn't seem to be as specifically targeted to younger audiences as the shows previously mentioned. And, at least the night I saw it, there wasn't an enormous population of young fans trying desperately to make the show about themselves as I have experienced with Rent, Legally Blonde, Spring Awakening or Wicked. Do I believe Next to Normal "infinitely better" than those? No. In some respects it is better than some of those, but it really depends on your own personal criteria for what you expect from a musical and the type of show you want to see.

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^ agreed. I wouldn't have a problem with teens liking the show if they weren't so damn psychotic about it. It makes sense that they'd be drawn to Natalie's story especially, but the stagedoor behavior and throwing things on stage during performances is absolutely ridiculous.

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I definitely think that overall, in terms of quality, Next to Normal trumps Spring Awakening, Wicked and Legally Blonde and is a worthy successor to Rent. And I actually enjoy all of the shows that are mentioned here but for different reasons.

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Honestly I don't know how you can compare SA and N2N seeing as they are two different musicals about two very different subject matters. The thing they have in common is their ridiculous fans who ruin stage door appearances for those of us not planning on declaring our undying love for the lead...

But the shows seldom get bad raps that affect the average theater goer. MOST have no idea about a fanbase or what happens at rush or the stage door. In all honesty, I think those are the only two areas that are affected by the fangirl base. (Although, I've only heard recently about the note throwing during the show and don't know of the validity of that.)

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