It's very clear that NEXT TO NORMAL is the show people are talking about.- Page 3

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 9:35pm

That's because you don't like the show, its been made clear in several of your posts adgal.

[heo1128]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 9:38pm

"It is at the top of my list..of shows NOT to see. After watching that number (was that a number???) on the Tonys, I know to keep away from this one."

Next to Normal is certainly not for everyone, that's for sure. But the Tony telecast definitely piqued a lot of people's interest.

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 10:07pm

Okay this is kind of a dumb addition to this, but I was just watching today's The View (yeah, I know) and Joy Behar was talking about Next to Normal.
"First I thought a play about mentally ill people - how much music can you do with that? To me, Oklahoma, Carousel, those are musicals...schizophrenia, throwing your medicine away while you're singing, that didn't seem like a musical to me. But after I saw Alice Ripley's performance last night and the way the three of them did the music, now I want to see it. So the Tonys does (sic) have an effect on people!"
So I thought that was kind of cool. Alice had been on a few weeks ago singing "I Miss The Mountains" and that is what Joy referred to with the meds. Yet it took seeing the "You Don't Know/I Am The One" number to sell the show. Since I have wanted to see this show from the first time I heard the Norbert Leo Butz/Sherie Rene Scott demo, I am hardly an unbiased person and so I wasn't sure if a "normal" person would get anything out of that performance. I'm very glad to hear that it seems to have peaked interest in the show. On the plus side, the show will hopefully now stay open longer. I'm just now kind of worried that by the time I go back to NY that discounts will no longer be available. I mean if the show was already around 90% capacity before the Tonys I can't imagine what it will be like now. Here's wishing nothing but the best for all involved!

[STUCKinOH]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 11:34pm

My mom is seeing Hair in NY this summer while my friend and I are seeing Next to Normal.. after the Tony performance.. she asked if she wanted to trade so that SHE can see N2N!

Next to Normal is on the rise!! :)

[SharpCookies]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 11:40pm

It certainly made me interested. If I can go to NY this summer like I'm planning, this is on my list of shows to see.

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 6/8/09 at 11:50pm

They certainly are talking. I have several non-theatre fans who just watched because I told them about Rock of Ages, now they want me to take them to the city for N2N. GREAT FOR THEM!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/9/09 at 12:34am

I talked to a bunch of random people about the Tonys throughout the day and for me, the general consensus seems to be that HAIR is the show that sparked the most excitement in people.

What a great performance followed seconds later by a big win. A great moment for the show and lots of people I spoke to were really excited to get tickets to it.

[amoni]

Posted: 6/9/09 at 8:53am

I talked to some natives in a cave in Pango Pango last night they too said they couldn't live without seeing "Next To Normal" right away! C'mon the over the top praise here comes off as foolishness. Reality check, the same exact thing happened to "Spring Awakening" two years ago and where is it now, London? Oh yeah ooops. It's playing in a tiny house so tickets will of course be coveted. Just because they are not posting here, I know people who think it was nothing special. The music has the same problem as "SA". With Spring, it had terrific music but horrendous lyrics (and still manged to win The Tony) and this is the exact opposite, totally generic, tuneless music set to words. Sorry Dears, but not to pee on your Playbill, but of course you would side for the underdog. "Billy Elliot" doesn't need you to succeed. And it's never really about the show here anyway, is it?

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 6/9/09 at 9:34am

mormonophobic, I didn't think your post was a dumb addition to this. probably because I agree with Joy Behar on some things. I think what's so good and important about Next to Normal is that it deals with a touchy, unusual subject very intelligently. I'm not big on rock scores, but this one is catchy, funny, and has actual emotion. is Next to Normal the best musical I've ever seen? no. is it the best musical [production] of the season? no, not for me. do I hope it's the sign of musicals to come? absolutely.

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 6/9/09 at 10:22am

Amoni wrote:

"I talked to some natives in a cave in Pango Pango last night they too said they couldn't live without seeing "Next To Normal" right away! C'mon the over the top praise here comes off as foolishness. Reality check, the same exact thing happened to "Spring Awakening" two years ago and where is it now, London? Oh yeah ooops. It's playing in a tiny house so tickets will of course be coveted. Just because they are not posting here, I know people who think it was nothing special. The music has the same problem as "SA". With Spring, it had terrific music but horrendous lyrics (and still manged to win The Tony) and this is the exact opposite, totally generic, tuneless music set to words. Sorry Dears, but not to pee on your Playbill, but of course you would side for the underdog. "Billy Elliot" doesn't need you to succeed. And it's never really about the show here anyway, is it?"

Where to start ..... so people who like the show shouldn't post their favorable opinions because they are liking something you find inferior. Right. You're entire argument, judgement and logic must be greatly impaired by the amount of time you spend in that cave in Pango Pango.

Just one example: "It's playing in a tiny house so tickets will of course be coveted."

So then how come not every damn show that opens in that "tiny" (nearly 800 seats) house hasn't been a hit?

[amoni]

Posted: 6/9/09 at 12:27pm

"so people who like the show shouldn't post their favorable opinions because they are liking something you find inferior. Right"

Of course not, that's not what I said. I'm all for shows running long successful lives. I hope everyone who goes to see a show loves it. But people are jumping up and down as if they discovered gravity. Everybody is talking about it! Everbody! I'm just saying this seems to a huge case of Deja Vu.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/9/09 at 12:44pm

I think the difference here is that Next to Normal did not win Best Musical and Spring Awakening did. That is what makes the buzz for Next to Normal interesting.

FYI - Spring Awakening closed rather quickly in London and financially flopped for a variety of reasons. Critics and audiences generally liked it (present company excluded), but lack of marketing publicity didn't let enough people know it was playing or what it was. The Drowsy Chaperone suffered a similar fate.

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 6/9/09 at 2:50pm

Like GREY GARDENS, PASSING STRANGE and yes, [title of show], the enthusiastic fan base for NEXT TO NORMAL isn't going to keep it going for more than a few months at best. "Best Score" and "Best Actress" Tonys don't sell tickets. It may get a nice post-Tony bump, but judging from the televised performances, HAIR and ROCK OF AGES will get the biggest boosts.

Though Brantley & Isherwood (among others) raved, NEXT TO NORMAL never caught on with the theater-going public. It was a mainstay of TDF (Yes, it's off now, but I expect it will be back there soon).

I think it will be gone by Labor Day.