My Thoughts On Next To Normal (kind of on the long side)

[winston89]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 1:17am

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of going to The Booth to see Next To Normal. I went in knowing that it got some good word of mouth from the people on here. And, that there were people here who were following the progress of the show since it started out at Second Stage. I was going in looking forward to one of the few new musicals of the season.

Let me start out by saying that I am glad that they ended up taking The Booth over the Longacre. I missed the rush but I was able to get a ticket for 36.50 in the last row omf the mezz. Due to the fact that the theatre is so small it wasn't a bad seat at all. I didn't know because the first and last time I was at that theatre was for The Pillowman where I was sitting in the orchestra. But, due to the three tier set The Booth was a better choice then the large Longacre.

The music was really what drew me to this show. I had heard Superboy and The Invisible Girl when the music video for it came out on Broadway.com. And then hearing some of the clips of other songs prior to the release of the cast recording on the show's website. I feel that the music is well written and also very good. I feel that it says a fair amount to Tom Kitt's ability to write a song. I feel that on one hand, he is able to write a song that can tell a story and fit in well to the story line of this show. And, on the other, he is able to to write a good song that can, without any problem, stand alone as just a good enjoyable song. For example, I fell in love with Superboy and the invisible girl after seeing the music video for it. And I enjoyed it for what it was. However, after I saw the show, I still enjoyed the song very much but listened to it differently after I knew how it fit in with the plot. I feel like there are other songs in the score that do the same thing. Other examples being I'm Alive, and I Miss The Mountains. I saw the show the day that the music was available on Itunes. The only other exposure that I had to the music were the samples on the website. And, I would agree with what has been said there, that it is best to get the full cast recording and listen to it after you have seen the show because there are some songs there that, as I said, can easily stand alone, and there are others that give away the plot.

As for the acting I must say that I think that this show is perfectly cast. Alice Ripley does an AMAZING job and that is putting it mildly. After what I saw on that stage, I can say that she is deserving of that Tony. Had I seen some of the other new musicals this season I would say that she should win it. But, that wouldn't be fair considering that I haven't and it wouldn't be fair for me to even think about such things until I have seen all of them and have a chance to make a fair assessment.

I am going to save myself some time here by saying that the rest of the cast was just out of this world and very super talented. I am saving time by not going down the cast list and saying the same thing individually about each member.

To anyone who wants a night of theatre that has a great story line and amazing music and amazing acting. I say get thee to The Booth for Next To Normal. This was a show that I was on the fence about seeing it when it was at Second Stage and hat the chance to see it but never really got around to seeing it. I did know that it got fans who were aching to see this show come to Broadway. After seeing it, I now see what they are excited about and I now see that this is an amazing musical that everyone should see. I am very happy that there is an original musical on Broadway this season with amazing music, amazing acting and an amazing story. If you have the ability to get a ticket, go. By far one of the best new musicals I have seen in a good long time.

[heo1128]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 1:44am

Great review, glad you enjoyed it! Just out of curiosity, what time did you get there and ask for rush tickets?

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 2:25am

I saw the show last night as well and I got my rush ticket around 3:30pm.

[heo1128]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 2:34am

^Ooh, front row??

[winston89]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 3:05am

heo1128, I got there around two hours or so prior to showtime. But, I think that I was better off where I was sitting. With the set being three levels high, I am not sure that I would have enjoyed it and been able to see and take in everything if I was sitting in the front row. Certainly not if it was my first time seeing the show. But, I do plan to go back and see it again and maybe I might do that for another viewing. Who knows.

[heo1128]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 3:13am

^Thanks for the info! : )

Yeah, I was in the 6th row and that was almost too close.

[jaystarr]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 6:27am

Thanks winston! nice to know that the $36.50 seats are great!

J*

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 8:29am

I saw the title and thought I wrote this.

Then I remembered I haven't seen it yet.

So I tried to figure it out.

Then I saw who wrote it. Updated On: 4/9/09 at 08:29 AM

[TheBoyDownstairs]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 8:34am

Glad you really enjoyed the show. Hopefully everyone who has said how much they love it will convince a few friends to go, get that positive word of mouth going.

I'd say the front row is probably a tad too close for a first time viewing, but once you've seen the show you definitely should sit front row if you have the chance, just to see Alice Ripley's performance that close. The nuance is really remarkable that close.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 9:23am

I don't think I've been so happy to have a seat for the front row of the Mezzanine, NEXT Saturday. It still seems SO incredibly far away.

Thanks for the review Winston....hadn't see you around lately, welcome back!

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 9:39am

That is what is so great about this show. A good deal of the songs would be great as stand-alone songs. I think more shows should take the approach of doing an out of town tryout, make a cast recording, then move to broadway(when they can afford it of course).

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 2:19pm

But wait, is it amazing?

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 4:18pm

I know the general positive board consensus with regard to this show, but I have to ask: did anyone else find the musical to be very corny? I mean, there were moments during the musical that I actually cringed for performers. I could compose a long list of those moments, but a few come to mind off the top of my head: many songs including "Super Boy and the Invisible Girl" and the Sondheim lite "So Alive," the second act epiphany by the father, and the much discussed (and hopefully removed) crib.

To leave this post on a positive note: I am thankful to have seen this musical if only to experience Ripley and Tveit's performances. The rest I found very lacking.

Is anyone of this opinion, or am I left out here on my own? Not that it means anything, but I would be very surprised if the reviews were better than mixed to positive.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 4:25pm

Yeah, I think it straddles the line between dramatic and cheesy. The lyrics especially.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 5:39pm

Thank you...I'm happy to hear someone else shares my opinion (and makes me feel less like a heartless robot).

[iamdangoodman]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 5:53pm

Dear Esq.
It might be less of a comfort to know that the person who's agreeing with you has not actually seen it.

But there are other detractors who have. You are not alone there.

Hopefully there are enough people who see it and love it and spread that word, since it's swimming an uphill battle and is worthy of running. If for no other reason that it's got many people, like me, totally jazzed about Broadway who would otherwise not have spent our time or money there.

[bundy5000]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 5:57pm

[winston89]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 6:40pm

I thought that the music for this show was very well written and not corny at all. Like I said earlier I think that it having the ability to work as a song that is telling a story in this show and to work to be just a rock song and still be able to be enjoyable are two positive things that the music has going for it.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 6:42pm

Well, I meant the songs can be kind of cheesy. I still love the score, though.

I remember one reviewer didn't like the lyrics that much, either.

[scott68]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 6:43pm

Especially during the first act, I definitely thought there were cheesy moments (the fact that too many songs in a row get played for the big finish makes the flow a little less smooth doesn't help). But by the end, I had totally bought into it, and I'm absolutely planning on going back again.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/9/09 at 10:59pm

I had written that I thought the lyrics were a weak point, and I still think they are. But I never said, or ever thought, they were ever bad or cheesy. Just I thought there were a lot of very obvious lyrics and some forced rhymes.