My thoughts on the new company of NEXT TO NORMAL- Page 2

[grandpianoalex]

Posted: 8/1/10 at 5:07pm

Ahhhh....What note was it?!? lol.

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 8/1/10 at 5:41pm

I want to check out the new cast as well. If anyone wants to check out a preview of sorts, they have bryant park performance up on here...

https://www.broadwayworld.com/videoplay.php?colid=154392

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/1/10 at 6:07pm

^The only one of the "new" leads in the Bryant Park performance is Meghann Fahy. Jessica Phillips is Diana and Dan isn't featured in any of the numbers.

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 8/1/10 at 6:11pm

my bad, well at least you can still see Meghann Fahy for sort of a preview. Updated On: 8/1/10 at 06:11 PM

[KChenowethfan]

Posted: 8/1/10 at 8:53pm

I've seen the show a considerable number of times over the three productions it has had though I am sure nowhere near the number of viewings some have racked up. The last time I saw the show was September 2009 and I decided to make a return visit yesterday afternoon. I confess to being a major Alice Ripley fan (long time- her casting was what made me want to see the show at Second Stage), and I rather ok with the show being, well, "the Alice Ripley show" for a considerable amount of time- with some fine performances by most of the other members of the cast. That said, yesterday I too witnessed the show being a true ensemble piece. It stood up.

Mazzie was wonderful, as always, vocally (though the lack of belting in the 2nd half of "You Don't Know/I Am the One" did bother me slightly) and I appreciated the more subdued, yet still in character, take on the role. Daniely has a beautiful voice, far more so than at least one of the other actors that have taken on the role of Dan. While I'd argue that his voice is not the right fit for the score, I think he did a tremendous job. It was certainly well acted. The final scene got me for the first time.

I'd not seen Massey before and while I appreciated his performance, I must say I am not a fan of the "boy band" sound, but that became less of a concern for me as the show went on. He certainly has strong acting skills. Fahy, as others have pointed out, plays the role much more innocent than her predecessor. It worked though I still appreciate Damiano's take. She started off a little weak vocally (shaky pitch here and there) but once settled in, it was clear she has a beautiful voice.

All in all, though certainly not a perfect show, N2N remains one of my favorites and I am generally pleased with the new company.

Updated On: 8/1/10 at 08:53 PM

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 8/1/10 at 9:29pm

A strong, yet tortured woman and a strong, yet tortured man, have raised a very weak, very tortured daughter in Fahy's Damiano.

I know what you meant, but the typo still made me chuckle.

Thank you for your review, Yankee. I'm itching to get back to the Booth to catch the new cast. I did see Massey last summer and Fahy on for Damiano in December (and I enjoyed both of them), but I'm very interested in seeing Mazzie and Danieley.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 8/1/10 at 9:48pm

Ha! That typo is brill, if I do say so myself.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 8/1/10 at 9:51pm

>>>"I really need to get a ticket for the new cast."<<<

I'm fairly sure that the cast is capable of getting their own tickets. I think they're called "house seats".

[sondheimfan2]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 7:02pm

Having seen the show once with the OBC and once with the OBC minus Aaron, I saw the show last night for a third time to see the new cast.

I hate to say this, but I was not pleased. Marin Mazzie sung the role beautifully, but her line delivery left me flat.

As for Jason Danieley, well...I agree with the following poster:

"And then there's Jason Danieley. He's not bad, just a complete non-entity. His Dan doesn't register with me. He's just kind of there. No emotional impact whatsoever."

Those are my sentiments exactly.

Overall, the evening was a big disappointment. At least I have the memories of the earlier performances.

[kidbroadway2]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 8:34pm

Imo the part of Dan is most difficult to fill. We know their are some tremendous women belters who can also act. But finding a man who sing Dan's part ALONG with the acting is ridiculously tricky. J. Robert had difficulty with the acting (or did not do as well as I thought he could) and suffered with some vocal problems throughout the end of his run. I thought Jason Danieley was terrible acting wise, but sang it well enough (not a fan of the opera type of stye). Only Brian Darcy really did justice to the role imo and made the show more about the family's struggle rather than just about Alice Ripley.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 8:38pm

"I thought Jason Danieley was terrible acting wise, but sang it well enough"

Sorry, but Danieley's acting was top notch. He hit it out of the park in every imaginable way.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 8:42pm

Sorry, Jordan, but I agree with kidbroadway. Danieley's acting was very bland and the character barely registered.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 8:43pm

Sorry Adam, but I agree with Marin. Danieley's acting is amazing. ;-p

[kidbroadway2]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 8:45pm

Did we see the same show Jordan? I thought he was the weakest part of the show for me, but you are entitled to your opinion.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 8:48pm

Well I saw Next To Normal at the Booth theatre. I don't know what the fvck you two saw.

[matty159]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 2:48pm

After all this debate about the two casts, I am very excited to be seeing it tonight! I am keeping my fingers crossed that this time my TDF tickets don't cut off the third tier of the set!

[matty159]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 11:24pm

I saw the show this evening (my third time, but first time with Marin/Jason/Meghann). Compared to my last visit where Alice was driving ME crazy, this was a revelation. First of all, Meghann is superb and I think her Natalie is much stronger than Damiano's. I think Louis Hobson has made some interesting changes to his characters in the past month that made his performance quite refreshing. Adam has always been adorable and endearing in his performance. Although I will always cherish seeing Aaron's Gabe (W-O-W!), Kyle has grown into the role quite well and seems to be breaking out of his comfort zone a little and making his Gabe just as physical as Aaron's.

I have to agree with the OP in terms of Marin and Jason. Great performances and a nice fresh change. Marin is indeed a stronger willed Diana than Alice. (And though I may get shot for this, it was nice not having to cringe at some of the notes that Alice butchered last time.) I thought the sexual tension between her and Kyle, while creepy and unsettling, was apropos and worked. Jason was equally as good...and I thought had a powerful presence that was nicely cracked by Kyle at the end (that is scene that hits me the hardest and tonight was the first time I actually cried during that exchange).

Next to Normal has always been a favorite of mine, but it was firing on all cylinders tonight. At the end, my date said I was nothing but goosebumps for the majority of the performance. That was a true story. I will definitely be returning to see this cast again once they have had even more time to make the roles their own.