Next To Normal (tomorrow night, 2/22) — Page 2

Go to Broadway.com for videos of Opening night...

J*

Updated On: 2/22/08 at 06:57 PM

Thanks for the info Jay

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Updated On: 2/22/08 at 07:18 PM

Be safe J*! :)

Um...yeah... I really did try the Wicked lottery tonight. But didn't win... It was a sign! (Yes, I was at 2nd Stage tonight. LOL.)

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It wasn't too bad. Swampy with lots of water against the curbs. But the sidewalks were mostly clear.

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Understandable. Enjoy!

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Yeah...it was good tonight. :) Each night is a little different. I love it!

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Hey. I loved the show. I cried... a lot.... I got really emotional for some reason.

Sara Ramirez looked like she has lost weight.. Do you agree?

Stanley from Spelling Bee was also there.

DUDE, that's awesome that Sara and JRB were there! I would have been freaking out haha. (and yes, Sara is so gorgeous)

and East Village, thank you for that awesome review :) Even I, being completely addicted to the show, agree that it COULD use a few changes here and there. My first reaction was "it's pretty much perfect as it is", and I still think that, in general, it's pretty darn CLOSE to perfect. But the more I listen to it and think about it, the more I realize there ARE some changes they could make- and SHOULD make- to make it even better. It's just so strong already, it would be silly for them not to take a little bit more time to work with it so that it could be the best it could possibly be.

have to disagree about the songs though- I'm constantly getting them stuck in my head- especially I'm Alive :)

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Updated On: 2/23/08 at 03:22 PM

I think the music was great. It worked really well in the context of the show, even if it wasn't memorable for me. could just be my own inability to remember songs the first time I hear them. :P
but I thought the set, lighting, and direction was the best aspect, adding a lot of tension (even psychological tension) to the story. I thought the second act was less engaging, slipping into melodrama and psych stereotypes, but the final, intensely emotional scenes kind of erased those flaws.

I think the music was great. It worked really well in the context of the show, even if it wasn't memorable for me. could just be my own inability to remember songs the first time I hear them. :P
but I thought the set, lighting, and direction was the best aspect, adding a lot of tension (even psychological tension) to the story. I thought the second act was less engaging, slipping into melodrama and psych stereotypes, but the final, intensely emotional scenes kind of erased those flaws.

^exactly. I agree, I think there are times when the second act can get a little bit less compelling. But then pretty much from "I'm Alive (reprise)" on, it's just SO emotional for me. And even more specifically, from "So Anyway" on (but I also just love "Next to Normal" and the "Hey" reprise too, so that's why I would say it really starts getting good at "I'm Alive (reprise)"). So the whole ending COMPLETELY overpowers any flaws that the second act may have for me. That said, again, it's so good as it is, the more I think about it the more I AM glad for them to do some reworking so that it can really be as close to perfect as possible.



I'm in the stuck in my head camp ~ made testing today VERY interesting with all kinds of songs blending around in my head. UGH!!

Okay, so I had "Who's Crazy/My Phsycopharmocologist And I" stuck in my head ALL last night. And it's not even one of my favorite songs from the show!! ahaha. But yeah, it was annoying yet amusing at the same time. Usually for me I get "I am The One", "I'm Alive", or "Let There Be Light" stuck in my head.

It's kind of funny though- looking back on it, a lot of the songs they kept in the show are songs that I WASN'T crazy about back in the Feeling Electric days. I never used to like Costco, My Phsycopharmocologist And I, I Dreamed a Dance, Song of Forgetting.. and there were a few others.. I mean, I didn't DISlike them really, but I just thought they were slightly boring/slow/strange. But now, having seen the show and everything, I love them! Just... in context there's not ONE song I would take out. Like I've mentioned before, there's one song I'd add IN again ("I've Been"), but not one I'd take out. Even the ones that I still really don't totally love on their own, I love within the viewing of the show :)

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Updated On: 2/23/08 at 04:29 PM

I'm going back Tuesday night ( yay TDF!!). I saw an early preview (the 3rd one) and am anxious to see what's been changed. I've heard the changes have all been for the better, and I enjoyed the early performance a great deal, so I'm looking forward to liking it even more now.

N2N has been the home to Broadway people lately. Stephen Sondheim was sitting across the aisle from me Tuesday night. He seemed to like it :)