Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#1
Posted: 3/29/10 at 10:10amTomorrow, I will be seeing Next To Normal for my first time. Honestly, I can't wait and it makes me more excited to know that it just recouped! Congrats to them. Also, I really don't know what to expect from the show. I just think that it will be a great theatrical experience. Anything I should know about stage dooring, fan girls, etc.? Thanks! :)
Featured Actor Joined: 11/3/06
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#2
Posted: 3/29/10 at 1:16pm
How familiar are you with the show? Are you familiar with the recording? I agree about the tissues...if you're like me and get very moved, you sure will need them. I'd be almost more excited for you if you knew nothing about it and did not have the cast recording. I saw it for the first time in previews last year, before the cast recording was released. I felt so many things. I was surprised, shocked, heartbroken, and then would find myself laughing. It seems to speak to certain people more than to others. I hope it speaks to you, to your heart and soul, and lifts you up.
There's no denying that the performances are all fantastic. I also found the score to be fantastic, and well deserving of the Tony Award that it won. I have gone to the stage door a few times, and if you are a type of patron who enjoys that part of the experience, then I recommend you stick around. I have spoken to several of the cast after the show and they are all very down to earth and appreciative of the audience response. So, if you feel compelled to tell them how the show made you feel, by all means, tell them. I have heard that some cast members don't come out between the matinee and the evening performances and I think I've heard that Alice is happy to sign but doesn't do photos...but I could be wrong. Maybe someone else will know that info and post it for you. There's usually somebody from the Shubert Org there...so you could ask them about if you can take pictures etc. Have a wonderful time!
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#3
Posted: 3/29/10 at 1:32pmI went to see the show after the cast album was released, and I decided to not buy the album and go into the show completely cold. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
"Leave Walt Disney Theatricals new sparkling production of The Little Mermaid on Broadway alone!!!"
lakezurich will be played by Paul Groves in the BWW musical
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#4
Posted: 3/29/10 at 1:33pm^ I'm with you. I went in knowing nothing about the show, except for the song "I Am The One," because of their Tony Awards performance. I rarely cry during theater or movies and television, but I did during this show, and it was for a good reason.
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#5
Posted: 3/29/10 at 2:56pm
"bring tissue"
I'll be sure to tell my mom.
"How familiar are you with the show? Are you familiar with the recording?"
I have seen/listened to some "recordings" of Just Another Day, I Miss The Mountains, You Don't Know, I Am The One, Superboy and the Invisible Girl, I'm Alive, Didn't I See This Movie? and Hey #3/Perfect for You (Reprise). I try not to listen to the WHOLE score so that I can get some surpises when I actually see the show.
"I have gone to the stage door a few times, and if you are a type of patron who enjoys that part of the experience, then I recommend you stick around."
Do they sign non-Next To Normal related things? I wanna Alice to sign my Horror Picture Show Playbill.
Updated On: 3/29/10 at 02:56 PM
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#6
Posted: 3/29/10 at 4:01pmI can't say for sure...but my bet is that Alice would sign that for you.
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#7
Posted: 3/30/10 at 2:12am
I know many people who saw Next To Normal a few weeks ago and saw Alice Ripley's last performance before she went on vacation. They said she was very kind, happy to sign, and did take pictures :)
Updated On: 3/30/10 at 02:12 AM
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#8
Posted: 3/30/10 at 2:14amThey make an announcement before she comes out that you can take pictures of her, but not with her.
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#9
Posted: 3/30/10 at 9:23amHopefully the rain will die down a little so the stage door will be more fun. :/
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#10
Posted: 3/31/10 at 1:57am
*CONTAINS SPOILERS*
If you really want to see this show, just go and see it. Don’t listen to any more soundtracks and don’t read any more reviews. Just GO! The story is just very shocking and you’ll want to know what happens next after every scene.
I just got home from the show. This performance could not have been more phenomenal. If anyone was at tonight’s performance and saw a kid writing notes, that was me. I was writing parts of the show for this review and research about Henry, for I would like to play him some day. I knew that I wouldn’t remember everything so I had to write it down. I really did try to be subtle, but I was sitting in an aisle seat - sorry.
Arrival: Although the rain weather easily annoyed my mother, it didn’t let me less happy about seeing the show. Also, the show announcement (I think made by Louis Hobson) is very clever. If it was related to the show, I think it would be really weird.
Seating: Left Orchestra, D 1-5, and nice view for about 99% of the show. You really can’t and don’t have to see the floor of the third layer of the set. The people on the others next to us probably had trouble seeing the very most left side of the stage. I really like the size of the theatre - very intimate with the audience. The “people vendors” walking around the theatre made the tone seem very circus show. (Side note: I liked how the seats stay down if you get up instead of flying up and getting all of your things roll off.)
Set Design: Before the show, the whole set was lit blue, which I guess gave off a mellow state. At first, it would seem hard to imagine that the show takes place in not only a home, but at a school and doctor’s office. It somehow works most of the time. The face of Diana during her surgery was a very nice touch. And the pixilation was very nice. The moving sets (dinner table and living room) seem to be hard to believe when the actors push them back and forth. The lights in the back of the stage really sets the mood of all of the characters. I know that some colors go well with emotions like red with anger and blue with sadness. Sometimes I didn’t get why there was green at the doctor’s office.
Alice Ripley: Unbelievably AMAZING! All of the emotion she put into each song just made you feel some sort of unexplainable vibe. When she was hyperventilating during “I‘m Alive” and “Didn‘t I See This Movie?”, I almost yelled out, “Are you OK?” Hehe. I really do wonder how she can go into that state of mind every night. She really does deserve that Tony. During “Wish I Were Here,” I thought it was really her on the operation table. When she entered on the second level, I was so surprised, but happy because if she got up from the table and started singing, I would feel a little freaked out. As soon as that happened, I automatically thought that it was a doll or Jessica Phillips on the table.
J. Robert Spencer: He plays the stereotypical “angry” father so well. When he smashed Gabe’s music box, I was kind of jumpy and scared of him. Also, I really wanted to know how he “cleaned up” Diana’s blood off the chair. Spencer’s mannerisms towards Gabe were very moving. I’m not the one to cry during a performance, but for a change I actually started to shed ½ of a tear during that scene. That doesn’t mean I didn’t care for it, I just don’t cry that much - if that makes sense.
Kyle Dean Massey: I do admit that at times, he looks a little too old to play a teenager. When he first started singing, he seemed a little nasal. As the show moved on, his performance got stronger. Obviously, his best number was “I‘m Alive.” It was the very first time, in a LONG time, I cheered (yelled) after a song was finished. He has an amazing belting voice. Also, I wonder if he had tendencies of moving seductively around the poles - just a random thought.
Jennifer Damiano: As soon as she arrived on stage, her “geeky” vibe shined through and made the character more believable. At first, I thought it was really her playing the piano. I tried to move around my seat to find the pianist really playing the piano, but couldn’t find him/her. I also thought she was sick when she started to sing. As the performance furthered on, he vocal abilities got greater. She has a beautiful vibrato tone. “Superboy And The Invisible Girl” was just too amazing. I only wish that they release a version of the song on iTunes with just her singing.
Adam Chandler-Berat: One of the most hilarious characters in the show. I think that his role should have been thought out a little bit more. He seems to be there about 45% of the show. But whenever he is on stage, you’re either laughing or “awe-ing” at him. Even though he seems really innocent, you can tell that he is weirdly deep and sees things in different eyes. Even though I am distant from this role in real life, I know where I can get some close research. Let’s face it, I’m in high school and everyone knows where to get some.
Michael Berry (u/s): I was a little upset that I wasn’t able to see Louis Hobson, but this man is just as great since I compared him to the cast recording. Since Dr. Fine is such a small role, you would think that he just changed clothes to become Dr. Madden. He is also another funny character, especially in the beginning of Madden’s entrance. Rockstar is the perfect definition of the man. As soon as he yelled-sing his first lines, I jumped and laughed. I laughed harder whenever I expected the next rock outburst to happen.
Tom Kitt: All of the music is just amazing. Whenever a song started, I really had the urge to get up and dance. It’s a little to late at night to blast the CD in my room, but trust me, I will when I wake up in the morning. I really want to meet this man and just talk to him about all of the ideas that came into his head about the music.
Extra: I noticed the Playbill that there is a new guy (Brian Crum) who understudies Gabe/Henry. And then I noticed that McKenzie was gone from the Playbill. Do these types of understudies stay with the show for a short amount of time? I think Sarah Uriarte Berry is gone from the show because I don’t think I saw her name on the cast board. And why didn’t she ever have her picture and bio in the Playbill before? After seeing the show, I would love to see more understudies (and maybe some celebrities) take the parts.
Stage Door: Like I said before, my mom really didn’t want to stay because of the weather. I was able to get 3 signatures from J. Robert, Adam, and Michael. I also got a few words of exchange from each of them. I just told J. Robert that he was very good. I asked Michael if Louis was alright since he was out. I thought it was a planned performance. He said that he was told he was going on tonight from the day before. I asked Adam what really was in the green bong. He responded with, “It’s kinnikinnick - a drug you smoke with a very thin pipe.” And I was just like “right….” with everyone laughing behind me and I faked laughed with them. I knew that they were in a hurry to get home since it was raining. I did see Meghann Fahy walk out of the door, but I didn’t want to disturb her. The stage door man announced the generic “You can take pictures OF her, but not WITH her.” Alice Ripley speech. That didn’t really matter because he announced, 5 minutes later, that she won’t come out.
If there was anything I missed, please tell me. Thanks for reading all of this.
5 out of 5 :)
Understudy Joined: 2/22/10
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#11
Posted: 3/31/10 at 2:44am
RE: The understudies
Tim Young just left the show a few days ago, so Brian Crum is his replacement and is the new understudy for Gabe and Henry. Mackenzie Mauzy and Sarah Uriarte Berry were both temporary standbys while the regular understudies (Meghann Fahy and Jessica Phillips) were off.
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#12
Posted: 3/31/10 at 10:11am^ Oh yeah. I just realizd that Tim Young was no longer in the Playbill. Thanks!
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#13
Posted: 3/31/10 at 10:38pmStrange. My friends (more than 20) all took pictures WITH Alice Ripley, not just OF her.
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#14
Posted: 3/31/10 at 10:48pmWere you there yesturdsay night? I knew she had to come out sometime, but a lot of people left when the stage door man told us she wasn't coming out.
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#15
Posted: 4/1/10 at 7:53amHannah B'way - But on March 7th MacKenzie Mauzy was in the playbill, and Meghann Fahy was on as Natalie...? Maybe she was just in the playbill for a few days prior or post Meghann's absence? Do you know if she's still there?
Understudy Joined: 2/22/10
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#16
Posted: 4/1/10 at 9:19amIt's likely that Jenn had a planned absence and they brought Mackenzie back for those performance(s) just in case Meghann couldn't go on - similar to the way they would bring Kyle Dean back during the fall for some performances when Aaron couldn't go on. But to the best of my knowledge Mackenzie was hired only on a temporary basis.
Next To Normal 3.30.10 Experience and Review#17
Posted: 4/2/10 at 11:45pmI just figured out that MacKenzie was probablly listed in the Playbill becuase Meghann was filiming for One Life To Live.
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