Next To Normal WEST END - News & Discussion Thread- Page 8

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 5/10/25 at 4:32pm

It’s free on the PBS app right now. I’ve only gotten through act 1 so far, but I’m loving it. I’ll echo the dislike of the replacements for swear words, but nature of the beast. Having only ever seen the original production, I’m really enjoying this new interpretation and staging. I was worried the show would feel too of its time with its humor and treatment of mental illness, but this production does a great job of making it feel modern. I’m loving the two ladies, but not sold on the men just yet. 

[BOM]

Posted: 5/10/25 at 6:21pm

They should have just bleeped out the words. The lyric changes were so cringeworthy.

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 5/10/25 at 6:43pm

I thought the west end cast did a stunning job. It’s such a heart breaking show to get through. Cried several times and it brought back so many memories of Alice and Marin. Wish they did a transfer, Caissie and Jamie would of def bring some awards home 

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 5/10/25 at 8:04pm

I thought Jamie Parker was incredible.

[theatrekid3302]

Posted: 5/10/25 at 8:05pm

I was so mad when they announced Cassie Levy was in Ragtime because I have been praying for a Next to Normal Broadway Transfer for Months

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 5/10/25 at 8:28pm

theatrekid3302 said: "I was so mad when they announced Cassie Levy was in Ragtime because I have been praying for a Next to Normal Broadway Transfer for Months"


I should give up hope, right?

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 5/10/25 at 10:23pm

The next revival of this show NEEDS to cut "He's Not Here" good lord.

Very good production. I prefer it to the original production, honestly. The daughter's boyfriend is adorable but can't pull off an American accent to save his life. I also missed the silverware throwing!

Updated On: 5/10/25 at 10:23 PM

[theatrekid3302]

Posted: 5/10/25 at 10:49pm

TotallyEffed said: "theatrekid3302 said: "I was so mad when they announced Cassie Levy was in Ragtime because I have been praying for a Next to Normal Broadway Transfer for Months"


I should give up hope, right?"

If we keep the public pressure on them to make a revival I think it will happen. I can see a scenario where Cassie does Ragtime in the Fall and then starts Next to Normal on the spring.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/10/25 at 11:22pm

theatrekid3302 said: "If we keep the public pressure on them to make a revival I think it will happen.”

Please keep us updated on how your public pressure campaign goes. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 5/11/25 at 12:49am

I thought this was spectacular. The young actress playing Natalie was amazing and Caissie’s sings this difficult score with absolute ease and clarity.

I hate to say it, but I might prefer the direction of this to the original production, which I saw five times and thought was perfect.

This couldn’t come to St. Ann’s or the Armory for a month? It’s so good. 

Updated On: 5/11/25 at 12:49 AM

[binau]

Posted: 5/11/25 at 3:39am

I am most impressed at the actual quality of the filming. The angles. The lighting. The close ups. Watching the show on film feels closer to what it felt like at the donmar than the actual west end transfer - it’s not obvious from the film but the stage was so high and it took some of the intimacy away. It’s all back now on film!! 

Updated On: 5/11/25 at 03:39 AM

[ozbwayfan]

Posted: 5/11/25 at 7:32am

Anyone else perturbed by Caissie's mic placement? Like could it not have been cheated further up into her hairline for the recording? So strange.

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 5/11/25 at 8:36am

I did notice her mic a few times and thought they could have hidden it better. Agree the swearing should have just been bleeped. Can you really not even say “sucks” on PBS?? I thought Jamie Parker acted the part well, but his singing really didn’t do it for me. 
 

As someone who was not that familiar with this show other than the cast album, I was blown away by it and cried several times. If there’s one criticism I have, it’s that Diana and Dan both come off as a bit one dimensional. We learn a lot about their history and about how her disorder is impacting them both, but we don’t really get much color on their characters. They reference Dan going to work, but do they ever say where he works or what he does?  Seems like Diana doesn’t work, but does she have any friends, or how does she spend her days?  I get that the point is that her disorder and depression is all-consuming, but the whole show seemed a little vague on details in a way that I think keeps the characters at a bit of a distance, if that makes sense. Do they ever even say what city they live in?

minor quibble, and it’s possible I just missed some of this detail. The show is incredibly well written and effective, and I hope this production transfers. 

[steven22]

Posted: 5/11/25 at 10:55am

Could the popularity of this proshot help get a transfer to NYC? 

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 5/11/25 at 1:25pm

I've always thought this show was a bit of a maudlin melodrama without much of a "point," but this production feels more like a 21st century gothic ghost story and in that approach, I think it works. Jack Wolfe is fantastic and brings something really special to a fairly abstract role.

Updated On: 5/11/25 at 01:25 PM

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 5/11/25 at 5:38pm

steven22 said: "Could the popularity of this proshot help get a transfer to NYC?"

No, but you putting up a couple million dollars would. 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 5/11/25 at 7:49pm

theatrekid3302 said: "TotallyEffed said: "theatrekid3302 said: "I was so mad when they announced Cassie Levy was in Ragtime because I have been praying for a Next to Normal Broadway Transfer for Months"


I should give up hope, right?"

If we keep the public pressure on them to make a revival I think it will happen. I can see a scenario where Cassie does Ragtime in the Fall and then starts Next to Normal on the spring."

 

lol oooooookk kid!

[nativenewyorker2]

Posted: 5/11/25 at 7:59pm

Considering she is doing The Lost Boys in the spring 

 

so unless her role is so tiny she can run to the Palace and back during “I’ve Been or “Heys 1,2 and 3” it’s not happening 

Updated On: 5/11/25 at 07:59 PM

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 5/11/25 at 8:00pm

I really loved this and think I also prefer it to the original production, although I missed some cast members. That said, Eleanor Worthington Cox was a revelation for me. The definitive Natalie in my eyes. 

[Elphaba2019]

Posted: 5/11/25 at 10:27pm

nativenewyorker2 said: "Considering she is doing The Lost Boys in the spring



so unless her role is so tiny she can run to the Palace and back during “I’ve Been or “Heys 1,2 and 3” it’s not happening"

She just did it in the industry presentation they could always go with someone else they haven't announced the official casting yet

[nativenewyorker2]

Posted: 5/11/25 at 10:31pm

Elphaba2019 said: "nativenewyorker2 said: "Considering she is doing The Lost Boys in the spring



so unless her role is so tiny she can run to the Palace and back during “I’ve Been or “Heys 1,2 and 3” it’s not happening"

She just did it in the industry presentation they could always go with someone else they haven't announced the official casting yet"

Oh honey

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 5/12/25 at 12:05am

''It's gonna be good!'' ... It was better than good. It's terrific. No wonder this British revival earned 4 Olivier Award nominations: Best New Musical, plus Caissie Levy, Jack Wolfe and Eleanor Worthington Cox. Michael Longhurst directed the acclaimed 2023 stage show, as well as this video version, and his shot selections and specific use of closeups really brought you into the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical about a bipolar mom and her family fighting to survive. Ever since it began life as ''Feeling Electric,'' I've been a fan of Tom Kitt's rich, infectious melodies and Brian Yorkey's strong and beautiful book and lyrics. 

In this TV version, I was especially blown away by Levy, who sounds so lovely and pristine singing ''I Miss the Mountains'' and still captures the disoriented and delusional Diana from her very depths. Wolfe plays her son, Gabe, and evokes more of a schoolboy than the teen jock, and rocks the room with ''I'm Alive.'' And he delivers such a haunting and hypnotic version of ''There's a World,'' sung so angelically. I also appreciate the diversity in the casting that complements the Caucasian family of the Goodmans with a black Dr. Madden and an Eurasian Henry.

For me, the most moving ''Next to Normal'' is still the cast at Second Stage in 2008 with Alice Ripley, Brian d'Arcy James, Aaron Tveit and Jennifer Damiano. But I'm glad this Donmar film capture will introduce it to wider and younger audiences. After the broadcast, there was a 10-minute video interview with the cast (below). To fill the rest of its time slot, PBS showed promos of the many shows playing throughout its schedule. ... But frustratingly PBS did NOT promote next week's ''Great Performances'' on May 16: David Henry Hwang's ''Yellow Face,'' now a 3-time Tony Award nominee. What a blown opportunity, especially since a ton of theater lovers just watched ''Next to Normal.'' Plus, May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, to boot. (And still to come on PBS' ''Great Performances'': ''Girl From the North Country'' on May 23 and ''Kiss Me, Kate'' on May 30.) This blunder made me next to annoyed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx4Iy8otaQQ

Updated On: 5/12/25 at 12:05 AM