Next To Normal WEST END - News & Discussion Thread — Page 9

The timestamp isn’t bothering me, I’m just glad this exists 

Obviously I’d prefer it uncensored, but the edit didn’t bother me as much as everyone else. I’m sure they did what they could.

Alex Kulak2 said: "we have to stop kidding around with and admit is the best musical of the 21st century."

*Stares at you in Caroline telling Noah about where Jews go when they die. 

Jordan Catalano said: "Alex Kulak2 said: "we have to stop kidding around with and admit is the best musical of the 21st century."

*Stares at you in Caroline telling Noah about where Jews go when they die."


Wild comment lol

TotallyEffed said: "Jordan Catalano said: "Alex Kulak2 said: "we have to stop kidding around with and admit is the best musical of the 21st century."

*Stares at you in Caroline telling Noah about where Jews go when they die."


Wild comment lol"

Thanks. You know I try.  :)

I think Caroline, or Change, Grey Gardens, Fun Home, Spelling Bee, and A Strange Loop are all superior musicals from the 21st century.

I mean, those are all pretty amazing shows so it's hard to argue with it for the most part but I am SHOCKED to see 'here we are'. 

West End Cast Recording to be released 5/30! (Per Spotify/Tom Kitty's countdown.) 

 

Hope the link works!

Updated On: 5/21/25 at 01:06 PM

binau said: "Wow! Was this recored in a studio? I hope so."

I really hope so too! I have a feeling it’s from the live performance filming, though. I hope I’m wrong. 

TotallyEffed said: "Next to Normal is a masterpiece. My top ten of the century so far would also includeCaroline, or Change, The Light in the Piazza, Matilda, Here We Are, A Strange Loop, Grey Gardens, and Hamilton."

I wanted to quote this because this PBS capture is my first time seeing or hearing the entirety of Next to Normal, and I, too, think it is a masterpiece. Now, sometimes I felt like it was super sad thing right after super sad thing or super sad/angry song right after super sad/angry song and sometimes it was...a lot, but I'm surprised this didn't win Best Book or Best Musical. The events that happen and the writing is so good. Of course, I didn't see Billy Elliot so maybe that did deserve the Tony, I would not know. At least Next won Best Score and the music was able to be thrilling and pretty. The characters were so well-written with the dad being an asshole but also sympathetic and complex, as was the daughter, invisible, yet finding time to lead her own life, yet afraid she'd end up like her mother. Though the girl playing her always looked like she was just crying or was about to cry, whenever she wasn't crying. All the time. And of course Diana was incredibly well-written and a fully realized person. The acting was tremendous, and all the crying really hit me in the feels when sometimes musical crying is hard to do that. Caissie should win an Olivier for this if she didn't (can anyone help me on this?). When she regains memories of her son, toward the end, wow it really almost made me cry. Anyway, I also quoted TotallyEffed's message because he called this a masterpiece and he also did name Light in the Piazza which I just read about it in the recent thread about it here, and it sounds like a masterpiece as well. Anyway, are we going to be able to get this recording on home videos someday? And whatever happened to that Merrily recording...?

Thank you guys for letting me know this recording of Next to Normal even exists so I could see an amazing production of this fantastic show.

Updated On: 5/21/25 at 04:10 PM

Levy did not win the Olivier Award for Next to Normal. Scherzinger won it for Sunset Blvd. 

Next to Normal also was nominated for Best New Musical (having never been on the West End before) but Operation Mincemeat won the Olivier. 

Jack Wolfe (son) was nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical - but Olivier was won by Jak Malone for Operation Mincemeat.

Eleanor Worthington-Cox was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical - but the Oliver went to Amy Trigg for The Little Big Things. 

There were videos of the cast in a recording studio before the transfer - but it was never clear whether they recorded the full show or were just promotional clips. 

 

Chiming in to say that was a terrific production. Caissie Levy, Eleanor Worthington-Cox and Jack Wolfe were definitely standouts. The only time I saw this musical live was a very good community production in my area, and I was struck by the fact that the West End design resembled that small show more than the Broadway production (or at least the clips I have seen).

Next to Normal both feels like a product of its time, for better and for worse, but a particularly adult and frequently jarring example of it. The scene with the music box has upset me both times I have seen it. Levy and Worthington-Cox really do seem like mother and daughter in this show, giving their scenes an emotional wallop. The conclusion is well directed and makes a key element of the relationship between father and son more clear. 

The show’s refusal to tie things up neatly at the end ends it on the right note, even if the last song - however lovely - is just a little too sappy for me. But perhaps the audience could use a break.

 

Updated On: 5/28/25 at 03:22 AM

FYI Jak Malone is not non-binary. His pronouns are he/him: https://www.instagram.com/jakmalone_/