Next To Normal gipped — Page 4

^But it's something so unexpected, and really throws the uninformed audience member for a loop. I think it would completely ruin the experience and full affect of the show, knowing the spoiler before hand.

Aaron's performance is undeniably creepy. I can't wait to see Kyle Dean Massey in the role.

I'm cool being entirely alone on this, but the creepiness is my favorite part of his performance. Almost like it's the last vestige of how inappropriate the show used to be before it was streamlined. Or "fixed". Or whatever. So, counterintuitive as it sounds, I'm not overly excited to see a more grounded performance in that role.

(That's my way of saying that I agree that it's the weakest performance in the show, and have decided I like it that way.)

2) You could EASILY see what was happening in the N2N performance, any half-witted person could understand. If you did not get the "back story" from the introduction of BE, you would have NO clue what was going on. Billy Elliot is, of course a great show, but that performance was AWFUL and AWKWARD and thank god they dont need help selling tickets bc that would not have helped them AT ALL.
N2N is original, and though provoking and just an amazing piece of intelligent theatre, not just a carbon copy of an "ok" movie.

I don't understand why you first say any "half-witted person" could get N2N and then go on to say that N2N is "though provoking [sic] and just an amazing piece of intelligent theatre". maybe it's just me, but isn't that a contradiction?

I think you can do a little reading, a little basic research, to try and understand the back story of Billy Elliot. I don't think it's a perfect piece of theatre at all, but I love that it takes place during such a specific social movement, however removed it may feel. imagine, like, this story happening in Detroit with auto factory workers.

oh, and the movie is more than "ok". the movie is superior to the musical, in my opinion.

anyway, I do agree that Angry Dance was a poor choice. I stand by my conviction that Solidarity is one of the most perfectly staged numbers I've ever seen in a musical. they should've done that.

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Updated On: 6/8/09 at 01:21 AM

I think Aaron is cute with a wonderful voice, but I found his performance as Gabe too antagonistic. I think the character might've worked better if he didn't come across like a creepy db.

And see that's actually part of what I thought made Aaron so awesome haha! Different strokes for different folks I guess :P See I don't want to go too into it here because I don't want to accidentally give too much away, but I just think the creepiness of the way Aaron plays Gabe makes him so ever-present in the show. It's a character that could pretty easily played like your typical cute-but-also-annoying teenage boy, but instead Aaron infuses this sexuality into it that makes you utterly aware of his... being different. haha

There's an innocence about him AND a creepiness about him that I don't think most other actors would be able to strike a balance between.

(In THAT scene it's mostly creepy, but in general there's also something distinctly little boy-esque about the way he plays it, which makes it all the more creepy that he also plays it sexual)

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Updated On: 6/8/09 at 01:22 AM

This thread is hysterical!

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I personally think that if Next to Normal were a player at last year's Tonys, it would have won most of the major awards. If it weren't for Billy, it would have been the big winner tonight. Billy is so cohesive in every way though. It took them a production in London and a production in Sydney, and at each stage, they kept altering and changing certain aspects of the show to get it just right for Broadway. I think they've succeeded.

To the poster who said that the book of Billy Elliot was watered down, in what way is it watered down? I thought if anything, they expanded on a few things. The movie and the musical are two different entities. It isn't a carbon copy in any way.

~Steven

Updated On: 6/9/09 at 01:26 AM

Most mothers don't seek refuge in the arms of their sons, I think. It's already on youtube and I rewatched it, the way he looks at her, it's a little off putting.

Aaron is CREEPY because thats how is character is supposed to be

I'm really confused about the "incestuous" message that people received from N2N's Tony Performance. Did I miss something?