Next to Normal Coming to Broadway!!- Page 7

[April Saul]

Posted: 2/17/09 at 6:29pm

Mike--Thanks for your post; I'm also disappointed they went that way, but it helps explain some of the other comments on this board. I guess I should be glad they're mentioning mental illness at all on Broadway--even if they've chosen to downplay the psychiatric stuff in favor of the relationships. I thought of N2N as a musical about bipolar and the profound ways it affects a family; I hope that hasn't changed too much.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/17/09 at 6:37pm

Like she says toward the end, the problem is more in her SOUL than anywhere else. So she first has to work through that, and she can't necessarily work through it if she's on a million different kinds of medications and treatments.

Wow. What a completely ignorant statement.

Sorry, that was kind of repetitive of what I said before, but it really is true I think. If you just look at it as a plain case of bipolar disorder, I think you're kind of missing the underlying message of the show, which is that sometimes you need to be able to feel what's real before you jump to being medicated, even if what's real is painful.

Being on medication is what helps people suffering with bipolar disorder feel "real."

Let me draw a comparison to a PHYSICAL illness with this mental illness, and you can tell me how you feel about it.

Let's say someone is diagnosed with cancer (a physical medical illness) and their doctor tells them they need to start chemotherapy and radiation immediately in order to successfully treat their illness.

The patient says, "I'm not going to jump right to chemotherapy and radiation. I need to treat my SOUL first. I need to feel REAL with this tumor being a PART of who I am."

What do you think would happen to that patient?

A mental illness is the same as a physical illness. They are both medical. The difference is that with the physical illness, you can SEE the illness (whether it be a tumor or a scrape on the knee).

The stigma associated with mental illness in our society is such that you don't NEED medication to treat your illness the way you would with a physical illness, because you can't SEE the illness.

But the truth is that the illness is JUST as real as a physical one, and it needs to be treated with medication in order to save the patient's life, just the way the chemotherapy and radiation would save the cancer patient's life.

[mikem]

Posted: 2/17/09 at 6:49pm

WBAF, I agree completely with what you're saying, but I think that the other poster's conclusions are what the creative team WANTS the audience to take away from the Arena version of the show. It is completely medically wrong, but I think that is indeed the take-home message -- that Diana can not successfully treat her mental illness without "finding herself" and coming to grips with her loss first.

Interesting paragraph in the BWW article about the Broadway opening...the summary of the show's plot (which I assume is lifted from a press release) is, "Next to Normal is a contemporary musical that explores how one suburban household copes with crisis. With provocative lyrics and an electrifying score of more than 30 original songs, Next to Normal shows how far two parents will go to keep themselves sane and their family's world intact." A glancing mention of "keeping sane" and otherwise no mention at all about mental illness. It's all about the family struggle -- it almost sounds like a Lifetime movie.

Updated On: 2/17/09 at 06:49 PM

[manic_magic_n2n2]

Posted: 2/17/09 at 7:01pm

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH GUYS I AM SO EXCITED

[April Saul]

Posted: 2/17/09 at 7:17pm

Foster, thanks for your excellent post...Unfortunately, some of the comments on this thread (especially the one you quoted, which as well-intentioned as the poster seemed to be, was driving me nuts) make a convincing case for bipolar still being widely and tragically misunderstood, and if Next to Normal reinforces peoples' misconceptions, that is really a shame.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/17/09 at 7:27pm

I think the issue is sort of a middle ground; yes, mental illness is an illness that often needs to be treated with medication. BUT I think the whole thing about the scar being in the "soul" speaks to the idea that it's not always the end-all solution to just treat the chemical imbalance and cover up the problem with drugs. You can't always kick it with drugs alone -- because if there's an event or an issue that triggered the problem, then that does need to be dealt with, too.

[changinandhow]

Posted: 2/17/09 at 7:36pm

mikem, a musical advertised as being about family struggles is a lot easier to sell and for potential theatregoers to relate to than mental illness. Many people I know wrinkled their noses at the idea of a musical about mental illness and wondered how that would even work. I find Next to Normal to be a difficult one to hook "regular" people (as in, people that don't frequent the theatre often) into seeing without revealing the plot twist, which also takes away from the effect of the show in my opinion.

[Sondheim_Geek]

Posted: 2/17/09 at 7:46pm

Can someone talented make an amazing tshirt on cafepress right now? for real.

[nexttoelectric]

Posted: 2/17/09 at 7:48pm

of what?

[Actor 7]

Posted: 2/18/09 at 10:27pm

David Stone said the Balcony would be closed off at the Longacre for NTN. It will be limited to about 800 seats to make it more intimate. That means Orchestra and Mezz.
Should be very nice. Heard big improvements were done to make NTN really worth seeing on Broadway.

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 2/18/09 at 11:06pm

Like this kind of shirt?

[chenothegood]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 8:16pm

Alright first off let me start by saying WOOOH!!!! I am so pumped that this is getting a chance on Broadway! I have been routing for this show since i heard the demo of sherie and norbert!

Anyways.... I just read through this entire thread and have a few things i would like to say.

First off, the comparison between mental illness and physical illness was understandable but i don’t know how accurate it really is. I mean i definitely agree with the idea that medication is an excellent solution to physical illnesses, a cancer patient can not rely on a good support system alone to get through their illness but that is where it can be slightly different from mental illness. With the help of intensive therapy sessions one can understand a method of coping with the illness at hand. I do understand that this is not the sole solution but it is an alternative. I personally believe that as Dr. Madden suggests "Psychotherapy and medication work best in tandem" saying that the two options work best together. There is not really a therapeutic solution to cancer, one must rely on the medications available.

***SPOILERS***

Ok anyway…. Back to Next to Normal.

As for Diana’s illness and how it started and what it can be classified as, I do think that it is a difficult thing to pin point. As a lot of others have been saying a person can not just all of a sudden become bipolar with delusional episodes, there has to be a life event and more than likely a genetic predisposition to the disorder. For those of us who know the show we know what the life event that caused the episodes to begin was, and I do believe that there is some genetic component in it. It hasn’t really been mentioned but looking at Natalie’s behavior I think there may be signs that her life may be heading towards some type of mental illness, the ways that she is coping with the situations in her life are probably not the best choices! Oh and the whole genetic component, I don’t know if this is in the Arena version but I know the 2ndStage one during my “psycho pharmacologist and I” when they cut to a flash back of Dan’s 21st birthday and Diana is telling him that they are going helicopter skiing, is it just me or could that have been a version of a manic episode? Or maybe I am just looking too much into this and she was just pumped for his birthday. But if that is what the writers were trying to show it shows that she had the disorder long before the traumatic event!
But it is hard to show how the ups and downs are in her life in just a two hour show, but I truly think that the writers, directors and cast do an incredible job showing how difficult it is to deal with a loved one and their disorder. They show not only how it affects the person suffering the illness, but also their immediate family members (how Natalie has so many issues and is in a way obsessed with perfection so she does not turn out the way her mother did, Dan just wanting the woman he fell in love with back) and even the doctors (when Diana attempts suicide he reads the report and seems so upset, and tries as many alternatives that he can).

***SPOILERS DONE***

Oh and to the person who said that they looked to Diana and followed in her footsteps stopping their medication, I am sorry but what? Why? This is a musical…. This is not based on a true story, it is a highly likely situation but still. How do we know that she didn’t move out and kill herself the next day? Her doctor told her that that was not a good idea. Just saying I think that is kind of ridiculous that people would look to this as a way to get advice for dealing with their illness. I think that they way this musical portrays the way that people and their families cope with mental illnesses is very good but I do think that people should follow the advice given to them by their doctors and not a broadway musical.

Ok clearly I feel a little too strongly about this show…. Soooo sorry for the major ramble and I am sure no one really wants to read any of this!! Haha I just was really thinking about the things that people were saying and wanted to voice my own opinions.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 8:22pm

chenothegood ~ Regarding the question you had about during "My Psychopharmacologist And I"... They eliminated that bit of that section because it just didn't work. They tried a couple of other options, and it was just...no. So they eliminated it. I had liked it because it showed both how Diana had always (as long as he'd known her anyway) been not quite right AND how he had for all intents and purposes protected her. But it never really came across right, so they decided to eliminate that little segment.

[chenothegood]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 11:38pm

jordangirl, i definitely see where you are coming from!! And am so glad to hear that you agreed with me!! haha But ya i do understand how it would be difficult to get that point across in such a quick little snipet, but i did think that it added something to it!

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/23/09 at 3:36pm

Bipolar Disorder is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. The only way to treat said chemical imbalance is with medication. Therapy is suggested, too. But medication is a must.

Now, to be fair, I really don't know if the contraption that the writers have designed for Diana is in fact Bipolar Disorder.

What many people describe here, and from the traumatic event Diana experienced in her life, it seems more like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

I saw the show at Second Stage only, and I'll be interested to see if her disorder is now distinct, as it was not before. At Second Stage, her disorder was an anomaly of real and fake disorders combined for entertainment purposes.

Updated On: 2/23/09 at 03:36 PM

[April Saul]

Posted: 2/23/09 at 9:08pm

Cheno, I know that you love the show and you sound like a nice person, but Foster is RIGHT on all counts, and perhaps, they should have made the mom in N2N suffer from post-traumatic disorder instead of making it into a manic-depressive mishmash. Please read about bipolar before you suggest that maybe intensive therapy is enough, because this is NOT true, medication is essential. As much as I like this show, the misinformation about bipolar disorder in this thread (stated as opinion, when it's really science at this point) is really upsetting to me, because many people I love suffer from this. Honestly, at this point in time, the suggestion that there's a mind-over-matter approach to this illness reminds me of how, fifty years ago, people thought homosexuality was caused by overbearing mothers! Thank God we're way past that point....

[mikem]

Posted: 2/23/09 at 9:38pm

To reinforce what recent postings have said, bipolar disease and "ordinary" depression have very different root causes. People sometimes think of bipolar disease ("manic-depression") as being a variant of "ordinary" depression because they both can have depressive symptoms, but it is a completely different disease and is much more clearly rooted in genetic causes (as opposed to life circumstances) than "ordinary" depression. Thinking about why someone develops "ordinary" depression and applying those concepts to someone with bipolar disease will lead you astray.

SOME SPOILERS COMING
That being said, I think that the concept described above of having Diana's diagnosis be more of a post-traumatic stress disorder variant makes the whole show make MUCH more sense than the current storyline. I think that there is potential for this option to be explored, in which Gabe is not really a hallucination -- Diana knows that he died but just doesn't accept it by keeping his memory alive by talking to him, etc, even though she truly knows that he is dead. She doesn't need to have manic episodes, which are entertaining for the audience but make her diagnosis more muddled. Certainly the loss of Costco, Feeling Electric and other elements that are more clearly in the manic/hallucinations category helps make the new diagnosis plausible. Diana's original breakdown at breakfast would need to be somewhat different (less "manic-y" -- perhaps more of a rage thing or a collapse?), but if the "manic" parts are removed and the book avoids the use of the words "bipolar"/"manic"/"hallucinations"/etc, the story would hang together much better. If the creative team wants to use real medical terms, they would be better off having the show's disease fit the medical understanding of the definitions of those terms. If they want to have a disease that fits into their storyline, they should avoid terms with specific medical meanings that contradict the storyline they have created. I hope the creative team thinks about exploring this option, which would greatly improve the book and really make the whole show much more cohesive.

[chenothegood]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 11:30am

Ok sorry to be beating the dead horse but i just wanted to clear something up.

April Saul, (first of all thanks for not being rude its kind of rare on these boards at times) Now in the point that i brought up about mental illnesses being able to be treated with therapy, i was not talking about bipolar disorder. I was just showing another side to someone's argument who said that mental disorders are the same as physical ones and need to be treated with medication! I do know a good amount of information on bipolar (I am a neuropsychology student) and about the neurotransmitter imbalances (like serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine)! but i do know that in some cases (not necessarily bipolar) talking through things with a professional can help! I defininitely realize that some cases are due to chemicals but at the same time some are due to a painful or traumatic event and if a way to cope and understand the event is found i believe that there can be true healing with that rather than with a method of just correcting imbalances, where true healing may never occur. And this is kind of what i think may have been Diana's problem. She never really wanted to try and open up to Dr. Madden. I mean we do see how the medications are definitely on the right path to helping her, and i do believe that she should have stayed on them and then really given the psychotherapy a try. I do definitely believe that the treatment option that she needs is a mixture of both.
I am sorry if this comes off as argumental (not my intentions) and way besides the point, but just wanted to clear my earlier opinion up.

[theatreguy]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 3:45pm

Price Info has been posted on Telecharge:

Tuesday through Thursday:
Orchestra: $111.50
Mezzanine (Rows A-E): $111.50
Mezzanine (Rows F-G): $61.50
Mezzanine (Row H): $36.50

Friday evening, Saturday matinee & evening, Sunday matinee:
Orchestra: $116.50
Mezzanine (Rows A-E): $116.50
Mezzanine (Rows F-G): $71.50
Mezzanine (Row H): $36.50

[nexttoelectric]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 3:48pm

So the $25 tickets are clearly going to be some sort of rush or lotto.

[nexttoelectric]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 7:13pm

the telecharge page seems to indicate that the box office open date has moved back a week to the 9th.

[heo1128]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 7:18pm

^uh oh, I'm not liking the odds of starting previews only two weeks after tickets go on sale...

[nexttoelectric]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 7:22pm

The article about the change of theatre specifically mentioned that it would not affect the preview start date.

[heo1128]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 7:28pm

Hope you're right! Also, I was just looking at the telecharge page.

"Tuesday @ 7pm, Wednesday - Friday @ 8pm, Saturday @ 2pm & 8pm, Sunday @ 3pm & 7:30pm

Beginning May 25:
Tuesday @ 7pm, Wednesday - Friday @ 8pm, Saturday @ 2pm & 8pm"

So after May 25th, are they only doing 6 performances a week...? That can't be right.

[nexttoelectric]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 7:33pm

Hmm, that does seem odd.