Next to Normal Question

[phantomvegas2]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 4:00pm

Maybe I'm mentally handicapped and I don't see it, but don't shows usually use the previews to make their show better? If so, the cast recording of Next to Normal will not be exactly like the show when it officially opens, right?

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 4:04pm

They're hoping to boost album sales by recording/releasing earlier. It's similar to waht 13 did (which Tom Kitt conducted).

[manic_magic_n2n2]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 4:05pm

With some broadway shows, recordings are made before the previews begin. In Next to Normal's case, you're right. If they make any changes between now and the official opening, they will not be documented on the cd (I believe something similar happened with Shrek, and other musicals). However, I wouldn't assume that too many major changes (if any) will be made. MAYBE I'm wrong on this. I just feel like most of the changes that would have happened to this show were probably made already.

[phantomvegas2]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 4:07pm

Thank you =)

[jordangirl]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 5:50pm

As I understand it, with the exception of one verse (which was rerecorded) and a couple of dialogue bits, the show was "frozen" at Arena. Given that it was only there 2 months ago, I seriously doubt there will be any huge changes. It's extremely tight.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 6:05pm

There are differences in the Spring Awakening cd vs what ended up as their frozen as well. Some lyrics, as well as the order of songs.

Happens frequently. Honestly, it makes MORE sense, so that the cd can be ready to sell earlier at the theater itself.

[burntplains]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 6:41pm

There were MINOR dialogue/lyric changes between the first and second preview. I saw both 1st and 2nd preview and on saturday night they edited the dialogue right after "maybe" and diana goes on about how he was only *8* months old. And during "he's not here" when dan sings ... its now "he's been dead ALL THESE YEARS" not "16 years".

[KingKong]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 6:47pm

That doesn't sound like a lyric change so much as bobby making an alteration after Alice made a mistake.

[dg22894]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 6:50pm

In 13 they cut some songs.

[burntplains]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 6:52pm

How would that be possible? It would have been bobby who made the mistake if thats the case. Whatever.. could have been a flub! They did have some mic timing issues throughout the night as well.

[KingKong]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 7:07pm

I just don't see them making a change like, especially since it's been 18 months since Second Stage.

[jake6970]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 7:11pm

Right, and Alice says spoiler



your brother died 17 years ago. 17 years plus 8 months = almost 18, which Aaron says in the beginning. So it's not a mistake.

[KingKong]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 7:16pm

right, but the birthday occurs in the fall, and the line about 17 years occurs in the spring And as I said, it has been 18 since the show was at Second Stage, it just seems like an odd thing to suddenly change after the first preview. I would wager money on it being an error.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 7:19pm

No no. The lyric that was changed is Natalie's verse in "Just Another Day".

[coolkid11776]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 7:20pm

Does anyone know where I can hear an Off Broadway cast recording or something? I know of the songs on the website but I want to hear more.

I NEED to see this show. I tired to get rush tickets on Saturday but they were sold out and only had $116.50 seats left.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 7:22pm

The cast recording has not been released yet. Digital drop 4/7 (rumored in theatre too) and wide release 5/12.

In other words, the ONE recording that has been made would have been the Arena cast had it not transferred. It will now be OBC.)

Updated On: 3/29/09 at 07:22 PM

[coolkid11776]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 7:26pm

Is there any other place to hear stuff from the show?
I know youtube only has a couple songs.

[manic_magic_n2n2]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:32am

coolkid: I posted this in another thread, but I'll copy & paste it for you:

The progression of Feeling Electric/N2N is probably documented in SOME audio SOMEWHERE, all the way through, from production to production. In that case, the chronologcal productions are: the 2002 FE reading, 2005 NYMF performance of FE, the 2008 Second Stage Theatre Off-Broadway production of N2N (which even had variations made during its short run), the revised 2008/9 Arena Stage Theatre production of N2N (which also underwent changes during the run), and the soon-to-be-released cast recording of N2N.

To search for these, you can try searching http://megadownload.net/ for Feeling Electric and Next to Normal. There might be some stuff on there. Not sure, but that's a good place to start.

Then, if you search around other places like Livejournal (or other blog websites, music websites, or FE/N2N fansites), I would imagine you may find mentions of bootleg audios of the show(s), including the Off-Broadway. As I have done with other musicals, if you contact people (through the blog/website that you find them on), someone might be willing to share their audio with you.

Good luck in your searches! (Maybe in a new thread you can tell us about your findings!) It is fascinating to follow the progression of a musical as I, too, have recently learned.

[heo1128]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:38am

They changed Gabe's age to make the timeline make more sense.

In Song of Forgetting, after Diana remembers they day they met, Dan says "but that's 19 years". Gabe is 18, meaning that Diana would have gotten pregnant and married Dan only three or four months after meeting him (which isn't ridiculous, but just not too likely). And Natalie is 16, meaning that Diana would have been pregnant with her almost immediately after Gabe's death. Which also seems highly unlikely.
Updated On: 3/30/09 at 12:38 AM

[lstbutifulgrl2]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:47am

yeah, i saw the matinee today and there were lyric changes... and yes they make the timeline make much more sense.

[KingKong]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:56am

Why the hell did they wait so long to fix the timeline? I mean, let's be honest, it's been a mess since 2ST. At this point, it sounds like the lyrical changes won't sound as nice, despite being more chronologically accurate

[jordangirl]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 6:33am

The Gabe being 18 thing has never been a problem really. It's been Natalie's age and the timing of Gabe's death.

The implication through Diana's talks with Dr. Madden has always been that she was conceived and born to "help them get over Gabe" (it's left unsaid, but it's heavily implied). As Heo pointed out, Diana would have had to be pregnant almost instantly (highly unlikely under that kind of stress) or already pregnant (blows the having her to "get over it" thing out of the water.

The age change on Gabe works a tad bit better now with that timeline, but then he would have to be older than just turning 18 if he was 18 months old. My big confusion has always been why it's 18 months, 18 months, 18 months...but then "those weeks full of joy". Why the switch all of a sudden? Making him 18 weeks at death would really completely solve the whole "next to normal math problem".

[iamdangoodman]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 7:43am

It's funny, and oddly inspiring, that this debate is back on the Board about how the timeline works. It's a puzzle that has generated a lot of conversation among people who've seen it enough to not just be sitting there stunned. I got pulled into it a few months ago, during the DC run, and I got a headache trying to put the pieces together. Finally I gave it up. The timeline makes emotional sense, even if it's challenging as a math puzzle. Maybe it's intentionally a brain buster, like the doctor's "if a train left..." joke.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 8:03am

Yeah. I constantly get headaches if I think too hard about it. Given the "those weeks full of joy" lyric, it kind of makes me suspect that at least at some point Gabe WAS only 18 weeks old but somewhere along the line weeks became months in some places but that one weeks stayed. I don't know.

I'm frankly just happy the show is on Broadway!!! And getting such good reception! :)

[changinandhow]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 10:27am

KingKong, I don't understand why you're so insistent that this has to be a mistake. Almost every line in the show relating to Gabe's age was changed, and it does make a lot more sense on the timeline. There would have been no need for Alice to compensate by changing lines for Bobby's mistake if it was one, because "he's been dead 16 years" was changed to "he's been dead all these years." It didn't say anything specific. No idea why they are just changing it now, but they definitely are.

And the line in How Could I Ever Forget is now "and just eight months old"