Next to Normal-Uptown Players
Next to Normal-Uptown Players
#1Next to Normal-Uptown Players
Posted: 6/20/11 at 9:47pm
Apparently this is the regional premiere of the show...has anybody here seen it? I have two seperate sets of friends who did, and one said it was "the greatest thing they'd ever seen" and the other absolutely hated it.
Did they make any changes from the Broadway/tour edition?
#2Next to Normal-Uptown Players
Posted: 6/20/11 at 10:26pmIs the tour over? Seems odd it would be available to license while the official Broadway tour was still out...
#2Next to Normal-Uptown Players
Posted: 6/20/11 at 10:31pmThe show is being licensed professionally in regions that the tour was not scheduled to appear.
#3Next to Normal-Uptown Players
Posted: 6/20/11 at 10:31pm
The tour is not over but it probably doesn't stop anywhere near it.
Did the people who said it was "the greatest thing they'd ever seen", see the original production?
When my goodbye post was removed: “but I had a great dramatic finish!!!!”
#4Next to Normal-Uptown Players
Posted: 6/20/11 at 10:34pm
It was a pretty solid production, I'd say.
The show sounds WONDERFUL; it's easily the most well-sung regional production I've ever seen, which is saying quite a lot considering the tough vocal nature of Next to Normal's score. Every cast member had a fantastic voice and the band was great. The set was beautiful and very effective. It looked like a home, unlike the original production, but kept the tiered concept with action happening on three levels. The furniture on the bottom floor was like the Broadway production, pushed downstage and upstage by the cast during the house scenes.
The staging was obviously different, but there were certain moments that were the same (particularly "You Don't Know/I Am the One" and the reprise with Gabe and Dan at the end). It wasn't as fluid as the original, and the transitions occasionally would drag (especially in the "Make Up Your Mind" hypnosis scene), but I saw it on opening night, so I'm sure it picked up as the cast got more comfortable. But, overall, I thought the staging was a nice departure from the original while still trying to incorporate what worked on Broadway. My main issue with the direction was with Gabe. There were a few times where it seems like he entered too soon (he was onstage watching a lot of "I Miss the Mountains" next to Diana, for example). It wasn't a big problem until the end. He came on before Diana finished "So Anyway," and I think it ruined that great moment when Gabe suddenly appears in the shadows behind Dan, after you think he's left with Diana.
I had some trouble with the acting. Every character had moments that were effective and sometimes brilliant, but as a whole I felt like they didn't capture the tone of the original Broadway production that made it so successful. The characters didn't seem as multi-faceted as before. A few performances were very "one note." They played up the comedy quite a bit more, which worked at times, but sometimes it confused the audience on how to react at certain points (i.e. laughing at some of the more dramatic moments). Act II was much stronger than the first in my opinion, although I wish the actors has delved deeper into the more dramatic scenes and songs. It wasn't hitting the emotional climaxes that make the show so incredible.
Once again, I'd say it was a solid production, but definitely not as powerful as the Broadway production (I haven't seen the tour, so I can't compare there). Next to Normal is a very fragile show to me, one where every aspect has to mesh and every performer has to understand the delicate balance between tragedy and humor, reality and musical theatre. Again, things are probably stronger and more locked in place now that they've been open for a few weeks.
#5Next to Normal-Uptown Players
Posted: 6/20/11 at 10:38pmIt is being put on in Cincinnati at the Ensemble Theater in September, and they said its the regional premier too... weird
muchadoabout_me2
Chorus Member Joined: 4/13/08
#6Next to Normal-Uptown Players
Posted: 6/20/11 at 10:48pmMadjulian, I think in that instance they're referring to the premier of the show in the region, not that it is the premier regional production.
#7Next to Normal-Uptown Players
Posted: 6/20/11 at 10:48pmwell perhaps its the premiere = in that region...
hairspraydude1962
Leading Actor Joined: 7/20/09
#8Next to Normal-Uptown Players
Posted: 6/21/11 at 2:13am
Here's a clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx-AdHhKRbA
#9Next to Normal-Uptown Players
Posted: 6/21/11 at 12:09pmI want to see this production, the stills look really great. Love Diana in tennis shoes.
Clint. The pic = Dan's chair for final number in Next to Normal.
dallaspro
Swing Joined: 6/21/11
#10Next to Normal-Uptown Players
Posted: 6/21/11 at 12:54pm
You can check out all the reviews here -
http://uptownplayers.org/
Reviews for Next To Normal - Dallas
#11Next to Normal-Uptown Players
Posted: 6/21/11 at 3:15pmThe reviews seem overwhelmingly positive. Wish I could catch this one, wonder if any chance of extending?
Clint. The pic = Dan's chair for final number in Next to Normal.
dallaspro
Swing Joined: 6/21/11
#12Next to Normal-Uptown Players
Posted: 6/21/11 at 4:28pm
Video Preview
http://youtu.be/a_3jPoWiP-Q
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