"Perfect for US": The NEXT TO NORMAL love thread!- Page 15

[obsessedjb]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 7:32pm

I've got a huge obsession with "Make Up Your Mind..." You guys should see how many times I've played it..kind of ashamed. I really can't wait to see this show. If anyone wants to join me for the May 16 matinee let me know! I'd love the company.

[TJ2]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 7:41pm

jordangirl... the woman you described is the one who was out of control this morning.

[steven22]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 7:42pm

i have a question about the show and I believe that it is a spolier....can I PM anybody that has seen the show?

[fetzles1490]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 7:43pm

KingKong, someone I spoke to said that too!! I wonder if it was the same person. Honestly, whoever it is has some pretty strange opinions & wrong information. She was adamantly insisting that the score of N2N is completely out of Jennifer Damiano's range -- WHAT?! And when I commented that this is one of the most original musicals I've seen in a LONG time, she jumped down my throat and said "WHAT? No it isn't! Have you ever seen Sixth Sense?! It's EXACTLY like Sixth Sense!!" I've seen that movie countless times, and I see absolutely no parallels...

Also, I know what woman you're talking about. She was just as rude when I rushed. She wouldn't let people stand in the lobby and was barking at everyone. Rude.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 7:44pm

PM away Steven! :)

[KingKong]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 7:49pm

Yeah, i don't understand how someone could think N2N is EXACTLY like Sixth sense. What because there's a character that is dead, and a mother? That's ridiculous. IF that makes the shows the same then the Star Wars is the same movies as 2001 because they are about space.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 8:13pm

<< If it's who was there when I rushed it, she's the shorter Indian woman. She's yelled at me and others in the lobby before the doors open too. >>

Yep... thats the one I was referring to as well. Jordan, that is the woman that we spoke about the night of the 1st preview. She is out of control !! She kicked a bunch of us out of the lobby one night during the "Seafarer" run.... and it was during a snowstorm !!!!

[Kad]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 8:38pm

"Yeah, i don't understand how someone could think N2N is EXACTLY like Sixth sense. What because there's a character that is dead, and a mother? That's ridiculous. IF that makes the shows the same then the Star Wars is the same movies as 2001 because they are about space. "

One person over there said that March of the Falsettos covers the same ground as Next to Normal does, but better.

The people over there are ridiculous.

[dashb10ard]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 9:08pm

adamgreer- I didn't get a good look at him because a) he walked in a couple minutes late for the second act and b) my friend was sitting in the seat right next to him. In other words, I'm not sure if that was the guy! Haha, I'm honestly curious if anyone knows where Brantley was sitting. Don't mean to be a bother!

While I'm here I feel as though I should comment on the show. Short but sweet: absolutely loved it. Truly a phenomenal work. Hadn't seen it since Second Stage, but it has only improved. Alice Ripley blows my mind. I felt like my heart had been ripped out and stomped on but I can't wait to go back!

[steven22]

Posted: 4/12/09 at 10:48pm

any understudies go on yet?..i'm seeing the show two days after opening...I really hope no one is outtt

[WeDon'tHaveGreyGoose]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 6:12am

I'm a late-comer to the lovefest, but no less enthusiastic. I will say right off the bat that I am in a unique position which has allowed me to see Act I consistently, but I have yet to see Act II. I do however own the soundtrack (which has played nonstop on my iPod since Tuesday) and I have a pretty good sense at this point of how things go down. I'll just touch on a few things that interest me that perhaps haven't been touched on or have only been touched on briefly.

First, there are mixed suggestions here and elsewhere as to how damning the show is of psychiatry and/or psychiatric medication. The show certainly gives a solid ribbing to pharmacology, as Dr. Fine is a humorously flat character who associates mental health with the absence of personal identity. Dr. Madden is certainly more rounded however, at least from what I've seen and gathered. His attempts to help Diane never come off as callous or dismissive; rather, I think he truly believes in the power of what he's learned as a doctor, to a fault. In his overconfident way, he seems unable to fathom how other factors in Diane's life might be affecting her mental state (i.e. Dan's outright denial of Gabe). I know I'm biased as the son of a psychiatrist, but I don't see any of Madden's choices as inherently wrong, simply too shallow for this complex situation.

Second, I find it interesting that people are referring to Gabe as a "ghost," without pretense. I must wonder if this is to suggest that A) the concept of ghosts is being used metaphorically in your wording, B) you really believe in ghosts, or C) you saw N2N as taking a foray into the fantastical and "unrealistic" world. I tend most towards A, and I wouldn't use the term ghost but rather spirit (splitting hairs, I know), simply because no matter what else Gabe is, what's most clear is that he represents the "spirit" of the family's dysfunction. And I like the idea one posed that each family member conceives him differently.

Most importantly, I would like to address an element of the human drama I don't think has been mentioned at all, which is Dan's utter DEPENDENCE on Diane. This struck me most of all about his character, even more than the revelation with Gabe (although the two are intrinsically tied), partly as someone who has also been dating someone since college (no babies). It is scary how deeply I feel Dan's dependence, and it actually causes me to step back and look at myself more closely. This is not to suggest that such early relationships can't be healthy. I would simply highlight the fact that Dan seems willing to do anything to help and keep Diane EXCEPT share her grief, something he might have an easier time of if his world wasn't so centered on his wife. Certainly her absence, however short, long or everlasting, shall help him develop as an individual.

Finally... I know that early on, someone mentioned that we shouldn't focus on Aaron's looks, but man... youthful energy, raw talent, and chiseled features... can anybody say bi-curious?

BEST SHOW EVER!!!

[iamdangoodman]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 8:40am

It is scary how deeply I feel Dan's dependence, and it actually causes me to step back and look at myself more closely. This is not to suggest that such early relationships can't be healthy. I would simply highlight the fact that Dan seems willing to do anything to help and keep Diane EXCEPT share her grief, something he might have an easier time of if his world wasn't so centered on his wife. Certainly her absence, however short, long or everlasting, shall help him develop as an individual.

You're right on the same train as I am with this show. I fell in love with it because of what it taught me about myself and what I had been through. You see it at 'dependence' on Diana, which is half the equation, I think. Their's is a co-dependent dysfunction in the fullest sense. And when Diana breaks that there's the potential for balance and order to return for both of them. Dan's adopted, for himself, the role of Savior/Hero to his "damsel in distress". There's nothing he won't do to prove himself that person-- from mopping up after her to facing her down when she taunts him to leave.

As for the term "ghost", I think of Gabe as a time-honored storytelling device. He's the embodiment of the grief/trauma/soul-scar that has imprisoned them all in these roles and haunts the house (and family) in every moment, every decision (like Natalie's in the bathroom with her mother's purse). I don't need a medical term for that any more than I need that for other great ghost stories.

And good on you for zeroing in on the difference between Dr.'s Fine and Madden. My one tiny carp with the show is that I wish they'd just have them played by different actors so people didn't stress so much about what sort of statement is being made about the profession. They have the understudies on stage for the hospital scene, so they have an available person it seems. And then it'd be clear-- one doctor is glib and overly dependent on meds, the other is more engaged and willing to try a variety of approaches to help Diana get a handle on her own part of this dysfunction. And we'd be spending less time debating whether it was responsible or irresponsible in its portrayal of the medical profession and protocols.

2 days til the reviews!! I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope...

[jordangirl]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 8:47am

They don't have the understudies on stage any more.

The "extra" hospital workers are Bobby and Aaron. And it is in face now a mannequin on the gurney.

[iamdangoodman]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 8:59am

Oh. Hunh. Does it make it more expensive to use the real understudies or something? Like they have to pay them more if they appear than if they don't? Cuz aren't they there anyway?

[jordangirl]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 9:26am

From what I understand talking with a friend, there is an understudy salary in general, but they do have to pay more for stage time. So yeah.

But it makes sense... This way the number doesn't change if an understudy is on or if something else weird happens. With the masks on, you really have to be close and looking closely to KNOW it's Bobby and Aaron.

[jennamajig]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 2:48pm

Anyone going this Sunday (19th)? I'm this close to buying a TDF ticket.

I just wish I could convince my mother to see this show...she would definitely get something out of it, but getting her out of the house and into NYC can be like pulling teeth sometimes :).

[TheBoyDownstairs]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 3:59pm

I'm considering seeing it either Friday or Sunday...I'm just really glad I already had plans for Wednesday, or I'd be shelling out money to see opening night as well.

The only moment in the show that bothers me and I wish they would change is when Dan says "I never know what she is talking about" and "Again, no clue" to the audience. Its the only time in the show anyone speaks to the audience and its kinda bothered me a tad.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 4:03pm

The only moment in the show that bothers me and I wish they would change is when Dan says "I never know what she is talking about" and "Again, no clue" to the audience. Its the only time in the show anyone speaks to the audience and its kinda bothered me a tad.

I've never liked this either. No reason he needs to break the 4th wall there.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 4:10pm

Agreed. I feel like they could find a better joke there that doesn't require the fourth wall to be broken.

[TheBoyDownstairs]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 4:13pm

I've never felt like that is a moment that needs a big laugh anyways, just have Dan say "huh?" and move on.

Glad I'm not the only one who is bothered by that bit though.

[heo1128]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 4:19pm

Hmm. I like that line because it shows that Dan doesn't really get Diana. I wish there was a better way to go about it than having Dan speaking to the audience, but I can't really think of one.

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 5:35pm

i was actually thinking of that part yesterday and i found it odd that break the 4th wall just that one time, but it is funny so i dont mind it.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 5:43pm

I always took it as talking to himself. But then my belief is suspended more easily than most it seems.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 6:13pm

I think that a simple shrug of the shoulders coupled with a, "huh?" would work just as well.

Jordangirl, I hadn't considered that he may be talking to himself. The only thing I could say against that theory is that he looks at, and addresses, the audience directly.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 4/13/09 at 6:17pm

He looks towards the audience. But those are theoretically locations where there could be a mirror were that wall there.