Saw NEXT TO NORMAL First Preview in DC Nov. 21

I really liked the show last Spring at Second Stage. I thought it needed work, but overall thought it was bold, exhilarating and off-beat (which I tend to favor).

I was hoping to see an "improved" production tonight, but I think the changes weaken the show. I spoke VERY briefly to Michael Greif during Intermission because I had to tell him that he directed my favorite musical of all time (aka GREY GARDENS) and let him know I had seen N2N in NYC. He asked me what i thought of the changes in Act I, and I told him what I missed. (Not that what I think matters.) He said he wanted to hear what I thought after Act II, but he was way too busy giving notes to the cast and crew afterwards, so I didn't bother him. But since he asked, I gave a lot of thought to why I didn't care for the changes.

In a nutshell, the story is much flatter and darker, which presents a problem because the strength of the piece was in its ability to lift you very high and then drop you so far below. Anyone who has experienced the birth and then loss of a child understands the vast contrast of those emotions--and how REAL it is; I felt the NY production did that very effectively. (I mean in no way to trivialize anyone else's experience regarding profound joy juxtaposed with abject sorrow by referencing my own.)

I felt before that the arc needed to be clearer and doing so was within reach, but I don't think that's been achieved with this production.

The performances were all wonderful. I think Booby Spencer will do quite well as Dan in the weeks to come. He sings the part beautifully, and he's such an able actor. For a first-time performance, it was really fine, but the power Brian D'Arcy James brought to the role just isn't there yet. There's not enough tension between him and Diana yet. But that's not really his fault. (More on that later.)

The young people in the show are so much more finely defined here than they were in New York, so the performances by Aaron Tveit, Jennifer Damiano and Adam Chanler-Berat are even more dynamic than before. All three seemed flawless to me tonight; whereas, at Second Stage they didn't all come across as convincingly. (Bravo to the "teenagers"!)

It may also have to do with the fact that most of the more drastic changes really have to do with the adult characters. Perhaps they're still developing and revising the grown-ups (although Michael Greif did not make it sound like they were still "reconstructing" the show at all at this point.) Whatever the reason, the conflict among the adults is weaker. I really like Louis Hobson. He has a lovely voice and a very strong presence, but it seems to me that they've tried to make the doctor less of a caricature and more a "third party" in a triangular relationship, which just doesn't work because it's confusing where the "triangulation" really is. Is it Diana/Dan/Dr. Madden? Diana/Dan/Gabe? Diana/Dan, Natalie, Dr. Madden/Gabe? The triangle becomes more of a trapezoid or a rhombus or something! (Geometry was NOT my best subject.)

I wish they had left in "Feeling Electric" because the first act ends most abruptly and there is no, "I wonder what's going to happen next" feeling during Intermission. I am not supporting the idea that ECT should be made fun of, but I think there is a way to make this number less about that and more about some of the more "questionable" aspects of current treatment in general. Some of the most effective drama is clothed in comedy, but it has to be very carefully executed.

I adore Alice Ripley and have been a fan of hers for ages. She can do no wrong, as far as I'm concerned. She's a great actress and a sensational singer. I'd pay to hear her read "Jonathan Livingston Seagull," so I will be back later in the run to see her in N2N...and to see how the show evolves from tonight forward.

I am curious to hear what anyone else who was there tonight thinks.

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Updated On: 11/22/08 at 02:33 AM

"I've Been" is supposed to be back in the show, but it wasn't tonight. It's even listed in the program.

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oh god i hope they didn't cut it again.

Wait, "I've Been" was definitely there tonight. Between "There's A World" and "Didn't I See This Movie".

I was going to review this tommorow miss pennywise, but you nailed it. I feel the same way.

After following this show from the second NYMF performance in 2005, I have to say that it's come a long way.

It's really a shame that Feeling Electric was taken out of the show. It gave the show a real jolt (no pun intended) going into the end of Act I. "Wish I Was Here" is a poor substitute.

I also agree that the character development at this stage of the show is amazing. For the first time, I feel that all of these characters complete and real, not just Diana.

Bobby is not quite there yet as Dan, but I am certain he will find his way in this role.

My biggest kudos go to Alice. After seeing her twice at Second Stage in this role, I was shocked (again, no pun intended) in how intensely she does it. She is F-I-E-R-C-E! It's a million miles away from Amy Spanger's portrayal in 2005.

I am really looking forward to seeing this show again soon, and hoping that "Feeling Electric" returns.

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If the show needs a song like FE to be edgy then the edginess was nothing but a gimmick.


I'm gonna trust these changes are for the best. I was very against MANY of the changes that had occurred when i first saw N2N but realized it was in almost every case, a change for the positive. I've loved Feeling Electric since i heard it back it NYMF but the song was problematic at N2N. They futzed with it throughout the run and the tone never really worked. Its a great song, its just doesn't fit with the rest of the show (especially after they cut Open Your Eyes it didn't fit with the the Dr. Madden Character anymore). They've been at this for 10 years now, its their baby, I don't see them doing something to hinder its progression NOW.

Updated On: 11/22/08 at 05:52 AM

Hmm, Growing up unstable is gone. Well that's depressing.

Is Seconds and Years just Getting Better (the song that came before Aftershocks at 2ST) with a different name or did they actually go back to the NYMF song Four Seconds, Sixteen Years (which was truncanted and partially used Getting Better)?

I assume Everything Else is some sort of replacement for F*CKing Perfect and features the meeting of Natalie and Henry?


Doesn't look like any of the song "i couldn't live without" got cut, which is nice, and that one of the ones that "I couldn't live without" that got the axe before 2ST is back.

Superboy and Invisible Girl is the best song in the show.

Thanks Miss Pennywise! I am happy to hear that you had a great time seeing N2N.
I hope the best for the cast. I love the show and I only wish the best for it. Cant wait for the 'official' recording!

J*

Updated On: 11/22/08 at 09:08 AM

It's sometimes hard to identify the songs since much of the show is sung-through. There is a song listed in the program that was not in the show. Maybe someone else can help me out.

I don't think "Feeling Electric" was a gimmick. And that's not what I said. If you only read my short post about that song's "riskiness" than you missed the more developed point I made earlier.

There is a contrast of emotions that is heightened thanks to the insertion of "Feeling Electric" which is now missing. That song takes you away from the supreme sorrow of the storyline "momentarily," which absolutely deepens the emotional response you have in Act II. (BTW, I'm not talking about the part of the scene where she was in that "Tracy Turnblad" bed and given the shock treatment. That definitely needed to be reworked. But how they have her receiving it now doesn't work either. It's a tough thing to pull off, but I have faith in their ability to figure something else out.)

Anyone who read any of my posts about this show last Spring knows how much I revere N2N. Even this time, I cried through all of Act II, but I don't feel the show is "stronger" or that the changes are for the "better." If you're so blinded by your love for a show that you can't be objective, then what difference does it make WHAT they do to it? You're going to "defend" it to your dying day. I happen to love the show, but see its weaknesses as well as its promise. I want it to improve and succeed. I just didn't see that last night.

I felt the opposite about GREY GARDENS. I thought that the changes from OB made for a brilliant transfer to Broadway. Not everyone agrees with me, but we still agree on our love for the show, no matter what form it takes. It's the same here. I didn't say, "I now HATE this show." I just don't think, overall, that it's improved.

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AARGH... 21 days. I just have to hold on for 21 days!!!!! *cries*

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Jordangirl, you can live vicariously through us! Besides, you will see an even better show in 3 weeks' time!

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I know, I know Miss Pennywise!! I went to hang out last night with other people doing NaNoWriMo to try and distract myself from knowing what was happening in NoVa...but I was just twitchy and manic (the Jameson and diet Coke didn't help matters there). So I ended up coming home and writing for a while.

Tonight is a random...I'm guessing off-off-Broadway show. More attempts to distract myself. LOL.

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