Saw NEXT TO NORMAL First Preview in DC Nov. 21 — Page 3

i have to agree...

and i think it makes more sense to have Wish I Were Here as the Act 1 finale and not the opener to Act 2. maybe it will make more sense to me when I see it again.

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The "peaks and valleys" are the nature of being bipolar. For family members, the challenge is to stay off the roller coaster- very hard to do. I saw N2N at Second Stage a few weeks after it opened. My extreme discomfort with the show was its overwhelming message that medication (and doctors) are the problem. While treatment is by no means perfect, and more of an art than a science at times, it is also a lifesaver. The cartoonish portrayal of the medical world was dangerous to me. I could just see teens rushing out to tell bipolar friends to flush their meds.
The most effective part- and most moving song in the show for me was "I Miss the Mountains."

I also saw the first preview and am pretty much on the same page as miss pennywise. It is a flatter show, but some lyrical changes (Perfect, for example) are definitely for the better as are the new songs (though I miss Growing Up Unstable). The (re)addition of I've Been was the most effective in my mind. It is nice to see the situation from Dan's point of view.

I still think there needs to be a change to the end of act 1, but I am not sure what. I will definitely be seeing it again.

(miss pennywise...whenever you want to go again I am game )

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Teka21, I didn't see that at all. I saw the "problem" as EVERYONE'S lack of understanding of what is really going on with Diana. Her husband is more of a "problem" than anything else. And there is one HUGE issue that needs to be addressed in the book: Is Diana really bipolar at all? She talks about an illness of the "soul" which would be supported by the events that have occurred in her life and her family's refusal to be honest with her...and with themselves. I find this a major discrepancy in the plot, which really confuses things.

I understand that many people have responded to the show's medical content and often very strongly. As I said back in the Spring, I connected to the show because it tapped into pain that I felt as a parent who had experienced losses similar to Diana's. I was completely focused on that aspect of the show and not her treatment. That is still what draws me in.

To say the show is crap because of its "treatment of treatment" is only addressing one of the show's messages. I can understand and respect people's adverse response to that aspect of the show. But it seems that people who only zero in on the medical issues are dismissing that part of the show that has nothing to do with treatment: the pain a family feels when a traumatic and tragic event like the death of a child defines their existence.

I can put aside my strong, positive emotional response to this aspect of the show and objectively see how the creative team needs to work on those points that others find objectionable. But I do not see the same openness on the part of those who feel the show is worthless because of what they find objectionable. There's just a lack of respect for the views of others that is disappointing to me. There is no need to invalidate the response of others just because we don't see what they see.

BTW, the "peaks and valleys" to which I refer are about dramatic effect, not the
"nature of being bipolar."

P.S. I'll say it again: EVERYTHING else aside...I still love the score.

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I liked Costco

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Are there any discount codes or student policies for this show? I noticed that the night I wanted to go it is a "student night." Does that mean anything?

Student night tickets are $15 (after fees) and there are still good seats left. I got 3rd row center on thursday.

I was talking about Dec. 22nd though KC. Dec. 22nd is specifically "Student Night" and tickets are on sale now.

my bad, thought you were responding to me.

You can probably get better seats by calling the box office. Online it was only showing me extreme side seats (2nd row) but when i called the box office i got 3rd row almost dead center. If you go online, in the code box type STUDENT (not giving away some secret emailed thing here, its all on their website) or just mention the student night stuff when you call the box office.

Heres the student night page

Updated On: 11/24/08 at 12:09 AM

Yeah! Thanks. I got Row DD on the side - not extreme side though. Are the sides decent? I hope so. I'm taking my brother and I don't want him to be disappointed at the view. But heck, it was $30 for two tickets, not bad.

i'm going back down on friday... i'm excited to see if anything else has changed since last friday...

the things we do for shows we love.

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