Theatre Three presents Next to Normal
Book and Lyrics by Brian Yorkey
Music by Tom Kitt
Directed by Christie Vela
Music Directed by Vonda K. Bowling
Movement Coordinator Joel Ferrell
Scenic Designer Track Curtis
Lighting Designer Amanda West
Costume Designer Corey Garrett
Sound Designer Brian McDonald
Band
Piano and Conductor
Vonda K. Bowling
Guitar
Dennis Langevin
Bass/Keyboard 2
Benjamin Brown
Drums
Kami Lujan
Cast
Cara Serber
Aiden Valentine
Ian Ferguson
Presley Duyck
Alejandro Saucedo
Colin Philips
Spencer Laboda
Stage Manager Katie Ibrahim
Production Asst Kendalynn Clemons
My thoughts on Next to Normal or…bringing the depths to the heights
When I first saw that the dream team of Director Christie Vela and Music Director Vonda K. Bowling were collaborating on a production of Next to Normal, I knew I could expect great things. What I didn’t know is that they would create a classic that captures and moves audiences and will be remembered for years.
The story of Diana Goodman’s struggle with mental illness and its effect on her family seems unlikely ground for a mostly sung through musical, but Tom Kitts’ pop/rock score and Brian Yorkey’s incisive, sometimes biting, lyrics make Next to Normal vividly real and relatable to anyone whose life has been touched by a loved one dealing with mental illness. And here that score is superbly interpreted by Music Director Vonda K. Bowling who plays piano and conducts her band that includes Dennis Langevin, Benjamin Brown, and Kami Lujan. Bowling’s band is the throbbing heartbeat of this musical and Brian McDonald’s sound design makes certain every pulsating beat and every lyric is clear.
The multi-level set designed by Track Curtis reinforces the plight of the Goodman family. The set is framed by larger than life multicolored popsicle sticks that make the Goodman home somewhat of a playhouse, a place where the unreal is real. It also shows the precariousness of the Goodman’s lives as this house made of colorful sticks appears ready to topple at any time. Amanda West’s lighting accentuates the set. Colored lights even pulsate from the floor of the set at times highlighting a song. West also adeptly creates the sometimes ghostly, sometimes comical atmosphere of Diana’s mind. Costume designer Corey Garrett gives the Goodman family comfortable, every day clothes as fashion is pretty far down their list of concerns.
Cara Serber leads the cast as Diana, probably one of the most complex characters in all of musical theater. Diana lives with bipolar disorder and manic depression brought on by the death of her infant son Gabe seventeen years ago. Gabe is still very much alive in Diana’s mind and she sees and interacts with him . The skillful and vocally terrific Serber inhabits Diana totally. She makes Diana’s struggle achingly real as she laments the personality numbing effects of the drugs she takes in “I Miss the Mountains” and to watch Serber’s Diana go from hope to despair to desperation is devastating. A bravura performance indeed.
Ian Ferguson is no less affective as Diana’s husband Dan. Dan has dealt with Diana’s highs and lows for 17 years and relates the challenges of their relationship and its toll on him in “I’ve Been” which Ferguson sings beautifully. Dan is a frustrated caretaker trying to raise the couple’s teenage daughter Natalie and cope with Diana’s ever fluctuating personality. Ferguson brings a tenderness to the character and his love and concern for his wife is apparent. What is not apparent until late in the musical is that Dan has not truly faced his own feelings about the death of their son and struggles to even say his name and Ferguson has one of the most emotionally powerful scenes in the play when Dan ultimately confronts those feelings.
Presley Duyck is the Goodman’s daughter Natalie. Natalie has to deal with all the typical teenage problems while living with the huge constant problem of a severely mentally ill, delusional mother who neglects her. Duyck, with her lovely voice and appealing presence, makes the troubled teen sympathetic. Natalie is on her own journey to learn to cope. She’s a talented pianist and overachiever who is afraid of becoming like her mother. Natalie becomes involved with a boy named Henry, but her insecurities make her fearful of loving him. Serber and Duyck have a wonderful moment in “Maybe (Next to Normal)” in which mother and daughter finally share their feelings. The emotional depth that Serber and Duyck bring to their characters is remarkable.
Truly remarkable is Aiden Valentine as the ghostly Gabe. Gabe is a menacing, malevolent spirit desperately trying to keep Diana from letting go of him and the past. Valentine, a recent high school grad, gives a dynamic performance with the assurance of a stage pro. Valentine’s Gabe seems to be all over the stage at once, constantly appearing in Diana’s mind. Valentine’s powerful solo of “I’m Alive”is thrilling and chill inducing.
Alejandro Saucedo is a charming Henry, boyfriend of the reluctant Natalie. There is something about Saucedo that makes him irresistible on stage and brings credibility to the character. Henry is a slightly goofy, laid back stoner type guy who offers Natalie a chance at love and some stability. Saucedo and Duyck are so convincing as teens that I had to check their ids after the show.
As Dr. Madden (and Dr. Fine), Colin Philips is outstanding.as the medical professional trying to do his best for Diana. In one of the few light hearted scenes in the musical, Diana hallucinates that her doctor is a rock star. Philips is hilarious transforming from physician to rocker and has the vocal chops to pull it off.
While there is no choreography per se in the musical, there is coordinated movement credited to Joel Ferrell. These scenes add much to the production visually and offer a glimpse into Diana’s world.
I have always admired Director Vela’s use of space and this production is no exception. Characters are all over the Norma Young Arena, above our heads, on the stairs, entering and exiting from various places. Vela’s love for the characters is evident here. She knows just where to place the characters and just when and where to have them move. She’s a brilliant storyteller and she makes Next to Normal a touching and, judging from the sobs on opening night, a gratifying and beautiful emotional journey.
Director Vela and Music Director Bowling have put their hearts into this production and made an extraordinary evening of theater that you don’t want to miss. Grab a couple tissues and head to Theatre Three by July 2.
