Although Next to Normal, the current offering at Round House, has an excellent pedigree (it’s won many theater awards, including multiple Tonys and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama), I had trouble at first with the concept of a musical about the main character’s struggle with mental illness.
And I was partially right – it’s not a “feel-good” musical – although at the risk of spoilers, the ending is hopeful. You won’t leave the theater feeling depressed.
The staging, production, acting, and especially the strong singing by all cast members work together to recreate the effect of a disordered psyche as Diana (Tracy Lynn Olivera), her sympathetic husband (Kevin S. McAllister) and teenage daughter (Sophia Early) try to grapple with the central tragic event of Diana’s life while struggling with her bipolar disorder. And, yes, it’s sung through. (Les Mis has a lot to answer for.) But in this case, the singing only serves as one element in the cosmos of disorientation that this production seeks to recreate.
The songs (music by Tom Kitt, lyrics by Brian Yorkey) are enjoyable without being too profound. The lyrics are clever: Diana sings about her pharmacologist (Calvin McCullouch), “He knows my deepest secrets; I know his name.”
There are projections and neon lighting effects, sliding doors to portholes in the wall, and a walking, talking, singing apparition (Lucas Hinds Babcock) which we learn is a manifestation of Diana’s illness. The (excellent) live band is visible through a glass wall, which the cast on occasion breaks.
When Diana doesn’t respond well to the many variations of drug cocktails, she becomes a candidate for electro-convulsive therapy. This results in a new set of problems. Ultimately, she realizes that the only way she can break the cycle of failed treatment without improvement is a clean break from her present life. Away from her long-suffering family, perhaps she can start afresh.
The Round House’s Fourth Wall Bar and Café, in a departure from their previous custom, has not designed a menu tailored to the play, but only customized the cocktails for this production. They run from “Fake Confidence” to “Dr. Fine’s Spritz.” I tried “Robo-tripping,” a rather sweet and very floral concoction of gin, crème de violette, and elderflower. A “dirty martini pasta salad” held the hunger pangs at bay until after the production. It was both tasty and abundant.
Next to Normal runs through March 3 at Round House Theatre.