NEXT TO NORMAL @ THE LYCEUM

“Next to Normal”: Presented by Arts Off Broadway at the Lyceum

Words by Kristen Fogle

Arts Off Broadway is the newest to tackle the powerful, Pulitzer winning “Next to Normal.” This marks the play’s debut to not only San Diego but to the West Coast.

Playing March 10-17 at Horton Plaza’s Lyceum Theatre, the rock musical tackles a variety of issues full force. Death of a child, ignorance of another, mental health, suicide...”Normal” is nothing if not heavy.

The action surrounds damaged mother Diana who, even with the patience of husband Dan, can't come to grips with the passing of their son. Meanwhile, their daughter, the gifted Natalie, finds herself drawn to Henry, who is both loving and supportive, but introduces her to escaping reality through drug use. The bipolar Diana finds herself on and off pills and in and out of doctors offices, all to no avail…When Diana attempts suicide and is put on electric shock therapy, she loses parts of her memory—until the memory of her son comes back full force. Ultimately, Diana decides whether she should stay or go in order to give her husband and daughter the next to normal life they deserve.

In addition to a Pulitzer, the 2009 Broadway performance earned many accolades including eleven Tony nominations and won three: Best Original Score, Best Orchestration, and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Alice Ripley.

The score is really where “Normal” shines, and the tremendous voices on stage aide in giving soul to brilliantly written ballads and up-tempo tunes. Leigh Scarritt conveys Diana's pain well, and when she interacts with son Gabe, played by Derrick Gaffney, who also has great pipes, she is able to showcase some powerful emotion. We also see regret and hopelessness from Paul James Kruse's Dan; Kruce’s operatic vocals serve him well in Lyceum’s space. Also particularly rich is Marc Sylwestrak (Dr. Fine) who boasts a gorgeous tenor, paired with an unsettling stoicism characteristic of mental health doctors—his songs are both eerie and captivating. Diana's love interest (Michael Parrot as Henry) exudes a boyish, loving nature that serves him well, but perhaps my favorite voice in Tiffany Jane’s (Natalie). In addition to selling the jilted daughter, she serves double duty; Jane’s album played before and after the performance, as well as at intermission. She holds the honor of 2012 SD and LA Indie Music Award winner for Best Blues Artist and really deserves a listen; find her at www.tiffanyjanemusic.com.

Serving double duty in another capacity is Scarritt as actress and director. Her calculated, sensible blocking ensures that the bare bones set does not feel like an oversight. Instead, the sparse stage maintains our focus on the story, the actors, and that powerful music.

Because this well sung, touching story appeared a hit with audiences, I am confused by the shorter running date. Obviously the cast worked hard to execute "Normal," and it would be nice to have them in SD for a bit longer.

So for those that didn’t benefit from Arts Off Broadway’s terrific work, it would benefit you to find this gem performed elsewhere and experience how "Next to Normal" is anything but.

For more on Arts Off Broadway, please visit www.artsoffbroadway.org.

For more on the Lyceum Theatre, please visit www.sdrep.org.

For the original article, please go to http://sdtheatrereviews.com/arts.php?newsId=255