Review: (Toronto) Next to Normal

(photo by Seanna Kennedy)

Music in Your Head
by Winna Tse

Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to live a normal life? That begs the question, what is normal? Next to Normal is a musical drama brought to us by The Lower Ossington Theatre that tells a story of a mother, Diana Goodman, who struggles with bipolar disorder and the effect her disorder has on her family. I was skeptical of how effective it would be to convey such a subject through a lively musical but in the end, I can only heap praise. Initially, the volume and lighting production is overwhelming as I find it difficult to concentrate when so many things are happening at once. However, I gradually realize that this is the point.

Review: (Calgary) Next to Normal

(photo credit: Trudi Lee)

We’re The Perfect Loving Family

by Joe Vermeulen

Next To Normal, the hit Broadway musical about a woman and her family who cope with her bi-polar disorder has come to Calgary!

Directed by Ron Jenkins, Next to Normal tells the story of Diana, her husband Dan, son Gabe, and daughter Natalie. They, along with Natalie’s boyfriend Henry and Diana’s Doctor, Dr. Madden, are caught in the middle of Diana’s delusions and bi-polar bouts of mania and depression. As her treatment options run out, Diana is given ECT (also known as electroshock therapy). 

Opening with “Its just Another Day” Diana (Kathryn Akin) introduces her family, son Gabe (Robert Markus), daughter Natalie (Sara Farb) and husband Dan (Rejean Cournoyer) as the perfect loving family, however the opening number falls apart as she loses control and starts to become detached from reality. Each member of the family expresses how they feel and just as things seem stable with Diana’s treatment there is a revelation that stops the show. The family all start again introducing themselves in context of the new discovery. As Diana’s treatment progresses we are also shown how Diana’s condition leads Natalie and Dan down a self destructive path with her. 

Next to Normal demands a strong leading lady to carry the show and Kathryn Akin seemed to be struggling with the role. Vocally she seemed uncomfortable with some of the songs, as though they were just out of her range, and instead of playing the bi-polar disorder internally, she makes large and bombastic gestures that were at best unnecessary and at worst a distraction. They also leveled out her performance so that the times when Diana was supposed to be extremely emotional and emotive were flat, since the over-use of gestures at inappropriate times gave no contrast. That being said she nailed the comic moments of the show and despite all the arm waving was still compelling as Diana in her interactions with her family.