Arizona Theater Company's "Next to Normal" is running until Oct. 28 at the downtown Phoenix Herberger Theater Center. (Photo courtesy of Tim Fuller)The combination of pop-rock musical numbers harmonized with dark lyrics of depression, medical ethics and drug abuse issues is captivating through the Arizona Theatre Company’s production of “Next To Normal.”
The award-winning Broadway production utilizes its musical score to narrate the story of a woman’s destructive spiral into mental illness and how her seemingly cookie-cutter family copes with her disease and their own personal issues.
While the musical score catches the attention of the audience, the somber themes of the lyrics and the flawed yet relatable characters will resonate long after leaving the Herberger Theater Center in downtown Phoenix.
The script began as a 10-minute class project for Columbia University writers Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt in 1998. It evolved over 10 years to eventually become a Pulitzer Prize winner for drama in 2010.
A major strength of the show is that the characters are strikingly similar to everyday people the viewer may know, capturing the interest of the audience from the start.
Actress Kendra Kassebaum plays Diana a bipolar and severely depressed suburban housewife. The character is relatable in the opening number by vocalizing the normal human worries she faces every day, such as her children’s health and safety and her husband’s happiness.
Diana’s husband, son and daughter attempt to help her achieve a peace of mind and mental stability so they can face the future as a family.
Diana is very aware of her issues. However, there is a much deeper aspect to her mental illness that is revealed halfway through the first act.
The revelation of this shocking plot-twist offers a new dimension of Diana’s disease that keeps the audience members captivated well into the second act.
The overall strength of the show lies in its ability to stimulate thought through its well-written script.
“Next To Normal,” is not a typical musical, but it is undoubtedly captivating and ultimately inspiring.
The audience leaves with a new perspective on mental illness along with an idea of how to cope with everyday struggles one will face if he or she is emotionally troubled.
The Herberger Theater Center will show “Next To Normal” through Oct. 28.
Tickets begin at $27 and are available at arizonatheatre.org or calling the box office at (602) 254-7399.
Reach the reporter at Lindsey.lucero@asu.edu.
