ABNORMALLY REAL
CV Rep opened it’s 24/25 season this past week with a triumphant production of the rock musical Next to Normal, ably directed by CV Rep’s Artistic Director Adam Karsten. Groundbreaking in its exploration of mental illness, grief, and the impact these issues have on a family, the show won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2010 — a rare honor for musicals. One of the most celebrated aspects of Next to Normal is its emotional depth and honesty.
The play depicts a suburban American family which, from the outside, appears to be a model of success and harmony. Inside, each member is struggling with either grief, guilt, depression, mental health, drug abuse, and/or medical ethics. While the mother, Diana Goodman, struggles with severe bipolar disorder and the exacerbating side effects of various treatments, her husband, Dan and daughter Natalie do their best to manage her care while battling their own emotions and fears. Ultimately, they begin to see each other for who they truly are, with compassion and clarity, and find a sense of “normal” in which to move forward in their lives. Each character’s experiences are brilliantly expressed through Tom Kitt’s electrifying music and Brian Yorkey’s sensitive book and lyrics. Once experienced, Next to Normal, a powerful theatrical tour de force, is impossible to forget.
