Written by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey
Directed by Michael Grief
Synopsis: Next to Normal is a contemporary musical that explores how one suburban household copes with crisis. With provocative lyrics and an electrifying score of more than 30 original songs, the musical shows how far two parents will go to keep themselves sane and their family's world intact.
NEW YORK TIMES:
" This brave, breathtaking musical, which opened Wednesday night at the Booth Theater, focuses squarely on the pain that cripples the members of a suburban family, and never for a minute does it let you escape the anguish at the core of their lives."
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK POST:
"It's also the most underdeveloped and sentimentally resolved. For behind its surface grimness, "Next to Normal" ends up relying on soothing conventions. Michael Greif's sleepy direction doesn't help"
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NEW YORK DAILY NEWS:
"A story of a mom's mental illness and the toll it has taken on her and everyone around her may not sound like one that sings, but Tom Kitt (music) and Brian Yorkey (book and lyrics) have created an exceptional show that says something meaningful and powerful about surviving in a world of problems."
Read the whole review HERE.
THEATERMANIA:
"You may want to bring along some tissues to Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's deeply felt musical Next to Normal, currently on view at Broadway's Booth Theatre under the surehanded direction of Michael Greif, as the production takes the audience on an amazing emotional journey that plumbs the depths of despair while also offering a vision of hope."
Read the whole review HERE.
VARIETY:
"Composer Tom Kitt, writer-lyricist Brian Yorkey and director Michael Greif have made a lot of smart changes en route to Broadway, giving the show a more assertive personality, a more consistent tone, sharper focus and greater depth to its relationships. While its weaknesses have not been entirely erased, they are outweighed by the intimate musical's ambition, sincerity and heightened emotional involvement. "
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NEWSDAY:
"As emotions get drastic, however, the songs just aren't up to it. The music has unpredictable transitions with lovely overlapping harmonies, but composer Kitt falls back on monotonous singsong melodies for the real drama. Yorkey's lyrics keep trying to express profundities with banalities about light and right and night, but nursery rhymes are more inspiring."
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BACKSTAGE:
"There is improvement, particularly in Act 1, which gets more swiftly to its story and better fleshes out its characters. Some radical shifts in tone have also been addressed. Nevertheless, the show still fails to persuade."
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AMNY:
"Simply put, “Next to Normal” is truly one of the most powerful, surprising and invigorating original musicals in recent memory, reminding us how it’s possible for contemporary musical theater to hook an audience entirely through the strength of its storytelling. This dynamic musical should not be missed."
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AMERICAN THEATER WEB :
"Unfortunately, while words like "ambitious" and "important" are in order for "Normal," and it would be remiss to not champion the writers' potential, the show never fully satisfies."
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TIME OUT NY :
"After a year of hard work, Next to Normal has emerged as that rarest of Broadway species: a thoughtful, emotional musical for grown-ups."
Read the whole review HERE.
