It’s hard to believe
A powerful, provocative and goddam important must-see show
That’s largely due to the subject matter. In a cohort that includes the likes of A Strange Loop, Dear Evan Hansen, and Jagged Little Pill, Next to Normal is a musical that deals head on with mental health issues.
Its plot is occasionally shaky. The characters not fully rounded. The ending is far from uplifting.
But all that can be forgotten. For Next to Normal is an extraordinary piece of theatre. One whose impact will remain with you for a very long time.
The theme
We’ve never been more aware of mental health than we are right now. A generation has grown up in a world where Ant and Dec 'Get Britain Talking', and the national football team open up for 'Heads Up'. Worries once only experienced in private isolation are now proudly emblazoned on public profiles.
Within this context, the themes of Next to Normal seem less unusual than they may first appear to an older West End audience. It is the story of Diana, a wife and mother, who is bipolar.
But being bipolar isn’t just a character trait. Being bipolar is the story.
Wanting a life that is at least ‘next to normal’, Diana is put through a cycle of treatments. Starting with the gentleness of talking therapy, she progresses all the way to ECT, living through the positive and negative impacts they all have on her life and her sense of self.
Happiness comes and goes in a hiccough. Plateaued emotions bring emptiness. Memories disappear. Mania flourishes. Suicide is attempted.
Next to Normal is not an uplifting musical. But it’s not an uplifting subject. If you’re looking for your own mental health issues to be solved, this may not be the show for you. If you’re looking for your own mental health issues to be reflected, it just may be.
The cast
The cast have all returned from the original Donmar Warehouse production and their closeness is clear. Caissie Levy embodies Diana’s highs and lows with a powerhouse voice that delivers each respective note as though she is singing at the encore of her own concert.
As husband Dan, Jamie Parker has fewer opportunities to vocally shine. But he gives a solidly stoic performance that befits a man doing his best to keep his family upright. It makes his brief breaking towards the end even more moving.
Daughter Natalie’s inner turmoil is etched on the animated face of Eleanor Worthington-Cox. She sees everything but just wants to be seen. Worthington-Cox often sings counterpoint to Levy and her voice has a strength that equally matches the more experienced performer.
On the peripheries are Natalie’s wannabe suitor, Henry: a well-meaning stoner, wanting to do right by the first girl to return his attention. Jack Ofrecio brings a bumbling likeability to a character that feels more of an underwritten afterthought.
And Trevor Dion Nicholas plays a series of doctors whose treatment recommendations come with both confidence and deniability. Sadly the role gives little opportunity to hear the voice that has been Aladdin’s Genie and Hamilton’s George Washington. But when he does let rip, it’s a treat.
The performance of a generation
But this production is all about Jack Wolfe.
Wolfe’s portrayal of disturbed, and disturbing, son Gabe, is embodied with so much truth, you forget whether he is speaking or singing.
He may be filling the theatre with a gut-wrenching performance of I’m Alive.
He may be silently pressing his face against a glass wall, yearning for his mother to see him.
Whatever he is doing, his mere presence compels you to watch.
Jack Wolfe gives the performance of a generation. Seeing Wolfe is worth the ticket price alone.
The music
The music falls somewhere between alt-rock and grunge; songs fire bullets of angst that make the columns of the cosy Wyndham’s tremble.
In an approach that feels surprisingly old-fashioned for such a modern musical, most of the show is sung-through. With little spoken dialogue, it demands a high standard of “acting through song” which a cast of this calibre have no problem delivering. But when relationships and events only evolve through lyrics, the audience must suspend disbelief in the name of theatre.
At times, this can be challenging. Natalie’s relationship with Henry, for example, develops with little substance. Seeing love grow out of nothing in the space of a stanza or two may be fitting when at the gates of the Rue Plumet, but the lack of realism jars here.
It also removes subtlety. Bipolar disorder is first shown to cause a manic production of sandwiches. Later the same fervour is applied to cleaning tasks. The need to show clear and simple signifiers somewhat undermines the complexity of the subject.
The message
The honesty imbibed in Next to Normal makes a happy ending impossible.
If it has a message to convey, it’s that for many of us, life doesn’t always feel great, and for some, it rarely even reaches good. Whilst this may seem a depressing thought, it is really an attempt to normalise mental illness. At one point, comparisons are made with diabetes: suggesting mental illness is merely something to be managed and lived with, not something to end lives.
This honesty is likely what makes the show appeal to the younger-than-average audience that have clearly taken it to their hearts. As with Dear Evan Hansen, A Strange Loop and others of a similar ilk, Next to Normal shares ownership with its fans. The matter-of-fact tone has given it authority and earned it a rare respect.
Powerful, provocative, and goddam important
If we’re being completely honest, seen as just another musical, Next to Normal is far from flawless. But it's not just another musical. Rendering such flaws mere foibles.
Next to Normal is such a powerful, provocative and goddam important must-see show, that – if you are emotionally able – you should do your best to see it.
Any problems that may exist are just after-dinner crumbs. They can be swept away, bearing no impact on the quality of the main course.
