Review: NEXT TO NORMAL, Donmar Warehouse
Photo credit: Marc Brenner
Ok... breathe… wipe away a leftover tear.. and breathe.
Last night, we took a trip to the Donmar to watch the UK premiere of Pulitzer prize-winning musical Next to Normal, a show about a deeply struggling family whose matriarch Dianne (Caissie Levy) is suffering is from bipolar and depression.
Now, we want to write this review without giving too much away about the story so no spoilers here, Besties!
The Goodman family are trying to stay afloat through an endless wave of trauma, grief and denial.
Dianne, the mother, is enduring multiple treatments from doctors for her mental health. Natalie, the daughter, wants a normal life. Dan, the father, is trying to keep his family from falling apart, and son Gabe just wants to be seen.
Levy is mesmerising as Dianne. Her vocals are faultless and give the audience a naturalistic portrayal of severe mental health, striking the perfect balance between a lovable and lost character. Jamie Parker broke our little Bestie heart with his seasoned and stoic performance as father Dan and whilst he is not a vocal powerhouse like some of the other performers in the show, his acting through song and connection with the role makes him absolutely shine.
Eleanor Worthington-Cox is a complete stand out as daughter Natalie. Lost in love and fleeing to the world of escapism, she lives in fear of becoming the very person that she has despised/loved for so many years. A gloriously gut wrenching portrayal of a teenager in deep distress.
Jack Wolfe as Gabe is utterly haunting and enchanting in equal measure. A truly gifted singer and performer, we can’t wait to see wait to see the heights he will go on to reach in his career. Many big time stars have credits at the Donmar so we have no doubt that Wolfe is another Donmar alumni destined for greatness.
Trevor Dion Nicholas and Jack Ofrecio complete the cast perfectly with beautiful voices and acting ability to boot.
Chloe Lamford’s set is simple yet extremely effective. We see a basic family kitchen, drained of colour. The furniture moves around throughout the show almost personifying the family home, and upstage, there are stairs that lead up to blinded windows which often rise up to reveal the kick ass band used strategically throughout, making certain songs such as ‘I’m Alive’ absolutely soar.
Other songs that stuck in our minds and hearts are Levy’s gorgeous solo ‘I Miss The Mountains’ and Parker’s number ‘I’ve Been’ where he’s calmly wiping up blood off the floor whilst speaking about his wife. An absolutely heartbreaking moment.
Michael Longhurst’s direction is exemplary, often keeping characters on stage whilst the main action is happening elsewhere. This is done in such an expert way that it doesn’t pull focus from the main scene, but if you choose to look, you can see them going through a whole emotional journey. We love the decision for there to be no physical walls on the stage, the whole house is exposed.
The music, book and lyrics from Tom Kitt and Brian Yorker are utterly inspired. Every single song, word and moment are dripping with subtext, feeling and frustratingly catchy rhythms.
We can say without question we cried more tears during this show than we’ve ever cried at a show! That’s not to say it’s a complete weep fest, there are well crafted moments of dry sarcastic humour throughout to give the piece good dynamics.
Next to Normal is an absolute must see and we believe it is one of the most finely crafted shows ever written. Does this production do the material justice? We think so!
A musical masterpiece.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: James Edge
Next to Normal plays at the Donmar Warehouse until 7 October, with further information here.
