Now showing at the Wyndham’s Thetare in London’s West End is the Tony-award winning and Pulitzer-prize winning rock musical Next to Normal. With Book and Lyrics from Brian Yorkey and music from Tom Kitt, this version of Next to Normal directed by Michael Longhurst, this is a beautiful story of the uphill battle of mental health, mental illness, and everything in between.
Next to Normal & Mental Health
Tackling a lot of serious topics like self-harming and electroshock therapy, the creative team have consulted industry practitioners on the science, statistics, and everything in between to deliver a respectful show. Applause for Thought is also the Production Mental Health & Wellbeing Support, prioritising the show's safety.
While Diana Goodman is the main focus, we also get to see how the rest of her family is affected by her mental illness. We get a peek into their mental wellbeing as well which makes the show so emotional and raw. Having a couple of cluster B personality disorders myself, this show makes anyone struggling and/or coping with mental illness feel seen and less alone.
About the show & the Performances
Should you watch this show? ABSOLUTELY. A harsh and honest telling of mental health, Next to Normal revolves around the Goodman family as they navigate through their matriarch’s mental illness, Bipolar Disorder… among other things.
Diana Goodman, played by Caissie Levy (Frozen), is a star. She gives us an intimate performance that shows us Diana’s vulnerability and brokenness. You just want to give this woman a hug at the end of the show because it must be so emotionally taxing to do this day-in-day-out. She is for the lack of a better term, mothering on that stage daily.
I grew extremely sympathetic and attached to Jamie Parker’s Dan Goodman who is there for his wife better or worse, in sickness and in health. If only all men were like this! He takes us throug the complexities of being a support system for people struggling and how it can be hard on them as well. His performances brought tears to my eyes!
Clearly drawing parallels to her mother, Natalie Goodman (played by Eleanor Worthington-Cox) is not only collateral damage to her mother's trauma and mental illness but a victim herself. Eleanor is so beautiful but is more than a pretty face, she takes us on an emotional arch as the daughter of the family.
Jack Wolfe is a revelation as Gabe Goodman. I worship Aaron Trevit but Wolfe gives this wonderfully innocent and eventually twisted performance as the son of the family, both vocally and visually. He is alive on that stage and he illuminates the whole show. It is no surprise that when the show was set to be at the Donmar Warehouse, he got tickets to the previews even before he auditioned for the role. What a dream it must be to be performing this role in the West End for him!
Playing Dr. Madden and Dr. Fine is Trevor Dion Nicholas (Hamilton) and is a rockstar representing the complex and sometimes unreliable mental health industry. While one can easily unlike the character or the concept of his being in the show, Nicholas delivers the role coming from genuine care and polish.
We had Jake Reynolds as our Henry (he is also the standby for Gabe) whoNatalie's romantic interest. He perfectly delivers the comedic cues which lets the tense material have some much needed breathing space. He is also a mirror to a younger Dan, dopey-eyed and in love, willing to do anything for their partner.
Since this cast is the same cast from the Donmar Warehouse, they all have a special chemsitry with one another. Aged and strengthened, their natural rapport makes the performances not only believable but authentic.
THE STAGE AND SET DESIGN
Another character in its own right is the stage which is literally shaped like a brain. The midcentury modern interior, complete with a Bauhaus poster and the iconic Eames chair, says a lot about the Goodman family. With Dan and Diana meeting in architecture school, this tasteful design choice is understandable but could also be a wink at this design style's rise alongside the rise of mental health treatments (both popularised postwar). This or the inherit coldness that comes with midcentury modern also reminds one of the stark coldness of hospital rooms, therapist offices, and psych wards; which is evident come the second act.
While the Broadway show gives us the barebones of the Goodman household, this West End version is a literal step into their home. Chloe Lamford (Set & Costume Designer) actualises Diana's mind palace in a literal sense. It is brought to life by the light design (Lee Curran) and video design (Tal Rosner), adding an extra layer of meaning and depth to the set. Sometimes projected with raining pills or literal brain scans, the stage cannot be more obvious as Diana’s mental state but also a literal reflection of the state of their home as a family. It is also symbolic to use the kitchen as the main stage, being it is commonly called as the heart of the home. So we are not only seeing Diana’s mind but also what’s in her heart.
TL;DR
Next to Normal is a harsh, heavy, and honest telling of the struggles of having a mental illness and the mental health industry but it is equally heartwarming and human, tugging at your heartstrings. Should you watch this show? Absolutely. You are out of your mind if you miss this strictly limited run! Bring tissues or use your sleeves to wipe your snot, tears are guaranteed.
Next To Normal will be booking until September 21, 2024 at the Wyndham’s Theatre in London’s West End. Shows are from Monday to Saturday at 7:30PM with matinee performances at 2:30pm on Thursday and Saturday.
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