New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Next to Normal: Pulitzer-winning musical being staged in Westport
The Westport Country Playhouse is pulling no punches with its season opener, “Next to Normal,” a show that won three Tony Awards when it opened on Broadway in 2009 and won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
The veteran theater’s mission has long been to provide “powerful, one-of-a-kind experiences,” and this show is a powerhouse. It lifts one up in song while breaking the heart before picking up the pieces to reveal the light at the end of the tunnel.
The story, written by Brian Yorkey with music by Tom Kitt, centers on an American family that could live anywhere from a Connecticut suburb to downtown Philadelphia.
The facade of a happy family is soon stripped away to reveal the mother is suffering with bipolar disorder. Taking contemporary musical theater to new heights, “Next to Normal” is about a family’s loss and their endurance as they try to live a life that is not normal, but next to normal.
In his directorial follow-up to the successful “In The Heights” here, director Marcos Santana and the Playhouse team have put a unique artistic vision on the show, tweaking it from a pop-rock musical into more of a play with music.
“For our production, we’re going to push it more like a straight play with music,” he said. “There will be singing and movement because it’s a musical, but we decided the content is so heavy and so important for audience members to listen carefully to everything they’re saying.”
The casting choices spotlight how the stigma and effects of mental illness hit particularly hard on communities of color. A multiracial cast is headed by Wilson Jermaine Heredia, who won a Tony for his portrayal of Angel in “Rent,” and Darlesia Cearcy, who played Erzulie in the Tony-winning revival of “Once on This Island.”
“There is a big stigma with mental illness and it is prevalent in Black and Latino communities,” Santana said. “Now, obviously in 2022, we are a little better but there is still a stigma in relation to mental illness and mental health. I want to do my part and tell the story on my side of the world, in my community, to help shine a light.”
The show was planned in 2019 but was delayed due to the pandemic, and the ensuing events have added a new layer of meaning to the production.
“We have experienced loss for the past two and a half years — either jobs, loved ones, friends or just our regular life,” Santana said. “We know what that sense of loss is, so that alone brings something different to the table versus what we would have done [had the show been presented] in 2019.”
Through edgy use of lighting, set design, scenery and music, the show’s artistic team will keep the focus on the characters and their stories. Santana hopes audiences walk away appreciating the universality here.
“I would love for the audience to walk out with a better understanding … that there is help out there, there is a way to live with this condition, and there is hope and light at the end of the tunnel.”
The show, opening the Playhouse’s 92nd season, will run April 5 to 24. The show is best for audiences age 14 and up.