Playcrafters brings ‘Next to Normal’ to area theater fans
You may often wonder … is it normal to forget your keys or where you parked? Or the name of the person to whom you were just introduced ten minutes ago? What passes for normal these days anyway? While the boundaries of normal may be flexible, there is ultimately a tipping point when the fence begins to splinter and crack, and it’s the theme of Playcrafters’ upcoming production when the spotlight falls on the topic of mental illness in “Next to Normal” — an engaging and emotionally charged, multi award-winning musical by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt. Among a plethora of nominations, it has won several, including the 2009 Tony award for Best Musical Score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
The contemporary twoact family drama deals with the inner struggles of the Goodman family, particularly Diana (played by Elizabeth Wheeler), a mother who has bipolar disorder, and the effects it has on her architect husband Dan (played by Steve Carrasco), her daughter Natalie (played by Kim Whitehill), and her son Gabe (played by Evan McIlhiney). They appear to be a perfect family, but tension builds under the surface when the mother’s illness begins to worsen. Natalie’s boyfriend Henry (played by Brad DeLeone) and Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine (played by Matt Bookler) round out the cast.
The themes of love and pain are highlighted as the rock music brilliantly underscores the narrative and character revelations. Songs such as “How Could I Ever Forget?” and “So Anyway” will certainly elicit an emotional response from the audience. Yet the poignancy of the lyrics has the power to leave one stunned with emotion that grips long after the songs have ended. A dramatic twist at one point turns the day-to-day drama into something artfully poetic.
“It’s a very emotional show,” said Director Brian Shapella, who admits he cried when he first saw it. “It deals with deep themes that we all can connect to. If we’ve done our job right, there will be a range of emotions (within the audience) from tears to laughs.”
While the inspiring production compassionately points to the fragmented parts of our beings and we see the anger and heartache in trying to hold the pieces together, there is still an underlying layer of hope that manages to surface. Through this pervading hopefulness, the human spirit is lifted and is guided out of despair. By it, the efforts of survival are strengthened and the human will is able to conquer and carry on.
“The play does a wonderful job of showing the difficulty a family goes through when a member is dealing with mental illness,” said Shapella. “It affects everyone.”
The production crew includes: Producer: Laura Shapella Music Director: Barb Newberry
Choreographer: Jennifer Wilkinson
Stage Manager: White-Herchek
Rehearsal Pianist: Laura Burhans
As September is suicide prevention month, Playcrafters is holding a benefit for the Montgomery County Emergency Services (mces. Sue org) by donating five dollars for every ticket sold on opening night. Come out to see this uniquely courageous, masterful and moving performance of the life and times of a family dealing with the rawness of mental health disturbance and how they cope with the stresses of triumph and grief every day.
Playcrafters presents “Next to Normal” at The Barn, 2011 Store Road and Skippack Pike (Rt. 73), Skippack, PA 19474. Perfromances are Sept. 15, 16, 17, 23, 24, 29, 30, and Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. with a matinee Sept. 25 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20. For more information call 610-584-4005 or go to www. playcrafters.org.