Here is a scene in the upcoming
production “Next to Normal,” where an overachieving teenager loses
control and the magnitude of her mother’s legacy becomes clear.
Real-life mother and daughter, Kristen and Bridget Mayer, take
on the challenging roles of Diana and Natalie in this explosive new
work about mental illness. It is being performed at NOVA Center for
the Performing Arts (formerly Venture Theatre) May 24 through June
9.
Set to a rowdy rock score, this is part rock concert, part
drama about a serious issue that affects many U.S. families. But
don’t shy away from seeing this show, thinking it will be too
painful to watch. Yes, these characters are hurting. Yes, Diana is
suffering from a bipolar condition and schizophrenia. And yes, it is
charged with emotion. But the beauty of a show like this one is that
it brings these issues out in the light, humanizing this devastating
illness. There is warmth, humor and honor in this show because the
characters are portrayed with such genuineness and the dialogue is
so honest. There is a reason the show won three Tony Awards and a
Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2010. Brian Yorkey wrote the book and
lyrics and Tom Kitt composed the music.
Kyle Trott brings a
tender touch and amazing tenor vocals to the role of Diana’s husband
Dan, and Lewis Rawlinson plays her son Gabe like a blazing rock
star. Matthew Hagen plays Natalie’s laid-back boyfriend, Henry,
giving the audience a break from the tension with lines that begin
with, “dude.”
Director Lynn Al took the initiative to
organize mental-health experts to be part of this production,
providing handout materials in the lobby and opportunities for
talk-back sessions following most performances.
“We’re
working really hard to keep it healthy,” said Al, whose sister
suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after a stint in the
military. “It’s an emotional roller coaster. There is one scene
where Kyle and Lewis’ characters sing that is so powerful, I cry
every night.”
As part of the cast’s introduction to the play,
Al organized a visit by a representative from National Alliance for
Mental Illness who spoke about her own experience with electroshock
therapy.
Just as Diana’s husband questions shock therapy in
the play, many people believe that the controversial treatment for
mental illness went out in the 1970s after the film and play, “One
Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” In fact, Dan asks a doctor in the
play, “They still do that?”
Al does warn folks who are
predisposed to mental illness that explosive moments in the musical
could trigger a reaction. Kristen plays Diana with such authenticity
that even though she is a newcomer to the stage, we can feel her
pain through her body language as she cringes when people get near.
The opening scene depicts Diana as a typical mom getting her two
kids ready for school, making sandwiches and packing sack lunches.
But when she can’t stop herself from tossing out a whole loaf of
bread to make sandwiches on the floor, we sense her mania and pain.
Her husband gently takes her arm and says, “We’ll get you to the
doctor.”
Even more tragic as the show unfolds is watching
Diana’s teenage daughter begin to take on some of her mom’s
unhealthy traits. But there is hope in knowing and trying to
understand as this family works through its challenges by being open
and honest and loving to one another.
Billings Gazette Review of Next to Normal
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