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Photos courtesy of CalRep.

Next To Normal is a new-ish—having been on Broadway in 2009—rock musical that deals with contemporary and topical issues, namely familial disfunction, bipolar disorder, psychiatric treatments and drug use/abuse.

Luckily, and to the play’s credit, the musical is not the the groan-inducing experience that the singing of those themes suggests. Next To Normal is instead brave and well structured, with passages of great wit, insight and tenderness (though this is not to say that it is void of melodrama or heavy handedness). It has an admirable score, with music by Tom Kitt (of American Idiot and Everyday Rapture fame) while the book and lyrics are by Brian Yorkey, where the musical’s best moments are capable of turning what could be cliché and wearisome material into something that is darker, more penetrating and ultimately more forgiving than one would expect.

Before I begin to talk about Cal Rep’s current production of Next to Normal, running now through the 10th of May aboard the Queen Mary, there are three factors that must be considered:

1. Although I was living in New York City during the musical’s Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning run, I somehow managed to miss seeing it. In retrospect I can’t explain exactly why this was, as I have a big, weird, not-so-secret part of my heart saved purely for musicals. Somewhere between its marketing tone and set design (which felt strangely sterile to my taste), the mixed reactions of critics and fellow musical-loving friends, and the high cost of Broadway tickets, I was left feeling just as turned off as intrigued. Before I knew it, I had missed my chance. This left Next to Normal as the only popular, contemporary musical of the last decade that I knew next-to-nothing about. I mention this because most musical theater lovers are familiar with this work by now, yet I entered the theater without even having heard so much as a song.

2. Jeff Paul, who plays Dan in this production, was the first theater teacher I ever had and has known me since I was about six years old. This inevitably leads to at least a subliminal bias towards his work.

3. The plot of Next to Normal is difficult to discuss because much of the action is based around a theatrical convention, which along with its music, is the key to elevating this show into significance. To explain what this element is would let the wind out of the sails that keep the play’s momentum going, so I will try to tap dance around that crucial plot point thought this review.

I digress.

Norm-121Essentially, the story focuses on the lives of Diana (Karole Foreman), a mother in her early to mid 40s, and her family as they try to cope with a loss that has deeply affected Diana’s bipolar disorder. As the family continues to search for cures that would help alleviate Diana’s symptoms, they discover that each new treatment brings a new form of side effects. What keeps this story from flying off the rails into the depths of melodrama is what keeps the play’s admirers and haters pretty evenly split: its musical structure.

Through music, we are taken beyond a literal/physical reality and into the realms of Diana’s mind. The score also allows us to see parallels that exist between each of the characters’ past and present lives, a device that increases our understanding of these characters’ similarities and desires, and ultimately elevates our emotional investment in each of them. When these elements align, Next to Normal is at its most unique and transcendent. When these elements take a back seat, Next to Normal can feel like the After School Special its subject matter suggests.

Cal Rep’s current production offers a unique look at this work, with the imaginative staging, unconventional casting, and boldness of vision that I’ve come to expect from theater related to CSU Long Beach. Yet for all of this current production’s inventiveness, there is also a sense of unevenness on display here that doesn’t sink the ship by any means, but makes it take on more water than necessary.

The set by Elizabeth Smith is by far the most interesting and least literal I’ve seen created for this work. All of my online research shows that designers usually opt for some sort of mildly abstracted house, with multiple tiers or levels for the actors to perform on. Smith’s set still functions as a household, but more than that, it suggests a fractured and untamed tree. Made up of unfinished plywood boards and reaching up into the lights, the tree appears to have ripped through a small bed and continued to grow, both rupturing and supporting the bed at its center. This tree is reminiscent of a family tree, a household with the suspended bed used as a second level of the house, a literal bed, and multiple other locations and vantage points. Conceptually, this set is provocative and inspired. Unfortunately though, in the small space of the Royal Theater, the set feels a little cramped. In a theater with higher ceilings or a broader playing space, I could see this concept genuinely working, but every time I started to feel like the tree was a good idea, an actor seemed to fight off being contained or compromised by climbing on, scaling, or swinging from it, leaving me wishing for a slightly different execution of a promising conceptual idea.

Joanne Gordon’s direction is creative and at times quite invigorating, but played-out upon the set at hand. The sense of flow sometimes felt claustrophobic or, even worse, unclear. There were even a few moments when I was unsure of the action or who was talking to whom. Ultimately though, playing out this complex work in this stripped-down environment asks its audience to pay attention to what is being said and refuses to hit them over the head with too much visual symbolism or pandering sentimentality. This is a tactic I feel should be celebrated more than chastised, even if the choices made aren’t always in the musical’s best interest.

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Jarod Sheahan provides musical direction, and his stripped down band (guitar, piano and percussion) prove to be both serviceable and intimate. Ultimately however, without more amplification or a violin and cello to flush out the score, the music comes off as more thoughtful than electric.

Sound designer Cricket Myers does a good job of making sure each instrument and voice is heard, and I appreciate the choice to not over-amp voices or instruments in this intimate setting, but Next to Normal has a rock score, and without drastically amplified voices or instruments, a bit of the intensity that this piece depends on wavers.

Like everything I’ve seen so far from Cal State theatrical outlets, Next to Normal casts against type. In both The Goat and By The Bog Of Cats this proved mostly successful. Nevertheless, with this current production, I was left questioning the casting choices more than in past productions.

It is refreshing to see Karole Foreman, an extremely talented black actress and singer, as Diana, the play’s leading role. She is an inspired choice, especially after Alice Ripley’s now-famous portrayal of Diana has most play-goers thinking of the lead character as a white woman. Karole is tender and complex, and though her pipes aren’t as theatrical as Ripley’s, she makes the role her own.

Norm-436Jeff Paul is conflicted and thoughtful as Dan, Diana’s husband, and though he delivers and understated and nuanced performance, he is too old to conjure the necessary chemistry to make his and Diana’s relationship fully believable. Jeff does his best with being miscast however, and especially towards the play’s end shows a sad, tortured truth that is the core of Dan’s character.

Maddie Larson is a little too bratty and nasal as Natalie, Diana’s daughter, but it’s not enough to distance us from her character or detract from the show.
The rest of the cast does a good job at their roles and fills in the blanks with commitment and style. I just wish that the all-around vibe of the casting, especially in a drama about family, was a little more even handed and consistent.

I applaud the productions I’ve seen from Cal State for their constant dedication to outside-the-box theatricality, unconventional staging, and their dedication to casting against pre-assumed type. All theater, but especially that which is tied to an educational institution, has a responsibility to test our perceptions and push our expectations. This doesn’t mean that these choices are always successful though.

Cal Rep’s Next to Normal, in spite of any inconsistencies, is an engaging and often quite enjoyable trip to the theater. However, for the first time since I began reviewing CSULB theater, I feel like their mission to break the conventional mold serves itself a bit more than it serves the material’s best interest.

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