“Funny” and “dynamic” are not adjectives that spring to mind when describing any artistic work describing mental illness. Yet they are apt descriptions of “Next to Normal,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical at the Kennedy Center that deals with the suffering of Diana Goodman (Alice Ripley) as she struggles to live with bipolar disorder. It is precisely the contrast between the seriousness of the topic and the lively, spontaneous tone of the writing that accounts for much of the appeal of “Next to Normal.” With a vibrant score by composer Tom Kitt and clever book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey (how many lyricists will ever rhyme “sociopath” with “Sylvia Plath”?), “Normal” succeeds at finding a moving musical equivalent to the roller coaster of Diana’s life.
The show is Ripley’s in two respects. As an actress, Ripley embodies the state of being “near” rather than “totally” normal, in her actions, her movements, her instincts, even her facial expressions. There are moments when she has an otherworldly smile on her face, no matter what is happening, as if she observes the world from a distance, bemused.
| Onstage |
| ‘Next to Normal’ |
| Where: Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW |
| When: 7:30 p.m. every night; 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; through Sunday |
| Info: Tickets begin at $37; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org |
As a singer, Ripley also illustrates that off-center state as she slides up just under the notes in Kitt’s electrifying score, a constant reminder that her life is distorted, blurred by the mental illness that plagues her and by the pills and treatments designed to “cure” that illness.
But although Ripley is central to “Normal,” this is an ensemble show, based on the assumption that if one person in a family has bipolar disorder, the entire family is involved with it. Everyone suffers: Diana’s devoted husband, Dan (Asa Somers), her fearful and frustrated daughter, Natalie (Emma Hunton), her beloved son (Curt Hansen).
Also drawn into the complex web of Diana’s life are Natalie’s sweet and faithful boyfriend (Preston Sadleir) and Diana’s two doctors, both played by the versatile Jeremy Kushnier. The entire cast is top-notch, brilliantly lighting up Diana’s plight in every musical number.
“Next to Normal” is a new kind of musical, willing to tackle a complex social problem through an intensely personal lens. And this production of it, under the provocative direction of Michael Greif, does not try to sugarcoat its message. In its finely drawn portraits of the people close to Diana and of Diana’s refusal to be defined by her sickness, this “Next to Normal” suggests new adjectives: “unromanticized,” “illuminating,” and “brave.”
