Next to Normal – Wyndham’s Theatre

Picture: Marc Brenner

Next to Normal continues at the Wyndham’s Theatre, London until 21 September 2024.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Next to Normal isn’t for everyone. It is a masterfully executed, remarkably powerful piece of theatre that will touch you deeply, but that is a large part of why it isn’t for everyone. There will likely be an avalanche of positive press and excited tweets about this show following the company’s superlative press night performance, but please engage with the show’s content advisory notices before booking those (refreshingly affordably priced) tickets.

Director Michael Longhurst’s production of this 2009 rock musical by Tom Kitt (music) and Brian Yorkey (book and lyrics) made its long-awaited UK debut at the Donmar Warehouse last year and wowed long-time fans of the show as well as newcomers. Though the piece is a decade and a half old now, its brutal take on mental health, grief, drugs and family feels even more relevant today than it must have back when its US premiere won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize.

Where lesser writers might have darkened the tone to match the seriousness of the themes, Kitt and Yorkey have no qualms about letting comedy sit alongside the tragedy. In doing so they better reflect the absurdity of dealing with mental health issues and psychiatric institutions in real life. Mental illness is not treated as a mere obstacle for a protagonist: it consumes the entire plot. It is horrific, it is funny, it is thrilling, and it is shocking.

Next to Normal presents us with four members of the Goodman family. Alongside the damage we see done to the Goodmans by matriarch Diana’s worsening bipolar disorder, we are presented with a vision of events from her perspective. As the play dives deeper and deeper into this family’s tragedy, we discover the devastating origin of their discontent.

Juxtaposing the heavy subject matter is Kitt’s glorious rock score. The poppy style has become ubiquitous in the time between this piece’s conception and its West End debut, but fortunately these songs are outstanding. Completely side-stepping that awkward music/lyric disconnect that too often occurs with co-writers, this score propels the show through mania, depression, hallucinations, drugs and love with elegance and panache. From subtly ingenious irregular time signature shifts to straightforward rocking out, Next to Normal makes a strong case that there is no subject matter that cannot be tackled – and indeed made enjoyable – by well-written musical theatre.

A story as heavy as this one requires sympathetic performances, and fortunately this small ensemble is fantastic. Broadway’s Caissie Levy gives a tour de force performance as Diana, matched ably by the superb Jamie Parker as her alternately stoic, supportive, and desperate husband Dan. No character is morally flawless in this show, but it might be Eleanor Worthington-Cox as daughter Natalie who we feel for most. She is overlooked to the point of developing issues herself, and Worthington-Cox treats us to an energetic, raw and vocally sublime performance all the way through.

Elsewhere, Trevor Dion Nicholas is positively stage-commanding as the face of Diana’s various mental health therapies, and a charming Jack Ofrecio plays Natalie’s stoner boyfriend Henry as a relatable outsider thrust into the world of this atypical family. However, if you leave the show with any one character burned into your brain, it will likely be the astounding Jack Wolfe as son Gabe. A potent performance of this play’s most tonally difficult role, and some mind-blowing musical performances too.

Throughout, subtle shifts in Chloe Lamford’s set and Lee Curran and Tal Rosner’s lighting and video projections heighten the action to dizzying heights. This small-cast show set mostly around a kitchen island could be a low-key affair, but director Michael Longhurst ensures every single component matches its stunning emotional impact. Next to Normal was a triumph at the Donmar Warehouse and rightfully received critical acclaim, but it is somehow even more of a visceral experience in the West End. Anyone sensitive to issues of mental illness, grief, drugs, etc. should check trigger warnings first, but this is an astounding and empathetic achievement of writing, acting and musical theatre.

Ian Bowkett