Next to Normal

The Goodmans seem like a perfect family. The only problem is that sometimes mother Diana is, well … a little too happy. Her husband Dan worries all the time. Her daughter Natalie seems awfully intent on getting that scholarship to Yale so she can leave home. And her son Gabe, well … that’s another story entirely. A musical about the devastating toll of mental illness on a contemporary suburban family might seem odd, but Next to Normal turned out to be one of Broadway’s biggest hits. This modern rock musical won three Tony Awards in 2009 and the Pulitzer Prize for its heartbreaking, humorous and unflinchingly authentic look at a suburban family struggling with the effects of one’ family member’s bipolar disorder. Each character’s journey is punctuated by powerful music scored by Tom Kitt (American Idiot). Featuring 30 original songs, including “Just Another Day,” “You Don’t Know” and “Superboy and the Invisible Girl,” Next to Normal is, in the words of The New York Times, “much more than a feel-good musical; it is a feel-everything musical.”