"Next to Normal" is not your mother's musical.
It's a rock musical, for one thing. And it's about mental illness, for goodness' sake.
The songs speak of loneliness, desperation, frustration and alienation. No feel-good score here.
And yet, it is amazingly hopeful.
Arizona Theatre Company opened its season with the musical Friday, and we have this to say about it:
Do. Not. Miss. It.
"Next to Normal," directed by David Ira Goldstein, is breathtaking, heartbreaking, uplifting, devastating.
The musical is the story of a family as it tries to understand, cope with and survive mental illness.
It is a joy to experience the pain and the hope wrapped up in this musical - to walk out of the theater and know that what you have just seen means something, says something and does it without an iota of pretension.
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A solid book and score are the key reasons for this, but members of the ATC cast seem born to play their roles:
Kendra Kassebaum gives aching honesty to the bi-polar Diana, the family matriarch. She is a woman who whips from manic housecleaning to deep desperation. Kassebaum's voice rocks out on the songs, but never once loses the vulnerability, the rawness, that mark her character.
Joe Cassidy is Dan, Diana's long-suffering husband. This is a very difficult role - Dan is a milquetoast character by design. Yet Cassidy gives him strong definition and a deep humanity.
Andrea Ross' Natalie, Dan and Diana's daughter, is a self-absorbed teen, an angry daughter, a confused child, a troubled girlfriend and a big-hearted young woman. Ross nails the character, making her angst palpable and sympathetic.
A.J. Holmes plays the geeky Henry with true-to-character clumsiness; Jonathan Shew makes real the handsome teen with a menacing streak; and Mark Farrell beautifully portrays two psychiatrists, one an oblivious pill-pusher, and another who genuinely seems to care about his patient.
To the person, the singing is pristine, allowing the audience to clearly understand the smart, emotion-charged lyrics. They are backed up by a solid six-piece band led by Christopher McGovern.
Goldstein allows this production to breathe without ever dragging it down, and sees to it that the humor - and there is much of it - as well as the actors' movements and intentions are all organic.
John Ezell's two-story outline of a house framed by broken glass is a marvel. It seamlessly transforms from a living room to a kitchen to a school to a doctor's office with just lighting changes and a few furniture pieces.
The entire production serves the story and underscores its intent to shine a light on the deep despair that infects everyone with and around mental illness while leaving the audience with a sense of optimism.
"Next to Normal," which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2010 and racked up a slew of Tony nominations (and won three), is a moving powerful piece. This ATC production honors that and sees to it that its potential to thrill, provoke and resonate is fully realized.
Review
• What: Arizona Theatre Company's production of "Next to Normal."
• By: Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt.
• Director: David Ira Goldstein.
• When: Various times through Oct. 6.
• Where: Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave.
• Tickets: $32-$89.
• Reservations, information: arizonatheatre.org or 622-2823.
• Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes, with one intermission.
