REVIEW: MTC delivers extraordinarily powerful musical with "Next to Normal"

Mental illness in an otherwise "normal" suburban family might sound like strange subject matter for musical theatre, and it is - but the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre's production of Next to Normal surprises with its depth, intelligence, and style in tackling a topic most of us avoid talking about.

—Joff Schmidt, Theatre Reviewer

Perhaps it's a bit of a bleak joke to attempt to describe any family as "normal." But in the rock opera Next to Normal, the Goodman family has compelling reasons to think that reaching "next to normal" might be as good as it gets.

That's because in addition to the "normal" family dysfunctions - precocious teens, a fight against becoming boring suburbanites, and an unhealthy preoccupation with perfection - the Goodmans have to deal with the bipolar disorder that afflicts family matriarch Diana (played by local favourite Jennifer Lyon).

Mental illness in an otherwise "normal" suburban family might sound like strange subject matter for musical theatre, and it is - but the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre's production of Next to Normal surprises with its depth, intelligence, and style in tackling a topic most of us avoid talking about.

The Goodmans seem average enough when we meet them - mom Diana frets over her son Gabe (Liam Tobin), neglects her daughter Natalie (Steffi DiDomenicantonio), and cracks wise about how dull her husband Dan (Shawn Wright) is. But it's not long before we realize how profoundly mentally ill Diana is, and the rest of 140-minute production centres around her attempts to reach "normal" - and how her family copes with the trials along the way.

And yes, it's all set to music. Odd as that sounds, it works thanks to to smart writing from lyricist Brian Yorkey, whose book is peppered with streaks of dark humour, and some bizarre moments that are laugh out loud funny - although it may feel a bit wrong to laugh at them (for example, Diana's psychotic flashes of fantasy where she pictures her "rock star" psychiatrist - played by Peter Deiwick - as a literal, Jaggeresque rock star). It also offers up characters who are entirely relatable in their complexity, and a take on mental illness that is neither judgmental nor sentimental, but brutally frank. Its conclusion that "next to normal" might be the best-case scenario is not an easy or pat one, but it is satisfying in its honesty.

Tom Kitt's Tony-winning score is the spoonful of sugar that helps this medicine go down. It ranges from solid rock-tinged numbers like the opener, "Just Another Day," to playfully funny songs like "My Psychopharmacologist and I," to genuinely moving ballads like "He's Not Here." The cast (rounded out by Jonathan Cullen as Natalie's boyfriend, Henry) deliver the music powerfully (backed by a fine six-piece band, led by Bob Foster). Lyon, who has a clear, strong voice, has some standout moments (her solo ballad "I Miss the Mountains" is one of the show's highlights), although both she and Wright showed occasional signs of straining in the higher ranges of some of their numbers on opening night. As Gabe, Tobin is the vocal star of this production - he belts out tunes like "I'm Alive" with an arresting intensity.

Director Robb Paterson's production hits all the right notes with its compelling mix of humour and drama. His team delivers a remarkably stylish production as well - Douglas Paraschuk's bare metal scaffolding set, which evokes the skeleton of a house, is striking, and boldly lit by Scott Henderson.

Next to Normal may not be normal musical theatre. But "normal" is overrated - while this Pulitzer Prize winning musical is not.

Joff Schmidt, CBC Theatre Reviewer