Next to Normal – Wyndham’s Theatre – Saturday 6th July 2024

If Music Be the Food of Mental Health, Play On…

Singing is so well known now to help us access areas of emotion talking alone cannot reach, and the melodies, lyrics and vocal performances in ‘Next to Normal’ illustrate that in such a perfectly beautiful way. This is also a musical that reaches depths of psychology with revolutionary openness and honesty. It is not that other musicals don’t have poignant hidden themes, but they are so often just that, hidden in the midst of a fairytale like story. ‘Next to Normal’ is so explicit in its reality. The struggles and traumas of each character fully visible or indeed audible. Tom Kitt created the music, and Brian Yorkey the book and lyrics. ‘Just Another Day’ immediately presents us with a ‘normal’ day in the lives of Diana (Broadway & West End star and Olivier award-nominated Caissie Levy) and her family, who are husband Dan (highly experienced Jamie Parker), son Gabe (award-winner and nominated Jack Wolfe) and daughter Natalie (award-winner Eleanor Worthington-Cox). It rapidly becomes clear their normal is unboundaried chaos strongly catalysed by Diana’s bipolar disorder and, as we gradually discover trauma. They are all trying to manage the impact of that on them individually and the family dynamics in a wonderfully dysfunctional way. As we are introduced to the potential drug-treatment for Diana, with her psychopharmacologist played by yet-another award-winning performer Trevor Dion Nicholas, we enjoy the complications and humour of all the different medications and what might go with what or what might counteract what and the entire cast join in ‘Who’s Crazy/Psychopharmacologist and I’. There is just one other cast member – Jack Ofrecio, who plays ADHD-owning Henry, who is hoping to form a relationship with Natalie. As the production progresses, we also see Diana try psychotherapy (with her rock star therapist also played by Trevor Dion Nicholas) and dramatically too ECT. A link in the theatre programme provides resources of information and support in connection with ‘ApplauseForThought’ for anyone affected by the themes or content in the production. Weirdly, maybe, I was not. I fully recognised how good and powerful the story and performances were, and how ‘true’ they also were to the disorders, traumas, actings out, and all sorts else involved in all the characters journeys through the play. In addition, how open and emotionally connected the performers were with the audience – I appreciated all that, but with a sense of detachment, or as though I was a supervisor feeling empathy for everyone involved, but not falling into the pit. To be fair to myself, it was a kind of busman’s holiday – my day job is as a psychotherapist and I have experience of the whole kaboodle of the issues, which the piece explored, both professionally and personally.

Ironically, though, it was in peer supervision, when asked if the production did justice to bipolar, I felt cold chills going through my body, and the tears started welling-up. Yes, all so true to my experiences with Mum, her mental health challenges and their impact on me. I immediately heard Gabe & Natalie’s song ‘Superboy and the Invisible Girl’ in my head, and thought about how things had been with me and my brother. I won’t spoil this story by explaining why Gabe was ‘Superboy’, but my perception as a child was that my brother got far more attention, and was elevated into being more interesting and enjoyable to be around than myself. On his side there were reasons I won’t go into – on mine, I certainly did feel like ‘The Invisible Girl’ – unseen as everybody else was too occupied with their own concerns, yet also deliberately hyper-good so as not to attract any attention – hiding all within myself… and also, as I didn’t realise then, being the ‘blank screen’ therapist for Mum. All that has been processed in therapy and counselling training, but it does not make me immune from being triggered and that’s all ok – just heals another part of my herstory by revisiting it.

Having said that, for me, only a fraction of the whole range that bipolar can present was explored in the play. Diana lacked the extreme anger and hostility than can be exhibited, and, unlike my Mum, didn’t spend vast amounts of time hiding away in bed. But then that would make for a very boring experience for the audience watching! Then again would be a little like watching that first reality TV – ‘Big Brother’ – at night when everyone was asleep in bed 😉 I feel I did get most from witnessing Natalie’s story and how her attempts at relating with Henry, reflected – at times on stage literally – interactions between her parents Diana and Dan. I feel there are ever so many nuances in this production, and it would take several watches to take everything in. I may well try to go again, or at least listen to and study the lyrics and the music several times more 😊

My Mum was very resistant to psychotherapy and sadly in the main drugs actually made her worse. You’ll have to go see this musical to see if the same is true for Diana. Happily, for Mum her mental health improved vastly in later life, and she and I became closer as we healed the distance between us caused by the negative aspects of her bipolar. She even grew to respect psychotherapy after she asked me ‘Does it actually help’ and I replied ‘Yes, for some people, it really does’ 😊 Ultimately Diana does want to give Natalie a normal life, but she realises she has no idea what that is… As Natalie replies, ‘I don’t need a life that’s normal, that’s way too far away, but something Next to Normal would be ok, yes, something Next to Normal, that’s the thing I’d like to try, close enough to normal to get by…’

‘Next to Normal’ is way far away from being a ‘Normal’ Musical. It is Outstandingly Super-Visible, High-Flying, Gloriously Alive, Essential as Air <3 NextToNormal – Review by TheRestrictedReviewer © 2024