SALT LAKE CITY — There are only ten musicals that have won the coveted Pulitzer prize for drama. As a practicing therapist, when I learned that Hart Theater Company would be producing Next to Normal, I jumped at the chance to see it. The production opened on Broadway in 2009, winning many awards, including the 2010 Pulitzer prize. With a book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt, directed here by Chase Ramsey, the story centers around Diana, played by Natalia Noble, a mother with bipolar disorder. Diana’s husband Dan, played by Benjamin Henderson and their daughter, Natalie, played by Sam Torres, navigate the difficulty of dealing with a wife and mother coping with mental illness. Because Diana is depicted as having bipolar disorder with psychotic features, we also have the character of Gabe, her son, played by Joseph Paul Branca, who is not exactly as he seems. Rounding out the cast are Jacob Ericksen as Natalie’s love interest, Henry, and Cameron Sol as Dr. Madden.
There is much to praise about Hart’s production. The first and most important was the music, directed by Nicholas Maughan, who also served as the Conductor and pianist for the live pit. What a pleasure it was to see a six person pit, matching the number of people on stage. With a score and orchestrations that have garnered many awards and accolades, seeing this with live musicians was impeccable. The addition that they give cannot be overstated. When combined with the fantastic lighting and sound design, by Michael Gray and Grace Heinz, the technical elements of this show were far above and beyond what is expected from a 30-dollar ticket. Where this was showcased best was in the visuals and sounds for electric shock therapy or ECT.
In my chosen daytime profession, the treatments for mental illness such as bipolar are not as strong as we would like, and as is depicted in the production, clients can cycle through a confusing number of options. When a client gets to the point that ECT might be the best option, a lot of fear and trepidation on the part of the family, the client, and even the clinician exist.
The opening of act two, “Wish I Were Here”, combines the lighting in an ECT treatment with an active hallucination and a teenage drug trip. The music and lighting were further complimented by superb acting by Noble and Torres, showing different levels of control and lack thereof, a very complex balance of the emotional dance that is mental illness and the ripple effects that it is. The lighting and the music amplified the fear and stress. It was impressive to see both the mother and daughter show how different the highs were, and how each would be responding in different ways because of their choices. Both Torres and Noble played their parts well.
Hart Theater Company’s production of “Next to Normal” closes March 23.
Speaking of the ripple effects of mental illness, this was displayed in the most loving and haunting way by Henderson as the loyal husband and father. Even though I have seen Next to Normal before, I was never quite so struck by this character as much as I was by Henderson’s performance. His way of trying to connect with Diana in “I’ve Been” showed a deep level of understanding of what it is like to be the caregiver of someone with mental illness, and Henderson also showed strong levels of compassion and empathy in all of his interactions with Noble on stage. This made the pain and transitions that happen with his character at the end all the more visceral.
Branca as Gabe has one of the most difficult roles of the show. The character needs to deliver some of the more difficult vocal performances as well as emotional challenges. The balance achieved between Branca and Noble, especially in the end of act one, a pivotal and potentially triggering moment in the story, was handled with delicacy. Noble’s Diana was magnificent. This may be one of the hardest roles for an actress to play. As a therapist, when I am finished with a difficult day of clients, I have a routine to relax myself from trauma. I cannot imagine the challenge of taking on the trauma of playing this role in such an accurate fashion. The entire cast deserves to be commended for the way they have seriously and delicately taken on these stories.
With a story that is only 16 years old, there has still been a lot of change in the mental health world. Instead of ECT treatment, Diana may have instead been sent to ketamine treatment for treatment resistant bipolar. However, when Sol as Dr. Madden spoke about how medicine isn’t perfect, but it is all we have, I felt that in my soul. I appreciated that it felt that Sol built a character that seemed to truly want to help Diana change, because that is how most mental health care professionals feel. The challenge is that, as this show portrays, there is so much we do not know, and we struggle to find the best ways to help. What I love is telling the stories, and hearing the hope of a new day, a new connection, a new chance. It was summed up well in the quote from the show “the price of love is loss but still we pay, we love anyway.” This show was difficult to watch, not because the cast did not do well, but precisely because of how excellent they were at telling the story.
