The rock musical 鈥淣ext to Normal鈥� has an impressive record. It won three Tony Awards in 2009, including the award for Best Original Score, and it is one of only nine musicals ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (2010). It is an emotional powerhouse of a play that demands excellence in performance, and artistic director Robert Hupp has assembled a cast capable of delivering every nuanced note when 鈥淣ext to Normal鈥� begins its run at on Jan. 24.
Leading the company in the crucial role of Diana is veteran Judy McLane, whose impressive credentials include more than 4,000 performances in the long-running Broadway hit 鈥淢amma Mia!.鈥� McLane became the show鈥檚 longest running principle playing both Tanya and Donna. On Broadway, she has also appeared in 鈥淜iss of the Spider Woman,鈥� 鈥淎spects of Love鈥� and 鈥淐hess,鈥� and she earned a Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance in Theatre for her acclaimed work in the Off-Broadway production of 鈥淛ohnny Guitar.鈥�
McLane鈥檚 vocal prowess has earned her appearances with such major symphony orchestras as the National Symphony in Washington, D.C., the National Symphony of Canada and the Bolshoi Orchestra in Moscow.
Hupp believes that McLane鈥檚 extensive Broadway experience and exceptional singing ability make her an ideal choice for Diana, a wife and mother whose struggles with bipolar disorder impact her family.
鈥溾€楴ext to Normal鈥� is a story of how a smart and insightful wife and mother wrestles with inescapable mental illness and how that illness affects her caregiving husband and her teenaged daughter,鈥� Hupp explains. 鈥淭he musical鈥檚 soaring score immediately grabbed my attention, and the very real, sometimes funny and always questioning characters were achingly honest and richly complex. A rich and complex musical like 鈥楴ext to Normal鈥� demands a stellar cast. We are so fortunate to have a cast that can more than match the emotional and technical demands required of 鈥楴ext to Normal.鈥� It is thrilling to be in the rehearsal room, and I can鈥檛 wait to share this story, as performed by this amazing cast, for our audience.鈥�
With music by Tom Kitt and book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, 鈥淣ext to Normal鈥� was praised by the Pulitzer Prize jury for expanding 鈥渢he scope of subject matter for musicals.” The show began as a 10-minute workshop presentation about a woman undergoing electroconvulsive therapy and the people who tried to help her. 聽As the show expanded and developed, Kitt and Yorkey focused the narrative on the character of Diana and specified the arc of her struggle. Throughout, they researched extensively and consulted with psychologists and psychiatrists.
鈥淭om and I each have a number of people in our lives who have struggled with mental illness,鈥� Yorkey explained in an interview published on the website 鈥淰erywell.鈥� 鈥淭hey have certainly been on our minds throughout our time working on the show. We wanted to get the story right and have the medical part of it be as accurate as possible, for them and for all people who have similar struggles.鈥�
Kitt鈥檚 Tony Award-winning score is an energetic pop/rock mix that cuts straight to the heart. While sustaining the electric momentum of a rock opera, the score surprises as it ranges from music-box lyricism to twanging country-western heartbreak, capturing the jaggedness and restless questioning of the central characters.
Chief among those, in addition to Diana, are her husband, Dan, and daughter Natalie. For Dan, Hupp tapped veteran New York actor Glenn Seven Allen. Allen has appeared at Lincoln Center in 鈥淭he Light in the Piazza,鈥� 鈥淐arousel鈥� at Avery Fisher Hall (also part of PBS鈥� 鈥淕reat Performances鈥�) and 鈥淕irl Crazy鈥� as part of City Center鈥檚 鈥淓ncores!.鈥�
Sara Masterson plays Natalie, a talented musician and high school senior trying to navigate her way through her mother鈥檚 illness and her own seemingly chaotic life. In her young career, Masterson has already tackled such roles as Medium Alison in 鈥淔un Home,鈥� Anne in 鈥淎 Little Night Music鈥� and Martha in 鈥淭he Secret Garden.鈥� Hupp expects Allen and Masterson to shine in their roles.
鈥淎lthough Diana is at the center of the play, those around her face challenges no less complicated and moving,鈥� Hupp said. 鈥淭his is part of what makes 鈥楴ext to Normal鈥� so appealing. We see how the family is affected, and Glenn and Sara bring not only the necessary artistry, but great emotional depth to their work.鈥�
鈥淣ext to Normal鈥� presents a formidable challenge for any company. It is a rare creation: a musical that has the power of a moving family drama. Equally rare is the opportunity to see a production with a cast so suited to reach the show鈥檚 full potential. That cast takes to 黑料不打烊 Stage Jan. 24-Feb. 11.
Tickets are now available at , by phone at 315.443.3275 and in person at the Box Office.
About 黑料不打烊
Founded聽in 1870, 黑料不打烊 is a private international research university聽dedicated to advancing knowledge and fostering student success through teaching聽excellence,聽rigorous scholarship and interdisciplinary research. Comprising 11聽academic schools and colleges, the University has a long legacy of excellence聽in the liberal arts, sciences and聽professional disciplines that prepares聽students for the complex challenges and emerging opportunities of a rapidly聽changing world. Students enjoy the resources of a 270-acre main聽campus and聽extended campus venues in major national metropolitan hubs and across three聽continents. 黑料不打烊鈥檚 student body is among the most diverse for an聽institution of its聽kind across multiple dimensions, and students typically represent聽all 50 states and more than 100 countries. 黑料不打烊 also has a long legacy of聽supporting veterans and is home to聽the nationally recognized Institute for聽Veterans and Military Families, the first university-based institute in the聽U.S. focused on addressing the unique needs of veterans and their聽families.
