This production is extraordinary, in every sense of the word!
By Angie Millard
Feature photo by Emil Marczuk, additional photos by Emil Marczuk and Joanna Hird
It is a rock musical dealing with mental illness and its effect on a family. A mother who lives with bipolar disorder and is haunted by her past is the central character. Her family struggles through every day and strives to live a life “next to normal.”
The show debuted on Broadway in 2010, and we have the privilege of seeing it sixteen years later.
Theatre@41 is an intimate space possibly not best suited to the relentless loud rock music, but the heart-rending sadness of the story fits the space perfectly.
Monica Frost plays the mother, Diana, with an intensity I have rarely seen on York stage. She manages to combine grief caused by the loss of a child with the terror and isolation her mental state induces.
There are amusing musical interludes and scenes with her psychiatrists burying her in a landslide of medication and intervention.
Ryan Richardson is superb in these roles and his final suggestion of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) as a solution, is accepted as reasonable by her desperate husband.
Dale Vaughan plays this difficult role with conviction, managing to show the frustration and helplessness he feels while not losing our sympathy.
Niamh Rose, as their daughter, maintains an attitude of silent suffering and teenage bravado which acts as a foil to the craziness of her home life. She carries a burden too destructive for her to bear and is supported by her boyfriend Henry (played by Fergus Green.) Despite her rejection of his help and her confused state of mind, their duets act as a soothing backdrop, bringing the tempo down after scenes of mayhem.
There is another player in this tragedy. Gabe, their son who the audience accepts as part of the family, proves to be a ghost. He is the son who died as a baby aged eight months.
This device gives the character real presence and Mathew Warry exploits that fully as the show progresses. His intervention in the scene where Diana is given ECT is a heartbreaking reminder of the destructive power of the treatment. When she returns home unable to recognise her own daughter it is the memory of her grief which potentially saves her.
There are many poignant moments reinforced by the strength of Tom Kitt’s score which also acts as an alienation technique for the audience when events become unbearable.
The director, Andrew Isherwood, the musical director, James Robert Ball, and producer/designer Robert Readman deserve congratulations for bringing this innovative musical to York. The detail of Isherwood’s direction and the power of the performer’s voices created a truly memorable show.
Next To Normal is being performed at Theatre@41, York until 4 April 2026.
Band:
Violin/synthesiser- Helen Warry
Guitar- Neil Morgan
Bass- Georgia Johnson
Drums- Joel Fergusson
Cello- Catherine Strachan