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Regional Reviews: Florida - Southern Next to Normal
Next To Normal is the story of a housewife and mother named Diana (Sharyn Peoples) struggling with bipolar disorder, and the effect that this illness has on her family. A traumatic loss sixteen years earlier is the seeming catalyst for her condition. Now she is tormented by an image from the past. She struggles mightily in her quest for mental health and happiness, but therapy and medication at the hands of her doctors (Clay Cartland) have no genuine lasting effect for her. Her loving husband Dan (Matthew Korinko) and her over-achiever teenage daughter Natalie (Anne Chamberlain) are victims of her struggle as well. For years, Diana has vacillated between fragile and volatile, and she is one moment lucid and the next delusional. Her husband is forced to be more of a parental caretaker than a marital partner, and Natalie is painfully aware of the emotional disconnect between her and her mother. The uncertainty of what dysfunction each new day may bring wears on the minds, and hearts and spirits of a family that merely craves to be, if not normal, then at least next to normal. Thankfully, director Patrick Fitzwater has lent as much hopefulness to this tale as possible. A beautifully designed set of the family home is painted in crisp white with red accents and is cleanly lit. He has avoided lighting the set with pools of darkness or creating shadows that would only make the mood of the show more oppressive. There were scattered moments of microphone issues at the show attended, surprising for a theatre that is so consistently good with their sound. Though there are no memorable melodies or tunes the audience will leave the theatre humming, the six-piece group of musicians, led by music director Manny Schvartzman, does an outstanding job of playing this difficult score. The violin and cello parts are especially lovely, and add graceful lines to poignant musical moments. Sharyn Peoples evokes sympathy and angst as Diana. She struggles with some moments in songs that sit at the bottom of her head voice rather than the top of her chest voice. Though these are big emotional moments that should be matched with a forte sound, the meat of her voice does not align with these points. Still, she does a good job with an exhausting role. Matthew Korinko has a nice, understated warmth as Diana's husband Dan, though his singing voice doesn't always sound at home with this style of music. Bruno Vida is both interesting and compelling as Gabe. His singing voice is spot on, and he addresses his character's needs with an admirably clarity. His sound when matched with Anne Chamberlain (Natalie) is the best in the show. Chamberlain has effectively modified her singing voice from its usual round loveliness to a more youthful, forward placement to capture the sound of 16-year-old Natalie. She is really quite convincing at playing a role several years her junior without being presentational. Clay Cartland is enjoyable as Diana's kind but appropriately distant doctor, attempting to escort her through her journey to mental health. He captures the cautiously optimistic diplomacy of a mental health professional dealing with the trial and error nature of this branch of medicine. Jason Edelstein is serviceable though a tad bland as Natalie's boyfriend Henry. He needs to bring a bit of an edge or quirkiness to his character to make him more intriguing in the beginning. Next To Normal is not standard musical theatre fare. The dark and disturbing nature of the storyline may rule this show out as a viable choice for a family outing or date night. The draining quest for sound mental health and emotional stability remains largely unfulfilled. As depressing as this may be, Next To Normal succeeds in wringing empathy from the audience, effectively creating a memorable if disturbing theatrical experience. The end of the show gives us a ray of hope to which to hold fast. The most memorable moment is remorseful Diana, finally reaching out to Natalie—wiping a tear from her daughter's eye as she wishes for the kind of family life that has always eluded her. As the cast gives subtle, smiling visual acknowledgements of one another during the song "Light," and the music and set seem to brighten just a bit, it is enough of a positive message to leave us focused on the beauty of this production of the show. This Slow Burn Theatre production of Next To Normal will be appearing through November 2, 2013, at the West Boca Performing Arts Center on the campus of West Boca High School, at 12811 West Glades Rd. in Boca Raton (3.5 miles west of 441). They will also be performing the show November 7-10, 2013 at the Aventura Cultural Arts Center located at 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura, FL. The Slow Burn Theatre Company is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) professional theatre company hiring local actors and actresses. They are committed to bringing high-quality contemporary musical theatre to South Florida, and proving that modern Broadway can rock. The company also offers technical internships to local students, providing them with professional experience. For tickets to the production dates in Boca Raton, FL please call 866-811-4111. For tickets to the production dates in Aventura, FL please call 877-311-7469. For more information on Slow Burn you may contact them on line at www.slowburntheatre.com . Cast: Crew:
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