I may be prejudice, but “Next To Normal”, with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, musical staging by Sergio Trujillo and music by Tom Kitt is one of my all-time favorite Tony Award winning shows.
“Next To Normal” opened on Broadway in 2009 and was nominated for eleven 2009 Tony Awards and won three, Best Score, Best Orchestration and Best Actress in a Musical for Ms. Ripley. Just for the frosting on the cake it also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It will be playing at The Oceanside Theatre in Oceanside through May 26th.
Someone must be paying attention.
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| Danny Holmes, Melissa Fernandes and Berto Fernandez |
Family illness is at the core of this heartwarming, touching yet gut wrenching and brilliant musical, bordering on operatic (it’s considered a rock opera) proportions. With and Melissa Fernandes and Berto Fernandez in the leads, this production pulses energy throughout.
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| Melissa Fernandes, Berto Fernandez, Salema Gangani |
The story centers on Diana Goodman (Melissa Fernandes) at the heart of the Goodman family. The glue that holds it together, for better or worse, is her husband Dan (Berto Fernandez)
For eighteen years the Goodman family, for reasons you will learn when you see the play yourself, has been struggling to cope with Diana’s Bipolar disease, anxiety and the trickle down effects of a series of mental disabilities, much to the detriment of their daughter Natalie (Salima Gangani) and son Gabe, (Danny Holmes) “Super Boy and the Invisible Girl”, and husband Dan.
Melissa’s voice is vibrant, pulsating, solid and on mark. Her portrayal of Diana is heartbreaking, somewhat like an open wound that won’t heal. She is a lost soul deep in her schizophrenia with moments of lucidness that conjure both pathos and humor much to the credit of Yorkey’s lyrics.
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| Daniel Filippi, Danny Holmes, Melissa Fernandes |
Her interpretation of “I Miss The Mountains, I Miss The Pain”, where she recognizes that ‘everything is perfect, nothing is real”…and she misses her life, just about sums up her tortured and drug laden mind. It gives us insight to her agony. On the outside, she goes through the motions but just beneath the surface there is a ticking time bomb ready to explode at any moment.
No one dies of an incurable illness in “Next To Normal”. The sickness that’s paralyzing this suburban family is a silent killer because it destroys life little by little red, green and white, chewable and swallow whole pill at a time. (“Who's Crazy/My Psycho pharmacologist”).
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| Melissa and Berto |
Daniel Filippi making his Oceanside Theatre debut, is a perfect fit into this company’s rendering as one of Diana’s many psychiatrists. He has the look, the voice and the right comportment adding another dimension and a bit of comic relief to the role.
Fernandez’ Dan, who has the patience of a saint, holds on desperately to what he thought he had and what he wants (“It’s Gonna Be Good”, “Better Than Before”). His performance is brilliant, painful and heartbreaking as he struggles, barely to keep it all together unerringly one breakdown at a time. His intense singing style, his words and emotions come on strong with eagerness and hope as he makes his way through the maze of his wife’s illness. His, he relates after cleaning up from Diana’s attempt into the abyss, is just a slower suicide. (Catch Me I'm Falling"/“A Light in the Dark”).
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| Daniel Filippi and Melissa Fernandes |
Salima Gangani’s Natalie gives a near perfect portrayal of the rebellious and musically talented teenager who finally comes back to the fold, from the devil you don’t know to the devil you do know. (“Maybe/ Next to Normal”) Her soaring voice is beautiful with just the right amount truthfulness. Matching her in clarity and passion, as he moves when least expected in and out of their lives, touching them all, is Gabe (Danny Holmes), brother and son who holds the key to his families many secrets. (“I’m Alive”) His physical attributes, good looks and nimbleness give him the tools to tool around Reiko Huffman’s multi -tiered, wooden framed industrial looking set in the burbs.
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| Marion James Magtibay and Salima Gangani |
Natalie’s stoner boyfriend, 16 year old Henry, comfortably played by Marlon James Magtibay, compliment the two as a they muddle through a budding relationship (“Super For You”) floundering and coming together.
Fortunately for us director Frankie Errington, Dr. Randi Rudolph, Musical Director and Alyssa “Ajay” Junious, Movement Consultant formed the perfect troika to set into motion every step the cast took.
Kevin “Blax” Burroughs’ lighting design created a ‘light unto the world’ as most of the characters has some sort of light object either on them or were arranging tiny lights in the outline of their suburban home brought both light and darkness into this somber look at the underside of mental illness, yet always with a ray of hope at the end of the tunnel. Props and set dressings where ‘things’ were stored or kept, and arranged by McKenna Foote.
Zoë Trautmann designed the current day clothing.
In the background the five piece band with Dr. Randi Rudolph conducting and on Piano, Nikko Nobleza on Guitar, Jared Pasimio on Bass, Mike Dooley on Drums and Abigail Allwein on Violin.
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| Danny Holmes, Marion James Magtibay, Melissa, Salima Gangani and Daniel Filippi |
Staging a musical about mental illness might not be for everyone, but I would recommend this one highly. Pulling the covers over our heads is not an option for helping someone in need and someone is in need every moment of every day.
See you at the theatre.
When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; through May 24
Where: Oceanside Theatre Co. at the Brooks Theater, 217 N. Coast Highway, Oceanside
Tickets: $40
Photo: Ken Jacques
Online: oceansidetheatre.org
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