Next to Next to Normal

I spent this past Saturday day-tripping in Philadelphia.  My reason for going there: to see Alice Ripley in the Next to Normal national tour at the Academy of Music.  I had previously seen the show on Broadway six times, four with Alice Ripley in the lead role of Diana Goodman.  If you've seen or heard any of Alice's work (especially in Next to Normal for which she won a Tony for Best Actress), you'll understand why a two hour trip to Philly is perfectly reasonable.  She has a brilliantly powerful voice with a completely unique timbre that perfectly suits her character.

courtesy of Amazon.com

Next to Normal, as Ben Brantley from The New York Times described it in his review is "something much more than a feel-good musical: it is a feel-everything musical."  The score by Tom Kitt is absolutely amazing in its ability to cross genres from rock to pop to folk.  The story itself is something truly unique to Broadway.  It's about a mother coping with mental illness and its effects on her family.  From that description, sounds like a real crowd pleaser, doesn't it?  

In all truth, I think Next to Normal one of the best new musicals I've ever seen (and completely deserving of its Pulitzer win).  So of course I was extremely excited to see it one last time in Philly.  Quite honestly, I was expecting Alice Ripley to carry the show on her shoulders while surrounded by a so-so supporting cast.  To my surprise, the supporting cast was much better than expected.  Good voices.  Good acting all around.  However, Alice's performance in Philadelphia did not live up to her past greatness.  There was more scream singing.  There were larger, wilder gesticulations.  In two plus years of performing the same role, Alice Ripley seems to have lost some of the subtlety that made her so amazing on Broadway. 

 I would like to give Alice the benefit of the doubt.  Perhaps she was having an "off" day.  Other audience members postulated that she was sick.  I'm not convinced of that.  My best explanation is that a show so intense and personal as Next to Normal just doesn't translate to larger venues like the Academy of Music.

There's a scene towards the end of the show where Diana explains to her daughter Natalie that she only wanted a normal life for her.  Natalie's response:  "I don't need a life that's normal / That's way too far away/ But something next to normal / Would be okay."

This is how I would describe the performance in Philly.  Passably close to, but not equaling, the quality and the feeling of the original Broadway production.  It's something next to Next to Normal.  For the majority of the audience, this was close enough.  They thoroughly enjoyed the show.  I guess because I'm such an NtN fan, I feel entitled to be a picky asshole.  For me, something next to Next to Normal truly was just "okay."  Don't get me wrong, I still love this show, and I'm glad I got to see it one last time, but I think I'll stick to the OBCR to relive the power and feeling of the original Broadway production.