OGDEN — Next to Normal, a musical with music by Tom Kitt and book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, is gracing the Ziegfeld stage. The Zig is presenting the production as their ASL Deaf arts performance of the year. Directed by Colton Ward and ASL directed by Stephanie Morgan, this production serves as a beautiful reminder of the joy of disability representation in theatre as well as the magic of storytelling.
Editor’s Note: Production Photos have not yet been received by UTAJ. When they are, they will be added to this review. Photos can be provided through this form.
Next to Normal, first performed in 2008, is a play that addresses grief, suicide, depression, abuse, and family trauma and as such this show carries an R rating and many trigger warnings. Having said that, this play is also one of the few musicals that is honored to hold the Pulitzer Prize for drama. As a therapist who is also a theatre critic, I seek it out whenever I can see it. As someone who also took a few classes in sign language in college, I was also quite excited to see how Ward and Morgan chose to utilize ASL in the storytelling.
Next to Normal follows the story of Diana, played by Erika Larsen and voiced by Taylore Cahoon, a suburban mother with bipolar disorder, dealing with her teenage daughter, son, and husband. The tragedies that surround her disorder, family loss, and trauma are woven throughout the story in intricate ways. Larsen and Cahoon do a phenomenal job of becoming one character as a voice and deaf actor. It was easy to believe they were the same person, yet adding two different elements of the story.
The beauty of the song “I Miss the Mountains” which tells the story of how medication can take something away while trying to cure was more beautiful than I have ever seen it. When I was in school, I learned that ASL is a pictural language, and can be used to paint images with its movements. Larsen did this as she acted out this song, and Cahoon joined her in signing along to some of the words while singing, moving in tandem. Many of the other actors did this throughout the show in other songs, which added so much to the tapestry of this production.
Much of Next to Normal is built upon memory, trauma, and mental illness, and the projection design by Troy Martell was poignant in helping to tell this part of the story. Diana has some treatment that contributes to memory loss in the second act, and the added touch of having the projections become fuzzy as her memories were faded and fuzzy was one of the best technical choices I have ever seen on stage. The lighting design by Carson Sabin also pushed these fading projections forward, and helped with the second act number “Wish I Were Here” that also highlights the challenges of mental health and memory.
Costume design by Maria Menlove was extremely inventive, especially with the characters that had both voice and sign, because rather than being mirror images, they were often complementary, showing how each were full characters, making up distinct parts of a whole, not one without the other.
Andy Conlin, who played Dan, Diane’s strong and stalwart husband, was exceptional in his role. The job of the person who never falters in their role as caregiver is painful and thankless. Conlin’s acting embodied the quote he sang “the price of love is loss but still we pay, we love anyway.” The level of empathy I felt for his character was so immense that I felt prompted to give him my card as a therapist at the end of the show before reminding myself that this was a performance.
Shea Holt as daughter Natalie also brought new levels to the character. In the song “Everything Else”, the way Holt used ASL to build the picture of the story was magical. And similarly, “Superboy and the Invisible Girl” hit stronger than it ever has before. The challenges of being raised in a family of trauma is very nuanced to pull off on stage. Holt showed a great deal of prowess in her ability to portray this challenge, and communicate in two languages at the same time. Her chemistry and connection with Jacob Eich as Henry was also fun.
Cache Miller as Gabe and Ethan Rible as Gabe’s voice were intriguing. Gabe is one of the harder character’s in Next to Normal because for a first time attendee, the pain and emotion of “He’s Not Here” and “I’m Alive” are biting, but then seem to lose their sting on repeat viewings. The beauty of Ward’s direction and the magic of this whole cast was how I felt like I was seeing this show for the first time again, especially Gabe’s arc.
If you have not seen Next to Normal, this is a good production to see. As mentioned before, be aware of all the trigger warnings. It is not an easy watch. This show won a Pulitzer Prize for a reason, and the retelling in ASL gave it a life and a dimension that I did not know it had in it. I work with people who have bipolar, depression, and suicidal ideation every day. Mental health and awareness is important. We keep telling the story hoping that we find the cure. The price of love is loss, but we do pay. We love anyway.
MORE INFO: Next to Normal plays Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays at 7:30 PM, with Saturday matinees at 2pm through September 26th at the Ziegfeld Theater (3934 S Washington Blvd Ogden, Utah).Tickets are $26.95 (Tickets for Children 4-17, Students, and Seniors 65+ are $24.95). For more information, visit zigarts.com.
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