[NEohioPAL] Plain Dealer Review: Next to Normal "sets the bar high"

[Martin Friedman]

Lakeland Civic Theatre's intimate production of 'Next to Normal' sets the bar high (review)
 By Donald Rosenberg, The Plain DealerThe Plain Dealer
on February 11, 2013 at 5:00 PM, updated February 11, 2013 at 5:04 PM 


Musicals have always sought to entertain, but they also occasionally probe subjects that require the seamless melding of words and music to go well beneath the psychological surface. For starters, think of "Show Boat" (miscegenation), "West Side Story" (gangs), "Sweeney Todd" (revenge) and "Spring Awakening" (teenage sexuality). 
And then there's "Next to Normal," which is such a riveting exploration of mental illness that it has inspired two theaters in Northeast Ohio to present the show within weeks of one another. Later this month, the Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood will unveil a production staged by Victoria Bussert. 
The first local "Next to Normal" of 2013 sets a high standard. As directed by Martin Friedman, the Lakeland Civic Theatre's production pierces the heart of the subject and draws the audience deeply into the journey of a mother suffering from bipolar disorder. 
The show has been called a "rock musical," but it's so much more. Along with the contemporary sensibility of the book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt, "Next to Normal" embraces traditional Broadway elements and influences from the worlds of classical music and opera. It is almost completely sung, using only brief bursts of dialogue to connect the drama's emotional strands. 
The Lakeland production underlines the central issues in striking visual terms. Trad A Burns' set is a phalanx of lamps, chandeliers and overlapping lines, emblems for brain waves and the nerve endings constantly on edge in the interactions of the mother (Diana), her family, her doctors and her daughter's boyfriend. 
Diana is a haunted soul living with anguish for a reason made evident partway through Act 1 (and which won't be revealed here). Her condition has a devastating impact on her husband, Dan, who has difficulty coming to terms with his feelings, and especially Natalie, the daughter who can't understand Diana's unpredictable and cool behavior. 
The power of the show lies in its unstinting -- and, yes, entertaining -- portrayal of the impact of mental distress on everyone in Diana's purview. Yorkey's lyrics are witty and trenchant, and Kitt's resourcefulness as a composer ensures that the simmering emotions are heightened to aching effect. 
Those emotions often reached the boiling point in the national touring production of "Next to Normal" that played the Palace Theatre in PlayhouseSquare in June 2011. But seeing the show in an intimate space, such as the theater in Lakeland's Dr. Wayne L. Rodehorst Performing Arts Center, thrusts the viewer directly into the roller coaster of moods and impressions. 
At first, you wonder whether Diana is an addled mom or a housewife suffering from suburban ennui. The penetrating and clarion-voiced Amiee Collier quickly makes it clear that Diana's actions are the result of a chronic illness demanding drastic attention. Collier strikes a magnificent balance between inertia and desperation. There isn't a false note in her performance. 
Her colleagues also invest their roles with exceptional intensity and vocal vibrancy. Rick McGuigan is a model of potent empathy as Dan, whose kindness masks deep vulnerability and a penchant for deluding himself. 
As Natalie, the daughter, the dynamic Emma Wahl finds myriad ways to register frustration, dejection, acceptance and love. Ben Donahoo navigates the vicissitudes that surround Gabe, her brother, with an affecting blend of sweetness and agony. Pat Miller brings engaging tenderness to Henry, Natalie's boyfriend, and Timothy Allen nails the varying eccentricities of Diana's doctors. 
With so many bulbs turned on and off throughout the show, Burns' lighting provides apt symbolism for the journey from darkness to illumination. The final song in "Next to Normal" happens to be "Light," an anthem of hope in a musical about mental illness that is -- of all things -- exhilarating. 
 
 
REVIEW 
Next to Normal 
What: Lakeland Civic Theatre presents the musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. 
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.  
Where: Lakeland Community College, 7700 Clocktower Dr., Kirtland. 
Tickets: $15, adults; $13, seniors; $7, students. Call 440-525-7134. 
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