Musical realism

Next to Normal

About once a decade, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama is actually awarded to a musical. This scarcity might be because most musicals produced on Broadway seem to be lazy re-workings of bygone successes (see recent revivals of the hard-hitting Pajama Game and Pal Joey) or shameless cash-grabs based on recent movies (e.g., the towering psychological portrait Shrek). Whatever the case, while so many shows grapple with complex material like being blonde at Harvard or getting married to the tune of Abba covers, it’s refreshing when something like the Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal slips through the cracks and actually has something to say. There’s a legitimate function for light-hearted, commercially geared musical theater, but to put it charitably, the art form is rarely advanced by aiming at the wallets of the masses.

Even more exciting than the occasional socially relevant musical is the fact that Truckee Meadows Community College Performing Arts seems to have dedicated itself to bringing works like these to the local stage. Next to Normal, directed by Paul Aberasturi, is the latest entry in what’s developing into a great tradition of meaningful homegrown theater.

The show has an atypically small cast for a musical, focusing on a struggling family of four and a couple of non-relatives who enter their circle. This scope fosters an almost unprecedented intimacy by musical standards, which serves the show’s central themes of dysfunction, mental illness and loss.

Be forewarned: the mood ranges from resigned unhappiness to fragile hopefulness, hitting heights or scraping depths that are emotionally devastating. In short, look elsewhere for the next Music Man. It also may be too touchy-feely for the hardened cynics in the house. Yet for those looking to engage with something beautiful and challenging, Next to Normal could prove tailor-made. It’s universal without being trite, poignant without being manipulative. As a musical should, it employs its songs to purposefully magnify emotions and make its story more resonant.

With its heavy subject matter and emotional text, Next to Normal would crumble if handled by lesser performers. TMCC has once again filled difficult roles with actor-singers with real chops. Cori Cooper is heartbreaking as Diana, the mother and central character. Ryan Kelly imbues the father, Dan, with both strength and a vulnerability that can be—in the most complimentary way—hard to take. Adam Semus moves and sounds like a polished professional in the role of son Gabe. Shining brightest of all, though, is Megan Smith as daughter Natalie, who may be the most convincing teenage character ever written for the musical stage. Rounding things out are Jonathan Rolling and Matthew Kopicko in the non-family roles, who offer strong support and keep the plot rolling.

Most importantly, all six actors nail their vocals when the stakes are highest. TMCC’s casts are so consistently good now that they have earned high expectations. Happily, they stick the landing here. The live band also excels, serving the play without getting in the way. The production’s only real flaw is a technical one: The wireless microphones can sometimes sound muffled. Once the story takes hold, however, this problem doesn’t distract.

So why see something like this? Like it or not, there’s something cleansing and therapeutic in watching strangers battle their demons. Maybe it’s akin to watching slasher movie victims get killed and being relieved it’s not you onscreen, but I suspect it’s something more. In a famous commentary on the medium, Hamlet once upon a time lectured his hired players that theater should hold the mirror up to nature. Unless you were raised by Ward and June Cleaver, chances are that Next to Normal has something to show you.