Next to Normal at Gallery Players

[Melissa25]

Posted: 9/14/14 at 9:52am

I am still nursing my emotional hangover after seeing Next to Normal last night which opened at Gallery Players in Brooklyn. What a powerful evening of musical theater. All performances were outstanding. The house was packed. Recommended.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 9/14/14 at 10:25am

Glad to hear that it was well done. I saw it on Broadway a short time after it opened and loved it.

[dave1606]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 9:12pm

I saw Next to Normal yesterday. I was a huge fan of the show, ever since seeing it off-Broadway. I saw it quite a few times on Broadway, and even caught the tour and Pearl Sun. I don't think there are many shows that had quite an effect on me as this one.

Even a few years later, the show still has quite an emotional punch. The material is quite strong, and really holds up well.

This production, is a respectful version of the show. It is paired down for the space, and for the most part works well.

I was generally very impressed with Carmen Napier, who channels Alice Ripley, quite a bit, but also makes it her own. She really shined in Act 2.

The men in the production are not quite as successful. Chris Caron's Dan is the strongest vocally of the group, but is giving a performance that is almost in a vacuum of the rest of the cast. Luke hoback as Gabe also has a great voice and does the Aaron Tveit falsetto, very well, but lacks the charisma that Aaron and Kyle Dean Massey brought to the part.

I don't want to get too critical, because this is a very ambitious choice for a small theater company like this, and in my mind for the most part they were successful. In the end I was just grateful to be able to see this show again, and the last twenty minutes yet again had me in tears.

For a $18 ticket (or a $9 one if you can snag the TDF deal) I would highly recommend checking it out.

[brdway411]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 1:08am

i was there this afternoon. This is one of my favorite shows. I was a little disappointed with some of the casting choices and the sound design of the show. But, yes, if you like the show and can catch it for $9 go see it. N2N holds up well.