Bushnell Presents NEXT TO NORMAL Tour, 3/29-4/3

The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts has announced the smash hit Broadway musical and Tony and Pulitzer Prize-Winning next to normal is making its Connecticut premiere March 29-April 3, 2011 as part of The Hartford Financial Services Group Broadway Series. Ticket prices begin at $17 and are currently on sale at The Bushnell Box Office, 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, online at www.bushnell.org or by calling (860) 987-5900. Discounts for groups of 10 or more are available by calling (860) 987-5959.

Alice Ripley, who received the 2009 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance, stars in the musical's 36-week multi-city North American tour. next to normal also features Asa Somers (Dan), Curt Hansen (Gabe), Emma Hunton (Natalie), Jeremy Kushnier (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine) and Preston Sadleir (Henry).

With a thrilling contemporary score, next to normal is an emotional powerhouse of a musical about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other.

Winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three 2009 Tony Awards, next to normal features music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, musical staging by Sergio Trujillo and direction by Michael Greif. The creative team also includes Mark Wendland (set design), Jeff Mahshie (costume design), Kevin Adams (lighting design) and Brian Ronan (sound design). Musical direction is by Bryan Perri, orchestrations are by Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt and vocal arrangements are by AnnMarie Milazzo.

In 2009, next to normal was chosen as "one of the year's ten best" by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Time Out New York, New York Daily News, The Bergen Record and NY1 - more than any other musical from that season.

next to normal has had a surprising and highly unlikely route to Broadway. The musical originally opened at Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre on February 13, 2008. The producer, David Stone, who had been guiding the musical since 2005, took the unexpected step of bringing the show to Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage where it was significantly reworked, and then back to New York and to Broadway, where it opened to rave reviews on April 15, 2009. This unusual trajectory from a New York Off-Broadway premiere to an out-of-town regional theatre engagement and then back to New York is unprecedented.

Ben Brantley of The New York Times calls next to normal "a brave, breathtaking musical. A work of muscular grace and power. It is something much more than a feel-good musical; it is a feel-everything musical." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone raves, "Rock is alive and rolling like thunder in next to normal. It is the best musical of the season by a mile. Next time you think the Broadway musical is dead, head off to next to normal. It'll pin you to your seat." And Peter Marks of The Washington Post calls it "a moving, blisteringly honest, and inordinately powerful new musical. It is stocked with beautiful songs that get to the heart of the story - and simply get to the heart. next to normal strikes a blow for the American musical's future each night."

next to normal is produced by David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, and Second Stage Theatre.

The performance schedule for next to normal is as follows:

Tuesday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 31 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 1 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 2 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 3 at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

For more information about next to normal, please visit www.nexttonormal.com or www.bushnell.org.