We're diving into the brand-new Proshot of the West End production of Next to Normal — and yes, it's a major upgrade from the original Broadway version. It deserved a Broadway run, no doubt, but this beautifully captured performance is a fantastic consolation prize.
VIDEO: NEXT TO NORMAL Performs on GMA!
This morning, Next to Normal stars Alice Ripley, Brian D'Arcy James and Kyle Dean Massey visited Good Morning America to perform "I Amthe One" from the Tony-winning score by Tom Kitt. Check out thier performance below!
As BroadwayWorld reported yesterday, Alice Ripley, who received the 2009 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Next to Normal, will play her final Broadway performance on Sunday, July 18 at 7:30p.m. Ms. Ripley will reprise her acclaimed performance in the musical's entire 36-week multi-city North American tour, launching November 23 with a six-week engagement at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, followed by confirmed engagements in San Diego, Seattle, Des Moines, Providence, Hartford, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, St. Paul, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Washington, DC, and more cities to be announced in the near future.
Brian D'Arcy James, who recently returned to Next to Normal for a limited engagement, will also give his final Broadway performance on July 18.
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. 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.
Winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three 2009 Tony Awards - Best Score, Best Actress in a Musical, and Best Orchestrations - Next to Normal features music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, 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 staging is by Sergio Trujillo and musical direction by Charlie Alterman. Orchestrations are by Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt and vocal arrangements by AnnMarie Milazzo.
In addition to Ms. Ripley and Mr. James, the musical features Kyle Dean Massey, Tony Award nominee Jennifer Damiano, Adam Chanler-Berat, and Louis Hobson.
Next to Normal is produced by David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, and Second Stage Theatre.
Next to Normal is performed at the Booth Theatre (222 West 45th street) on the following schedule: Monday at 8pm, Tuesday at 7pm, Thursday at 8pm, Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 3pm & 7:30pm. Tickets, priced $26.50 - $121.50, are available at www.Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200.
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Podcasts
The Pulitzer, Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning musical genius on the West End triumph of Next To Normal, how he penned iconic songs like I Miss The Mountains and the honour of rediscovering the journey of Diana for a 2023/24 audience, this time in the hands of tour de force storyteller, Caissie Levy.
#10 - Tom Kitt: Cooking in Hell's Kitchen (with Alicia Keys)
Tom Kitt’s got something cooking in Hell's Kitchen with Alicia Keys. The Pulitzer Prize winning composer of Next to Normal discusses working with everyone from Alanis Morrissette (Jagged Little Pill), The Go Go’s (Head Over Heel), Green Day (American Idiot), and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Bigger).
Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) on the Confidence to Share Your Artistry
In this Artist Exploration, Tom Kitt the Pulitzer Prize winner for his music in Next to Normal and MTCA Diretor Charlie Murphy discuss: How to diversify your skillset as a music theater musician. Creative process of arranging mainstream songs for theater.
Tony, Grammy, Emmy Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, orchestrator extraordinaire, and music director, Tom Kitt comes to Take A Bow this week.
NEXT TO NORMAL with Ryan Leslie Fisher
The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical NEXT TO NORMAL is the perfect way to usher us into Mental Health Awareness Month. It also provides actor Ryan Leslie Fisher with the chance to join us and discuss its groundbreaking tone, his first time seeing it (drunk tears were involved), and his own "next to normal" family.