Next to Normal at Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

Next to Normal explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness. Dad's an architect; Mom rushes to pack lunches and pour cereal; their daughter and son are bright, appearing to be a typical American family. And yet their lives are anything but normal because the mother has been battling bipolar disorder for 16 years. This deeply moving piece of theatre has an emotional pop/rock powerhouse score and takes audiences into the minds and hearts of each character, presenting their family's story with love, sympathy and heart.

Winner of three Tony Awards, including Best Musical Score and the Pulitzer Prize, Next to Normal was also chosen as "one of the year's ten best shows" by critics around the country, including The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone and The New York Times.