Next to Normal at The Abbey

From an outsider’s perspective, this African-American family lives a normal suburban life. Dad helps mom around the house, the daughter is an overachieving high school student and the son has a loving relationship with his parents. However, through the eyes of the mother’s bipolar disorder and mental health struggles, the family starts to question what the actual definition of “normal” is. Is life just an illusion of beautiful memories? Or do we have to face our inner conflicts in order to gain clarity? In a new concept of this powerful rock musical, the story wrestles with the stigma around mental health in the BIPOC/black community and the effects it has on family dynamics.

Trigger Warnings: This show contains language, and themes of death, grief, drug use, sex, mental health, electroshock therapy, neglect, emotional abuse, and suicide. Due to these themes and situations, this show is not recommended for audiences under 16.

Directed by Shonn McCloud