Next to Normal at ARA Darling Quarter Theatre

Next to Normal, with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt, explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness.Winner of three 2009 Tony Awards, including Best Musical Score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize, this contemporary rock musical is an emotional powerhouse that addresses such issues as grieving a loss, ethics in modern psychiatry, and suburban life.The story centres on Diana, a suburban mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing her illness has on her family. Her husband Dan is an architect, their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens, appearing to be a typical family. And yet their lives are anything but normal.Next to Normal takes audiences into the minds and hearts of each character, presenting their family's story with love, sympathy and heart.