It’s been a season of risk-taking at Playhouse on the Square and The Circuit Playhouse. From puppet sex (Avenue Q) to the use of vibrators to treat “hysterical” women in the early 1900s (In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play), the company has delivered shows that challenge the notion of what is acceptable for a stage play. The next show to open at Playhouse on the Square is no exception. Next to Normal is the Tony award-winning musical about a suburban mother who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The story is about the effect that her illness and her attempts at treatment have on her family. Ultimately, they get to the heart of what has pushed her over the edge in the first place in a gripping and beautifully honest conclusion. If it doesn’t sound like the typical bouncy, happy musical, it’s not. But while it sounds heavy, it’s laced with the kind of raw, relatable humor that can only come from characters who are at their wit’s end—the kind of humor that comes with an explicit theatre advisory.
Next to Normal is also unique for its critically acclaimed musical score. Its 30 original songs are, at times, playful and, at other times, infused with rock and lyrics that are smart and unapologetically direct. You’ll know exactly who these characters are by the end of the first song.
Next to Normal's strong cast includes David Foster (Ragtime; Santaland Diaries), Leah Bray Nichols (August: Osage County), Ben Laxton and Kelsey Hopkins, who were the leads in Avenue Q, Seth Grugle, a visiting artist, and Corbin Williams, a Rhodes student who made his Playhouse on the Square debut in Footloose.
Next to Normal runs January 20 – February 12 at Playhouse on the Square, which is located at 66 S. Cooper Street. Tickets are only $20 during opening weekend (January 20-22) and the Pay-What-You-Can performance is Thursday, January 26.
For more information, call 901-726-4656 or visit POTS's web site.
