Next to Normal [Original Broadway Cast Recording]

by Charlie Alterman

Overview

"To me, Next to Normal is like an independent film," writes the musical's director, Michael Greif, in his liner notes to the original Broadway cast album, and that's a good way to think about this small-scaled show (six actors, seven musicians) that began Off-Broadway and, in truth, is closer to the kind of serious work that Off-Broadway produces rather than the lighter, larger fare that tends to play on Broadway in the early 21st century, or that, by analogy, is closer to the kind of low-budget independent film that is first seen at the Sundance Film Festival than to a big-budget Hollywood movie that opens in thousands of theaters. Actually, though, there is a place for both. Usually, you can still find one of those Sundance-type movies playing in one (small) theater of a multiplex on most weekends, just as you can still find one musical on Broadway that isn't aimed at children or tourists for whom English is a second language. Recent examples include Light in the Piazza and Spring Awakening, and like them, Next to Normal captured the Tony Award for best score. The indie film-like story is a contemporary examination of an American family in which a trauma has unbalanced the mind of the mother, leading to encounters with the prescription drugs and therapy that characterize current medical treatment for mental illness. Brian Yorkey, who wrote the book and lyrics, tells the story in vernacular language, and composer Tom Kitt sets the words to guitar-driven pop/rock in a style that's been familiar since the late '60s; it's Tommy one minute and James Taylor's greatest hits the next. The acoustic guitars and lilting piano themes come out when the singers are expressing sensitive feelings, and when they get angry the electric guitars play aggressive power chords and the drums pound. Both moods occur frequently, as the family attempts to work through its troubles. Alice Ripley (also a Tony winner for the show) leads a good cast that might have been a bit more varied vocally. (Did all four male actors have to be similar-sounding tenors? On disc, it's confusing.) Like many independent films, Next to Normal is largely a downbeat character study although, unlike most independent films, it ends with a hopeful, anthemic song, "Light," which isn't necessarily justified by the conclusion of the plot, but might be needed to send the audience out with a bit of optimism. This is not the show (or the score) for people looking for something to see after Mary Poppins and Shrek (to name two musicals on Broadway at the same time). But for musical theater fans hoping for some degree of intellectual heft and emotional maturity, it's a must-see. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	06/13/2025
Label:	Ghostlight Records
UPC:	0791558461855

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Charlie Alterman   Primary Artist,Piano,Conductor
J. Robert Spencer   Primary Artist,Vocals
Alice Ripley   Primary Artist,Vocals
'Next To Normal' Band   Primary Artist
Adam Chanler-Berat   Primary Artist,Vocals
Jennifer Damiano   Primary Artist,Vocals
Aaron Tveit   Primary Artist,Vocals
Louis Hobson   Primary Artist,Vocals
Yuiko Kamakari   Violin,Keyboards
Eric Davis   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Jennifer Lang   Cello
Randy Landau   Bass (Acoustic),Bass (Electric)
Michael Aarons   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Damien Bassman   Drums,Percussion

Technical Credits

Michael Starobin   Orchestration
Emily Grishman   Copyist
Katharine Edmonds   Copyist
Aaron Tveit   Cast,Composer
Kate Rousseau   Production Assistant
Michael Keller   Music Coordinator
David Stone   Producer,Producer
David Herman   Editing,Assistant Engineer
Louis Hobson   Cast,Composer
Noah Cormann   Associate Producer
Joey Oliva   Production Assistant
Michael Greif   Liner Notes
Joan Marcus   Photography
Brian Yorkey   Book,Composer,Lyricist
Adam Chanler-Berat   Composer
Steve Norman   Associate Producer
Jessica Disbrow Talley   Package Design
Evan Kafka   Photography
Ashley Nelson   Production Assistant
AnnMarie Milazzo   Vocal Arrangement
Alice Ripley   Composer
Kurt Deutsch   Producer
Joel Moss   Editing,Engineer,Producer
John Kilgore   Recording
Scott Hull   Mastering
Tom Kitt   Composer,Producer,Orchestration
Justin Gerrish   Assistant Engineer
Noah Cornman   Associate Producer
J. Robert Spencer   Composer
Jennifer Damiano   Cast,Composer