Back in the mezzanine

[skynyc]

Hi folks

I haven't been to a show in quite a while...combination summer, and dealing with APS...Aging Parent Syndrome.

At any rate, tonight I revisited Next to Normal, with the new cast starring married-in-real-life couple Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley. Wow. I did get to see Alice Ripley do it with Brian D'Arcy James at Second Stage, and then again on Broadway with J. Robert Spencer. It was electric, and Ripley deservedly won a Tony. (To my mind.)

 

A couple of weeks ago, Brantley re-reviewed this show with Marin and Jason and while still loving the show didn't rave about it's new stars. Well, I hope to rectify that now...sort of.

 

Alice was incredible. One couldn't take one's eyes off her...and because of that, some of the normalcy of the show was lost. One got the impression that if you saw this woman in public, you would immediately see that she wasn't "quite right". She looked a little too haunted, a little too nervous, acted a bit frenetic, seemed almost dazed. Ms. Mazzie is almost too close to Normal. Her performance is so taut and nuanced, that you almost don't feel bad for her. At one point I wanted to shout "Oh, for God's sake, just get over it." With Ripley, you knew that the damage was so great that it wasn't an option, with Mazzie, it seemed possible. Almost like someone you worked with, smiled at after seeing at the grocery for the oompteenth time, etc.

 

And of course there is that voice.... Ripley, who is a Broadway star, but also fronts a rock band sings with every fiber of her being...and MY throat was raw at the end of the evening. Her pitch wasn't perfect, but her intensity was amazing. Mazzie is in spectacular voice. The notes are clarion clear, and shoot right for the heart, the score has never been sung so adoringly. Her duets with Danieley and Meghann Fehy (playing her daughter Natalie) are amazing. I almost wish they'd record it again.

 

There was a very interesting article in the NYT last week about replacements:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/theater/26replace.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Well, I saw most replacements mentioned by Mr. Isherwood, and this rates up there with the best of them.

 

This show is often on TDF and you cannot beat the price of $40. My seat tonight was on the side, but in the 9th row. Just marvelous. If you haven't seen it, treat yourself to a devastating evening of theater. If you saw it with Ripley and Spencer, allow it to affect you in a whole new way.

 

Have a good weekend, and don't forget to spend some time in the mezz.

[jimbeaux]

Marin Mazzie is incredible, and while she does seem closer to normal than Ripley, that is often the case with persons afflicted with bipolar disorder. My mother went to the supermarket, church, was even a cub scout den mother - but then there were those other times (oy, nobody knows the trouble I've seen). I can't get Next to Normal out of my mind. I thought I was again 15 years old experiencing the ravages of mental illness. Someone I know left at intermission asserting he doesn't go to the theater to be depressed. Well, neither do I. I felt/feel liberated and, dare I say, incredibly entertained.

[jimbeaux]

The show closes January 16th. I have my ticket for upfront closing night. The tour starts later this month. If it comes to your city, you should definitely see it. It's a blueprint in how to put together a relevant and entertaining musical experience.

[jackhammer91406]

...... If it comes to your city, you should definitely see it......

 

I have tickets as part of my season package when it comes to Los Angeles. I am looking forward to it.