CVRep has raised the already-high bar they have set even higher with a brilliant and thoroughly engrossing production of Brian Yorkey’s and Tom Kitt’s “NEXT TO NORMAL.”
The show centers on Diana (Bligh Voth) who has become severely bipolar after the traumatic death of her infant son, Gabe. Rather than accepting his death, Diana has continued to see him as a living person who is now a teenager, achingly portrayed by Tyler McCall. But rather than focus solely on her illness, the show’s real core is about examining the effect her illness has on her family. Her long-suffering husband, Dan (Eric Kunze), tries to keep the family together even when Diana’s behavior reaches extremes. Her daughter, Natalie (Maya Jade Frank), desperately craves the love her mother was not often able to give her, while she herself finds it hard to accept the love her boyfriend, Henry (Henry Crater) wants to bestow on her. After various doctors and pill-based treatments, Diana agrees to see Dr. Madden (Patrick Wallace) who believes in other forms oftreatment including Hypnotherapy and Electro-Shock treatment.
Adam Karstan has brilliantly directed a radiant cast. Every performance is strong and each performer has their moment to shine. As Diana, Ms. Voth gives a tour-de-force performance. Whether lost in a memory or defiant in spirit, she deftly moves between archly comic to heartbreakingly lost, in a performance that is hard to forget.
Mr. McCall’s moving performance as the imagined teenage son is topped by his rendition of “I’m Alive.” As Natalie, Ms. Frank scores with her delivery of “Superboy and the Invisible Girl.” Mr. Kunze, as Diana’s husband Dan, touches the heart as we see the pain he is suffering while trying to maintain an “everything will be okay” front for his family to hold onto.
Jimmy Cuomo’s elegantly simple, abstract scenic design and Moira Wilkie’s ephemeral lighting make for a perfect setting to explore Diana’s illusionary world.
If you appreciate good theatre, this is truly a must-see production of this Tony-winning musical. ‘NEXT TO NORMAL” plays through November 24, 2024 at CVRep in Cathedral City. For tickets or more information visit their website at www.cvrep.org