Laura and Samara spend their days as non-profit unicorns and fill every spare minute exploring the world of musical theatre as BFFs (that’s Broadway Friends Forever). Follow @bffs613 on Instagram and Facebook.
It’s just another day at The Gladstone as Elevator Theatre Company (ETC) wraps up their first season with the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Next to Normal. Exploring topics of mental health, grief, loss and family dynamics, it presents the story of a modern family navigating an emotional journey.
The show follows the Goodmans as they navigate their complex family dynamics and cling to the idea of being “normal”, but come face-to-face with the realities of just how far away that may be.
With an iconic and Tony-winning rock score by Tom Kitt, and book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, the emotion portrayed through the show is electrifying and incredibly powerful. It’s an ambitious undertaking that ETC takes head-on, doing justice in bringing this emotional story to Ottawa audiences.
Photo by Laura Collins
The live band visible at the back of the stage envelopes the room with this impeccable score. With minimal dialogue outside of the songs, the band carries the ups and downs of the Goodman family and connects the audience to their story. Hearing some of the well-known hits, including Just Another Day, You Don’t Know/I Am the One, Superboy and the Invisible Girl, and I’m Alive with a live band feels like the way it should be heard.
A story where the emotion is the central focus doesn’t require complex staging. ETC leverages the entire space at The Gladstone Theatre with multilevel platforms that effortlessly transition the audience from scene to scene. The layout perfectly heightens the layers of the story without overstimulating or using grandiose sets that distract from the main story being told.
The choreography and lighting further play with the set design, enhancing it to its most impactful form. Next to Normal is a show where less adds more and ETC’s set design is the perfect example of this.
Though filled with some weighty and emotional topics, Next to Normal consistently breaks tension with comedic ease. The cast each embodies the depth of their characters, seemingly effortlessly, balancing the comedic one-liners, intense and often overwhelming emotion, while bringing to life a complex and full character. Emma Woodside as Natalie and Salem Valentine as Gabe consistently left us in awe of not only their incredible vocals but the character depth and development they brought to their roles.
Photo by Laura Collins
Next to Normal shows that mental health struggles follow anything but a straight line. It is able to consecutively tell the story from the perspective of those navigating their own mental health and the journey of their loved ones around them. Each character has a different experience and ETC’s cast is able to build those individual character journeys with empathy and honesty.
As we sat in a packed theatre, hearing laughs, sniffles, tears, and lots of applause, we have no doubt that tickets are going fast for this stellar production. Things don’t wrap up with a pretty bow; instead, Next to Normal tells a story that is real, honest and stays with you. This is one not to be missed!
Next to Normal runs from May 14 to 24th at 7:30 pm. Industry night is May 19th at a reduced ticket price and there is no performance on May 20th. The show runs approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. Tickets are $48 with reduced prices available for senior, student, artist and unwaged audience members. The production contains themes and depictions of mental illness, grief, loss, trauma and medical treatment, including discussions of suicide and self-harm. It also features strong language, drug use, and moments of intense emotional distress.
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