Comments: Broadway review roundup for 'Next to Normal' musical
I have been happily (well, most of the time) attending Broadway and off-Broadway plays since the 1950s. Judging from my stack of collected Playbills, I estimate having seen about seventy musicals over the years, some more than once. I was born and raised in NYC, and consider myself reasonably cultured, and certainly open to new, contemporary and compelling theater.
That said, I would like to review Next to Normal very succinctly: this was without a doubt the worst travesty to muck up a Broadway stage that I have ever seen. Leaving the theater dumbfounded and angry, I was almost compelled to run to the local police precinct to report a robbery (of the price I paid for tickets). Let me also mention that I went to this play with a group of six equally cultured and experienced theatergoers, and the feeling was unanimous. We were all astonished by the fact that anyone in his right mind could find any saving graces among the plethora of this show's failures.
Some topics simply don't merit being a musical unless the quality of the music, lyrics, performances, staging, choreography and direction can present the story in an ultimately pleasing and entertaining manner. "Rent," of course, accomplished this with flying colors. There was hope, excitement, emotion and all the wonderful performances of its youthful cast that made it such a great show. NTN had none of those qualities. What is did have was formless, forgetful and formulaic music, forced and oftentimes ridiculous lyrics, screeching instead of singing, wooden (and I'm being kind here) acting, staging apparently created by someone who specializes in either marching bands or storefront mannequin displays, and most of all, a story that reeks of hopelessness, despair, tragedy, pain and suffering, all presented somehow without affect or passion. Yes, it's a fun night out to watch the end of Act One with mommy on a gurney awaiting shock therapy amidst something pretending to be music and lyrics.
I had long thought that another Broadway travesty, "Mourning Pictures," another sparkling songfest about a woman dying of cancer, ranked as the worst of my theater experiences, but by one or two points, Next to Normal has usurped that role.
I need to reiterate that the topic alone is not the sole cause for my negative review. This is simply an endeavor that does not work, and certainly isn't supported by enough talent or creativity to fill up a Broadway stage. The storyline in musical theater can indeed be tragic; great operas have been doing this for centuries, and more recently, Broadway theater as well. This bomb, however, is simply tragic, period, and I don’t mean its storyline alone.
Posted by LarryScott at September 28, 2009 3:41 PM
I have been happily (well, most of the time) attending Broadway and off-Broadway plays since the 1950s. Judging from my stack of collected Playbills, I estimate having seen about seventy musicals over the years, some more than once. I was born and raised in NYC, and consider myself reasonably cultured, and certainly open to new, contemporary and compelling theater.
That said, I would like to review Next to Normal very succinctly: this was without a doubt the worst travesty to muck up a Broadway stage that I have ever seen. Leaving the theater dumbfounded and angry, I was almost compelled to run to the local police precinct to report a robbery (of the price I paid for tickets). Let me also mention that I went to this play with a group of six equally cultured and experienced theatergoers, and the feeling was unanimous. We were all astonished by the fact that anyone in his right mind could find any saving graces among the plethora of this show's failures.
Some topics simply don't merit being a musical unless the quality of the music, lyrics, performances, staging, choreography and direction can present the story in an ultimately pleasing and entertaining manner. "Rent," of course, accomplished this with flying colors. There was hope, excitement, emotion and all the wonderful performances of its youthful cast that made it such a great show. NTN had none of those qualities. What is did have was formless, forgetful and formulaic music, forced and oftentimes ridiculous lyrics, screeching instead of singing, wooden (and I'm being kind here) acting, staging apparently created by someone who specializes in either marching bands or storefront mannequin displays, and most of all, a story that reeks of hopelessness, despair, tragedy, pain and suffering, all presented somehow without affect or passion. Yes, it's a fun night out to watch the end of Act One with mommy on a gurney awaiting shock therapy amidst something pretending to be music and lyrics.
I had long thought that another Broadway travesty, "Mourning Pictures," another sparkling songfest about a woman dying of cancer, ranked as the worst of my theater experiences, but by one or two points, Next to Normal has usurped that role.
I need to reiterate that the topic alone is not the sole cause for my negative review. This is simply an endeavor that does not work, and certainly isn't supported by enough talent or creativity to fill up a Broadway stage. The storyline in musical theater can indeed be tragic; great operas have been doing this for centuries, and more recently, Broadway theater as well. This bomb, however, is simply tragic, period, and I don’t mean its storyline alone.
Posted by LarryScott at September 28, 2009 3:41 PM