Next to Normal Falls Next to Good

I went into Next to Normal with the highest of expectations-everyone I knew had seen, had loved it, and was listening to the soundtrack none-stop. "This is THE musical," I thought, "this is THE musical right now." How very exciting to fit THE musical into my schedule!

How disappointing to find it falling flat.

There are moments in Next to Normal that are stupendous. The idea of Next to Normal is ingenuous, and from the gut-wrenching birthday twist around Song 4 I knew this story--this concept--would go far. I do not think it did.

I'm going to go against popular opinion now and say that I didn't think anyone in the cast was exceptional. Alice Ripley is compelling. The son has a lovely voice. The boyfriend is charming. The father…well, moving on. They're good. They are broadway-caliber performers (though maybe not singers). They are not, however, extraordinary. 

Beyond all of that, though, is the most glaring problem in the show-the music. Everyone loves the music, but it doesn't seem to further the story. Why is Next to Normal a rock opera? I'm not even sure why it is a musical. The songs are getting in the way of the plot, of the story, of the show.

Next to Normal doesn't move. Despite weeks and weeks of time lapse for the characters, the show is stationary. It's a lot of sitting and singing--a lot of "this is what I think and this is how I feel!" numbers, but those numbers do not take us anywhere. There are few to no plot-driven songs. The show is bogged down in its own emo quagmire, adding unnecessary length to the performance and hindering what could have been a much better piece.

In the same way, the characters are not deeply explored, especially considering it's a psycho-analysis show. Every character has his or her one conflict, his or her one problem, his or her one identifier that drives him forward through the show. Usually it's enough to give them an arch, but it isn't enough to make them feel full or well-rounded. And aside from Alice Ripley's role, most of the character's struggle with trite, go-to dilemmas. To use seventh-grade lit terms, while the characters are generally dynamic, they are also flat.

To be clear, I do not think this piece is awful. If I saw this in a development setting, I would think, "wow, this is really going to go somewhere spectacular." At the root of Next to Normal is the germ of a stellar musical. The song I Miss the Mountains is a poignant and evocative metaphor. The central conflict for the mother (Alice Ripley) is perfect, fascinating, and unique. But as it stands, the show does not live up to its potential. It is disappointing. 

The Chenoweth Sings

I recently went to a Kristin Chenoweth Gala Concert at City Center, and it was wonderful and moving and she was hilarious and brilliant, but it got me to thinking about all the songs she does so well that she included, and all the songs she does so well that I still need to see live. So I thought I would share my opinions.

Kristin Chenoweth's very best song in the entire world: Glitter and Be Gay (She does it better than anyone. She's brilliant. It's Her Song.)

Signature Songs She Must Sing: 
Popular
My New Philosophy
The Girl in 14G
Taylor the Latte Boy
Til There Was You
If You Hadn't But You Did

My Favorite Songs She Must Sing: 
(Obviously this includes the above, particularly Glitter and Be Gay)
ReWriting History
Dream a Little Dream of Me
What'll I Do?
How Long Has This Been Going On?
Gorgeous
Lion Tamer
Goin to the Dance with You
Home on Christmas
Poor, Wayfaring Stranger
Abide in Me
The Christmas Waltz
This Moment
Word of God Speak
There Will Never Be Another
I've Got What You Want

To distill further, my ultimate Chen-Chen concert would be, in sequence:

What'll I Do?
How Long Has This Been Going On?
Goin' to the Dance with You
Til There Was You
Dream a Little Dream of Me (as a medley/combo with the preceding?)
Gorgeous
Lion Tamer
ReWriting History
Home on Christmas
I've Got What You Want
Glitter and Be Gay

Encore: Taylor the Latte Boy

Second Encore: My New Philosophy/ Popular combo

9 to Fun

Saw 9 to 5 two days before Opening Night and I liked it. I liked it a lot.

As a critical virgo, I of course instantly observed that the piece was over-choreographed, but in a way that got better as the show progressed. Also, some of the music is a little weak, but Dolly Parton writes Bluegrass/ Country solos and duets, so what else would we expect from her? Otherwise I thought it was a big ball of fun, and the performances were fantastic!

To begin with, Allison Janney manages to pull herself out of Lily Tomlin's shadow and play the character with style, humor, and individual flair without being untrue to the part. Stephanie Block may have done even better and one-upped Jane Fonda's origination, plus her voice is the best shown off by far. Then there's Megan Hilty, who is funny and endearing and fabulous as Dora Lee, but there is a hiccup in the translation, because what she is really playing is Dolly Parton as Dora Lee, not a new interpretation. And aside from the fact that no one else is doing an homage to the originals, it's less engaging to watch. The jokes are all Dolly's, the accent is Dolly's (East Tennessee, even though the character is from Texas…Dolly can do that, Megan Hilty can't), but it's not Dolly, and not even veteran drag queens can quite pull off the Parton like her one and only, the Backwoods Barbie herself. 

Which brings me to my only real qualm with the show: the insertion of Backwoods Barbie into the score. Using 9 to 5 as a musical motif is not only expected and demanded, it's lovely and clever in its application, but having Megan Hillty sing "Backwoods Barbie" as a soliloquy song is not only off-putting and slightly out of alignment with the rest of the composition, it's also not fooling anyone. The album may not have been popular, but that was the title song, so, Dolly, we know you already wrote it for another vehicle and then shoved it into this one, and we're not buying it. Not this time. We expect Dolly Parton to write her own musical, not to writer her own juke box musical. 

But that's minor; it's one song. Otherwise, the show is hugely fun, hilarious, and a great adaptation of stage to screen, changing just enough and keeping just enough. (Of course, the screenwriter did come back for the book, so we should expect good things on that front.) The main girls are gems and the supporting cast features phenomenal character performances and high-caliber Broadway chorines doing what they do best. It tickles you, flashes in your face, makes you cry, and makes you swell with joy. It's what a Big Broadway musical should be. Is it art? Of course not, it's 9 to 5, and you're gonna love it!