Next to Normal - Donmar / Wyndham’s

[Being Alive]

Spoke to three separate Broadway people last week who all said it's going next year

[capybara]

Might just mean we have to wait until the Broadway run ends to see the proshot, a la Frozen.

[anywherespace]

Sept 6, 2024 18:47:33 GMT Being Alive said:

Spoke to three separate Broadway people last week who all said it's going next year

Did any of them happen to mention if any of the West End cast is going with it? I know Caissie will but I can’t imagine this production with a different Goodman family casted, they’re all so perfect for their roles.

[capybara]

Sept 6, 2024 22:32:35 GMT anywherespace said:

Sept 6, 2024 18:47:33 GMT Being Alive said:

Spoke to three separate Broadway people last week who all said it's going next year

Did any of them happen to mention if any of the West End cast is going with it? I know Caissie will but I can’t imagine this production with a different Goodman family casted, they’re all so perfect for their roles.

Isn’t this why Jamie isn’t doing Benjamin Button?

[flouise]

Lizzy Parker was on for Natalie this afternoon and Jake Reynolds was on for Gabe. I think Jack Wolfe must have called out fairly last minute as he was on the cast board and they made a pre-show announcement. Both had amazing voices, Jake's Gabe didn't feel quite as sinister, I'm glad I caught them both. Cute moment at the curtain call for them too.

I'm not sure whether they've improv e the sound or whether it's because I was in the stalls for the first time, but it was nice to actually be able to hear everything that Caissie was singing! She's been slightly drowned out by the band the three other times I've seen it at Wyndham's. Her voice really is spectacular.

This may well be the last time I catch this production, so I'm very glad that it's being preserved.

[Mark]

Was also there this afternoon! And yes I think it was quite late because I’m certain I saw Jack on the board as I went in and only Lizzie was on a separate paper board.
So good. So strong. Caissie gets better and better, as does Jamie. Agree Re Jake not coming across as sinister, but it worked so well, especially the moment with Gabe and Dan at the end.

[anywherespace]

Ended up seeing this twice during my trip (Wednesday and Friday) and it absolutely blew me away both times.

The score is fantastic, exactly my type of music and I truly don’t understand people who say that they find the songs ‘too similar’ or ‘not memorable’. My head has been a carousel of several of the songs since Wednesday and I don’t imagine that will change anytime soon.

As for the performances, you really don’t get better than this. Caissie Levy is outstanding. How she is delivering that level of vocals and acting 8 times a week is beyond me. Her chemistry with Jack Wolfe is off the charts which makes Diana and Gabe’s codependence so believable and devastating. Their voices also go so well together. Their harmonies during ‘Catch Me I’m Falling’ and ‘I Dreamed A Dance’ gave me goosebumps.

I was lucky enough to see both Eleanor Worthington-Cox and Lizzy Parker as Natalie. They both have amazing voices but for me Parker plays her more optimistically and I prefer Worthington-Cox’s more cynical interpretation. Parker’s more hopeful Natalie did make me enjoy her relationship with Henry a lot more though. Her Natalie appears somewhat smitten with him from their first meeting whereas Worthington-Cox’s only truly warms up to him by the end of Perfect For You. I prefer her Natalie’s relationship with Diana though, they have this perfect strain in their relationship which makes the release of ‘Maybe’ all the more powerful.

I would also like to give a shout out to Trevor Dion Nicholas. He manages to create two really interesting characters with very limited stage time, and his voice is wonderful. The ‘rockstar’ Doctor Madden moments got the biggest laughs after Henry’s line about Natalie’s grandparents both nights.

There were times when I was so enraptured by Jamie Parker’s acting that I almost forgot I was watching a musical. I particularly enjoyed his defiant optimism and staunch denial during ‘Better Than Before.’

His chemistry with Levy gets a lot of praise but it was his moment during ‘I Am The One’ (Reprise) with Wolfe that struck me the hardest. 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler - click to view}
When they are ‘fighting’ each other it truly feels as though they are going to kill each other which makes the soft moment they have just moments later so heart-wrenching. To create such an affecting moment in the only 60 seconds that their characters address each other on stage is very impressive.

And then there’s Jack Wolfe who is the highlight of the production for me. His charisma is off the charts and his voice is one of my all time favourites. I hadn’t realised how much of the second act he spends crying and it is completely heartbreaking. On the Friday show particularly there were parts where he audibly let out a sob/sniffle and it was difficult to watch in the best way.

In conclusion a five star show featuring ten star performances. If it was up to me I’d have the whole cast across to Broadway by next year so that they could sweep (wishful thinking given the line up next year I know) at the Tony’s come June along with a cast-recording to boot, but I’ll just have to leave that one up to the theatre gods (aka investors).

[darreno]

Returned to this show on Saturday night knowing it was closing soon so wanted to scratch that itch again.

We had Lizzie Parker and Jake Reynolds in as Natalie and Gabe, which I always love to see what different actors bring to a role.

This is still the best show for vocals in the West End. I would struggle to name any performer I've ever seen who has a better voice than Cassie Levy. Absolutely flawless. Every note, word, meaning, clear as a bell, perfect musical theatre. She is a force.

I always feel a show more emotionally the second or third time around, as I'm free to lose myself in it, rather than following the story for the first time. This time felt devastating.

This time around I understood the part of Henry better, could see what he brought to the story, what his 'place' was. Likewise, the part of Dan was searingly painfully portrayed. I wish I could have gotten more people along for this show, particularly my non MT friends.

If anyone is possibly reading this and can still catch it, I beg you to do so. 😁

[doornumberthree]

I liked Lizzy Parker’s Natalie for act two - her act one was a little one dimensional and just so angry (which, valid, Natalie’s life sucks) but I thought she really came into her own in act two especially. I think of the three Natalie’s we’ve had (Elle/Lucy Munden (who was the brilliant cover at the Donmar)) she’s my least favourite but I did enjoy her performance.

I thought Jake Reynolds’ Gabe was incredibly weak. Again, no real layers there and could only smile or look sullen. The songs didn’t sit well in his voice at all and sounded very strained at times. I think it would be fine if you didn’t know any better. I didn’t realise how much I actually do like Jack.

I think Trevor has been sounding more and more strained as each week passes, I still think his lack of distinction between the two doctors is a real weak point for the show, as is that god awful kiss Diana gives to Henry (was funny in the muck up at the Donmar but now just feels so inappropriate)

Not to end on a negative note, I still cannot believe the work that Caissie and Jamie are doing night after night. Their chemistry and genuine affection for each other brings the show to a whole different level and really makes it hurt so much more - to have a Diana and Dan who actually clearly love each other really just elevates the show entirely. We are so lucky to have these exceptional actors playing these roles.

[darreno]

Sept 9, 2024 10:23:22 GMT doornumberthree said:

I liked Lizzy Parker’s Natalie for act two - her act one was a little one dimensional and just so angry (which, valid, Natalie’s life sucks) but I thought she really came into her own in act two especially. I think of the three Natalie’s we’ve had (Elle/Lucy Munden (who was the brilliant cover at the Donmar)) she’s my least favourite but I did enjoy her performance.

I thought Jake Reynolds’ Gabe was incredibly weak. Again, no real layers there and could only smile or look sullen. The songs didn’t sit well in his voice at all and sounded very strained at times. I think it would be fine if you didn’t know any better. I didn’t realise how much I actually do like Jack.

I think Trevor has been sounding more and more strained as each week passes, I still think his lack of distinction between the two doctors is a real weak point for the show, as is that god awful kiss Diana gives to Henry (was funny in the muck up at the Donmar but now just feels so inappropriate)

Not to end on a negative note, I still cannot believe the work that Caissie and Jamie are doing night after night. Their chemistry and genuine affection for each other brings the show to a whole different level and really makes it hurt so much more - to have a Diana and Dan who actually clearly love each other really just elevates the show entirely. We are so lucky to have these exceptional actors playing these roles.

Very good point about the connection between Diana and Dan. Truly spectacular actors to make that work, night after night, to go somewhere so emotional and back to real life is something special. Chemistry, affection, love for their craft, committment, they're absolutely phenomenal as a pairing.

I'd disagree with you on Jake Reynolds Gabe, but maybe only to point out that we are so spoiled by Jack giving the performances of a lifetime, that anything else can look beige in comparison.

I hadn't copped the lack of difference between the doctors AT ALL, but you are absolutely right. Trevor has such presence, delivery and voice that I was blinded to the details.

[anywherespace]

Sept 9, 2024 10:23:22 GMT doornumberthree said:

I liked Lizzy Parker’s Natalie for act two - her act one was a little one dimensional and just so angry (which, valid, Natalie’s life sucks) but I thought she really came into her own in act two especially. I think of the three Natalie’s we’ve had (Elle/Lucy Munden (who was the brilliant cover at the Donmar)) she’s my least favourite but I did enjoy her performance.

I thought Jake Reynolds’ Gabe was incredibly weak. Again, no real layers there and could only smile or look sullen. The songs didn’t sit well in his voice at all and sounded very strained at times. I think it would be fine if you didn’t know any better. I didn’t realise how much I actually do like Jack.

I definitely agree on Parker's Natalie being better in the second half. I'm not sure if she necessarily came of as angrier to me, I'd maybe say just less repressed, but she's definitely more optimistic which I think makes her starting off the song 'Light' more believable. With Worthington-Cox's Natalie, her beginning of that song seems more like something she's doing for Dan's sake, whereas I think Parker's comes to it more from a place of genuine hope which I preferred slightly. 

I didn't see Reynolds' Gabe but this is interesting to hear especially with most people I've seen saying they liked him, although I remember hearing similar things about Joshua Gannon's u/s performance at the Donmar with reference to the character not seeming to have as many layers as when Wolfe plays him. 

As someone who has watched Broadway bootlegs of the performance my fair share of times, I used to think of Gabe as a role that relies more on a strong singer than a strong actor. Tveit's interpretation always made him come across to me as more of a 'force' than a character and that worked as far as I was concerned. 

But having now seen Wolfe's interpretation I don't think I could go back to seeing Gabe played as anything less than what he brings to it. He's a cocky older brother, a fallen angel, and a scared little kid all wrapped in one. During the 'I Am The One' (Reprise) in one moment it felt as though he was omnipotent and seconds later it was like his body was made of grief - it was almost horrifying. But by bringing more depth to Gabe you give more depth to Diana's illness, which makes her more sympathetic and it more understandable why she doesn't want to let go of him, which in my opinion is the crux of enjoying the show. 

[doornumberthree]

So the Gabe’s i’ve seen are Aaron Tveit, Kyle Dean Massey, Jack Wolfe, the understudy at the Donmar who’s name I cannot recall and now Jake. I think for me prior to the Donmar production, with Alice especially - the incestuous nature of Diana and Gabe’s relationship in the Broadway production really made me disconnect from the character of Gabe. Having him as a stereotypical all American kid makes perfect sense as to how Diana would be imagining him - but what they’ve done with Jack, in my opinion is extraordinary, having him begin as this teenage boy and then become what I can only describe as this ethereal being/creature has truly changed my opinion of the character (even though I don’t really care for the character) what they did so brilliantly at the Donmar, and I can understand why they couldn’t do it in a bigger house, was deliberately have Gabe not look at the audience until I’m Alive reprise - he was this entity in Diana’s mind, and the way Caissie’s Diana almost shapes Gabe back into a teenage boy and less creature like so he appears to Dan as a teen boy is just soooo wonderful.

I feel like the covers are playing it so different that it is just a little bit more disjointed to someone who has seen this production (Donmar/Wyndhams) almost 30+ times. I think to a normal audience member they would work fine, and obviously shows are really only meant to be seen once.

With all this talk about understudies, I am still hoping we may get a Carolyn Diana show; she truly deserves a performance with a full house and with the main cast. The work she has done on this character is just extraordinary and I am hoping that she gets a show.

[darreno]

Sept 9, 2024 14:36:59 GMT doornumberthree said:

So the Gabe’s i’ve seen are Aaron Tveit, Kyle Dean Massey, Jack Wolfe, the understudy at the Donmar who’s name I cannot recall and now Jake. I think for me prior to the Donmar production, with Alice especially - the incestuous nature of Diana and Gabe’s relationship in the Broadway production really made me disconnect from the character of Gabe. Having him as a stereotypical all American kid makes perfect sense as to how Diana would be imagining him - but what they’ve done with Jack, in my opinion is extraordinary, having him begin as this teenage boy and then become what I can only describe as this ethereal being/creature has truly changed my opinion of the character (even though I don’t really care for the character) what they did so brilliantly at the Donmar, and I can understand why they couldn’t do it in a bigger house, was deliberately have Gabe not look at the audience until I’m Alive reprise - he was this entity in Diana’s mind, and the way Caissie’s Diana almost shapes Gabe back into a teenage boy and less creature like so he appears to Dan as a teen boy is just soooo wonderful.

I feel like the covers are playing it so different that it is just a little bit more disjointed to someone who has seen this production (Donmar/Wyndhams) almost 30+ times. I think to a normal audience member they would work fine, and obviously shows are really only meant to be seen once.

With all this talk about understudies, I am still hoping we may get a Carolyn Diana show; she truly deserves a performance with a full house and with the main cast. The work she has done on this character is just extraordinary and I am hoping that she gets a show.

Ah, then you are the ideal person to ask this question - The general feeling seems to be that the Donmar production, with this full cast, is the show at it's best. Is that fair to say or have there been elements or actors changed along the journey that you preferred?

[ncbears]

So, is the original cast all set for filming tonite and the next two nights?

[doornumberthree]

Sept 9, 2024 14:54:37 GMT darreno said:

Sept 9, 2024 14:36:59 GMT doornumberthree said:

So the Gabe’s i’ve seen are Aaron Tveit, Kyle Dean Massey, Jack Wolfe, the understudy at the Donmar who’s name I cannot recall and now Jake. I think for me prior to the Donmar production, with Alice especially - the incestuous nature of Diana and Gabe’s relationship in the Broadway production really made me disconnect from the character of Gabe. Having him as a stereotypical all American kid makes perfect sense as to how Diana would be imagining him - but what they’ve done with Jack, in my opinion is extraordinary, having him begin as this teenage boy and then become what I can only describe as this ethereal being/creature has truly changed my opinion of the character (even though I don’t really care for the character) what they did so brilliantly at the Donmar, and I can understand why they couldn’t do it in a bigger house, was deliberately have Gabe not look at the audience until I’m Alive reprise - he was this entity in Diana’s mind, and the way Caissie’s Diana almost shapes Gabe back into a teenage boy and less creature like so he appears to Dan as a teen boy is just soooo wonderful.

I feel like the covers are playing it so different that it is just a little bit more disjointed to someone who has seen this production (Donmar/Wyndhams) almost 30+ times. I think to a normal audience member they would work fine, and obviously shows are really only meant to be seen once.

With all this talk about understudies, I am still hoping we may get a Carolyn Diana show; she truly deserves a performance with a full house and with the main cast. The work she has done on this character is just extraordinary and I am hoping that she gets a show.

Ah, then you are the ideal person to ask this question - The general feeling seems to be that the Donmar production, with this full cast, is the show at it's best. Is that fair to say or have there been elements or actors changed along the journey that you preferred?

I absolutely think this is the best the show has been BUT I do think a lot of that is because of how much the stigma around mental illness has changed over the last 15 years. When I saw it for the first time on Broadway when it first opened, I adored it, I thought everyone was exceptional and I loved the little quirks that Alice gave Diana (this was very early on in the run) and then I went again and I saw Jessica Phillips as Diana and my view on the character changed completely. Then I saw Alice/Jessica more times and each time, especially with Alice, it felt very much like the goal was to make Diana this crazy caricature who was the depiction of maybe what society assumed someone with her diagnosis would stereotypically be like.

It was when I saw the late great Marin Mazzie that I really felt there was a level of emotional depth to Diana that hadn’t been tapped into before. Whilst it was wonderful to watch her and her husband play Diana and Dan, it still felt to me that this woman didn’t like her husband or her daughter but it felt less like the production was poking fun at mental illness.

Cut to the Donmar production, the last I had seen the production was in its closing week on Broadway in early 2011, so over a decade later. In that time I’ve had friends die due to mental health conditions, I’ve experienced many mental health issues of my own, but I also feel that I’m in a society now where I can say that ‘I have x’ or ‘this is what I’m diagnosed with’ and people don’t have this mental image of a crazy person and suddenly change their opinions of me. What this production has done, is take a very different approach to the original Broadway production simply because it has had to, they did a lot of work about learning how people with Diana’s diagnosis function in day to day life now verses 15 years ago, and by applying that more human lens to it - they’ve brought out threads within the story and the book that hadn’t been explored before. I think this production is a perfect example of reexamining a piece of art and bringing it into the present without having to make huge changes to the book or taking away pieces of it. If that makes sense?

[darreno]

Sept 9, 2024 16:21:49 GMT doornumberthree said:

Sept 9, 2024 14:54:37 GMT darreno said:

Ah, then you are the ideal person to ask this question - The general feeling seems to be that the Donmar production, with this full cast, is the show at it's best. Is that fair to say or have there been elements or actors changed along the journey that you preferred?

I absolutely think this is the best the show has been BUT I do think a lot of that is because of how much the stigma around mental illness has changed over the last 15 years. When I saw it for the first time on Broadway when it first opened, I adored it, I thought everyone was exceptional and I loved the little quirks that Alice gave Diana (this was very early on in the run) and then I went again and I saw Jessica Phillips as Diana and my view on the character changed completely. Then I saw Alice/Jessica more times and each time, especially with Alice, it felt very much like the goal was to make Diana this crazy caricature who was the depiction of maybe what society assumed someone with her diagnosis would stereotypically be like.

It was when I saw the late great Marin Mazzie that I really felt there was a level of emotional depth to Diana that hadn’t been tapped into before. Whilst it was wonderful to watch her and her husband play Diana and Dan, it still felt to me that this woman didn’t like her husband or her daughter but it felt less like the production was poking fun at mental illness.

Cut to the Donmar production, the last I had seen the production was in its closing week on Broadway in early 2011, so over a decade later. In that time I’ve had friends die due to mental health conditions, I’ve experienced many mental health issues of my own, but I also feel that I’m in a society now where I can say that ‘I have x’ or ‘this is what I’m diagnosed with’ and people don’t have this mental image of a crazy person and suddenly change their opinions of me. What this production has done, is take a very different approach to the original Broadway production simply because it has had to, they did a lot of work about learning how people with Diana’s diagnosis function in day to day life now verses 15 years ago, and by applying that more human lens to it - they’ve brought out threads within the story and the book that hadn’t been explored before. I think this production is a perfect example of reexamining a piece of art and bringing it into the present without having to make huge changes to the book or taking away pieces of it. If that makes sense?

It does indeed. Like adjusting a camera lens, the image is the same but the parts coming in and out of focus can give us clarity or blur.

It felt to me like a show that couldn't be played any differently to what I've seen in the London runs, but reading above I can see that it absolutely can be changed by much smaller degrees to maximum results. I'm a RENT fanatic and that's a show that begs for constant changes, interpretations, stagings, settings, everything. Next to Normal relies on the actors to inhabit the characters much more than 90% of shows.

Great to read your thoughts on it, much appreciated.

[littlebird]

Sept 9, 2024 14:36:59 GMT doornumberthree said:

having him begin as this teenage boy and then become what I can only describe as this ethereal being/creature has truly changed my opinion of the character (even though I don’t really care for the character) what they did so brilliantly at the Donmar, and I can understand why they couldn’t do it in a bigger house, was deliberately have Gabe not look at the audience until I’m Alive reprise - he was this entity in Diana’s mind, and the way Caissie’s Diana almost shapes Gabe back into a teenage boy and less creature like so he appears to Dan as a teen boy is just soooo wonderful.

Do you mean the first I'm Alive? Gabe always looked into the audience at the Donmar during the first I'm Alive - just as he does now at the Wyndhams. He has talked about how at the Donmar he was right in front of the house seats so he could usually pick a friend for the long stare he gives! At the Wyndhams he gets the corner of row A and B. He also looked into the audience at the Donmar during the first number when he sang 'feel my power and domain' - he was on the top of the staircase and would pick a spot on the balcony.  He doesn't do this now as the layout doesn't allow for it but iirc he looks out across the audience then?

I feel like I know way too much about when he looks into the audience. I like the touch at Wyndhams of having Diana sit on the edge of the stage, and I notice Dan makes more eye contact with the audience at the Wyndhams, which makes sense to me as his character is the one to acknowledge them at the start.

The use of the footrest and chair at the Wyndhams does annoy me - it's okay at the beginning but after the short scene with Natalie and Henry and the bong it's left there for I Miss the Mountains and blocks a lot of Diana's performance if you're in the wrong spot in the stalls.

I also think they should have adapted the toy box scene for the much higher Wyndham's stage, so a significant portion of the audience don't miss *the moment* - I always wonder why they don't have her look through the toy box on top of the counter? I think it would be very effective to end up with a kind of slow dripping down from there.

Likewise there are a couple of moments - how could I ever forget has been most noticeable for me, where moving either the whole counter or just Diana a foot or so downstage would stop her being blocked out at some really emotional moments. And when Diana sings that the cut was never in her brain but in her soul she makes eye contact with Gabe on the countertop - at the Donmar if you were sitting to the left you could see Caissie's face for that, or the right you could see Jack's and I remember it being one of my favourite moments, just so powerful. At the Wyndhams they have Jack facing the back wall for this now, so you miss his reaction and he also blocks out Caissie - really sad.

Overall the Donmar was my favourite, but the journey the actors have been on with these characters can't be denied, Caissie's Diana and Jamie's Dan in particular have hit so many more emotional levels. I always felt like Eleanor's Natalie was force-of-nature spectacular, and I think her performance has changed the least, but she's actually lightened up Natalie a little, which works for me. Jack's Gabe is probably the only one I significantly preferred at the Donmar. Don't get me wrong he's still amazing but his performance is so large now and I think I preferred the slightly more thoughtful, less emotive version - not that Donmar Gabe wasn't emotive, but at the Wyndhams he seems to be falling apart more dramatically and constantly in tears, and for me the big emotions were punchier when he wasn't quite so 'big' all the time. I still think he's an incredible, break out performer though, just a slight pref for the old version.

I'm really interested to know who they'll get for Broadway. I don't think they would do it without Caissie and I think they'll really want Jack (and so will she, she's been incredibly supportive of him). But I do wonder if having to block out a year in advance for Broadway might affect the trajectory of Jack's career from here. I'm sure he must be getting some big offers.

My guess is they'd ideally want the whole family - Caissie, Jack, Eleanor and Jamie - but I think Caissie will be the only entirely non negotiable, and I think Eleanor and Jack's inclusion may depend on what comes up between now and then. I doubt they'll take Trevor and Jack O. Personally I think the family's casting is at least as much of the magic of this production as the production itself - I've seen two different Natalie understudies and while they've both been great performers they just haven't had the same magic. So it will definitely be really interesting to see what they do. I think it's possible the pro-shot might be released to promote the Broadway run. I believe they've shown now that pro-shots only increase interest in a show?

[anywherespace]

Sept 9, 2024 14:36:59 GMT doornumberthree said:

So the With all this talk about understudies, I am still hoping we may get a Carolyn Diana show; she truly deserves a performance with a full house and with the main cast. The work she has done on this character is just extraordinary and I am hoping that she gets a show.

She’s on today according to the West End Understudies Twitter! I’m assuming both the matinee and the evening performance.

[dollybm]

It’s for both shows yes. I already had a ticket for the evening performance as wanted to see it a second time before closing- really looking forward to seeing her interpretation of the role.

[benj]

Ohhh might have to pop along again tonight! Do we know if the other leads are on with her? Is it just Caissie who’s out tonight?

[apubleed]

How do we know it's both shows?

[daniel]

Sept 12, 2024 11:57:13 GMT apubleed said:

How do we know it's both shows?

Carolyn has posted on her Instagram story.

[apubleed]

Thank you so much. I will be there!

[apubleed]

I think both mother and daughter off tonight?? Very special.

[highonahill]

Saw the matinee today. Wow, wow, wow. So brilliant to catch Carolyn as Diana after seeing the original full cast at the Donmar.

My son came with me this time (daughter last time). It broke him. It really resonated with him, leading him to open up on the way back to the train about an ex's struggles (he basically was 'Henry' in the family dynamic). Provoked a really interesting discussion about current understanding, tolerance, education etc of mental health issues. And of course the power of musical theatre in exploring such topics.

Easily my top show of the year so far.