A Second Look- Next to Normal v2.0

No musical on Broadway has been more affecting for me over the last few years, than "Next to Normal". Regardless whether or not you believe the show is too "commercial" to deserve a Pulitzer Prize, there is no question in my mind that the show represents everything that right about Broadway, both from a storytelling aspect as well as a producing aspect.

It's refreshing to see producers give a piece of art time to grow. In an age where shows like The Addams Family and the hot mess that is Women on The Verge of A Nervous Breakdown are rushed to Broadway with few rewrites, and in the case of "WOTV", no out of town tryout at all, Next to Normal went through numerous changes on it's seven year journey to the Booth Theater.

Alice Ripley was the anchor for just about all of that journey, winning a Tony and the admiration of the show's many fans in the process. However, she left the show in July, opening the door for a new cast to tell the story of the most dysfunctional family on Broadway (yet another awards the Addams Family didn't win).

I saw the show again last week and was fascinated by how different it feels with the new cast. Marin Mazzie gives us a somewhat "kinder, gentler" version of Diana, downplaying the raw and crazy qualities that Alice Ripley portrayed, and giving us a more sympathetic character. This version of Diana is very aware of her mental illness, but tired from the 16 year battle and almost resigned to her fate. I found that in the Ripley version of "Normal", I felt empathy for the rest of the family struggling to cope with the mental illness. In this version, I saw new layers to Diana, and couldn't help but feel empathy for a person who can't escape the clutches of her bipolar disorder.

It's also worth noting that Mazzie's performance has created an interesting effect on the performance of Meghann Fahy as Natalie. I saw Fahy last year as an understudy for Jennifer Damiano opposite Alice Ripley. In that show, Fahy conveyed the appropriate amount of anger, confusion, and bitterness that one would expect when their mother was as over the top, crazy as Alice played the part. However, Fahy is still playing the role that angry even though Mazzie's Diana is far more toned down. What it creates is a bitchy, more unlikeable Natalie.

Critics will say that Mazzie's performance is almost too "polished", and has lost the raw qualities that Ripley brought to the table. I can't argue against that statement. In fact, I wouldn't say one woman's performance is "better" than the other. They are different... and that's what makes Next to Normal worth another viewing. If anything, the new show is a further testament to the strength and depth of the script, that there are so many new layers that have been uncovered.

First preview- Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

The newly renovated Belasco Theater was sold out Friday night for the first preview of the star studded "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown", the musical adaptation of the 1988 Oscar nominated film. With a writing team of David Yazbeck and Jeffery Lane, direction by Bartlett Sher, and a cast lead by Sherie Rene Scott, Patti Lupone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Laura Benanti, expectations among ticket holders were high.

That didn't last long when Sher took the stage shortly after 8pm to inform the audience that this, in fact, was the FIRST full run through of the show. The production, which had already delayed previews by three days to allow for more tech rehearsals, could not get through an entire run through the night before. Sher told the audience that the actors were "terrified" to perform in front of them tonight, asked us for "a lot of love", and warned us that we would likely see a show stoppage at some point if the safety of the performers were in question.

On one level, it's a cool opportunity to be in the house for what amounts to the first dress rehearsal for a major Broadway production. On the other hand, it sucks paying $270 for a show that isn't ready for audiences.

And believe me, on this night, "Women on The Verge" was not ready for an audience. I will withhold an official review, because this is not a finished product. However, here are a few observations:

The show is elaborate, and feels much bigger than it's $5 million budget would indicate. When it works, it's fantastic. During a scene where Scott's character is studio signing vocals for a movie musical, there is a breathtaking mix of an old time "MGM style" film playing on a screen behind her as live actors are seamlessly integrated to make it appear like a live action black and white film is happening.

On the other hand, South Pacific's Danny Burstein plays a Madrid taxi driver, with an awful taxi that moves across the stage at a snail's pace. On the screen in the back is an abstract version of what is supposed to mimic passing traffic, but comes across more like primitive graphics from a 1983 Atari game. The taxi was a constant tech problem, sometimes requiring stagehands to push it on and offstage. To their credit, Burstein and Scott admirably ad-libbed to cover for the mistakes. Yet, it was embarrassing to watch live.

As an overall note, the set changes were slower than bad community theater. There are a ton of pieces to move and they have not yet figured out how to do it quickly. In some instances, actors were onstage beginning scenes before the set had arrived. My guess is that they can tighten the run time by 15-20 minutes as this gets resolved in previews.

The set budget, however, was not the only thing that was bloated. The show features a sizable ensemble of terrific dancers, and fantastic choreography by Christopher Gattelli. The catch is, the dancing happens so infrequently in this book heavy production that it sometimes feels jarring and out of place when you see it. I felt the same way about last season's flop, "9 to 5", where it seemed like some dance numbers were staged just for the sake of having them.

As for the cast, they are still trying to find their rhythm. The evening's standout was Laura Benanti, as the high strung best friend of Sherie Rene Scott. Her comic timing was spot on, and she didn't just steal scenes on this night, she often times carried the show on her back and ran away with it. Her act 1 number, "Model Behavior", was one of the nights musical highlights. Patti Lupone was also in fine form as the crazy ex-wife. As over the top and nutty as she plays the character in act 1, she finds just the right emotional chords in the second act to break your heart for the years she wasted waiting for her husband to come home. The usually reliable Sherie Rene Scott is still finding her way in this show, which is somewhat understandable given the fact that she has the most stage time in the cast. She really seemed to struggle through the plodding, exposition heavy, opening 30 minutes of the show, but then gained confidence as the night went on. Brian Stokes Mitchell was in fine voice throughout the night, but feels somewhat underutilized despite being the show's womanizing antagonist.

Producers have a lot of work ahead of them in coming weeks. The tech aspects will fix themselves, but there are a lot of subplots and secondary characters that feel underdeveloped. Who exactly is Mary Beth Peil's character anyhow? A landlord? A Madrid version of a concierge? Why exactly is she on the verge of a nervous breakdown and why is she singing onstage with the other jilted women at the end of the show? Why is Danny Burstein's taxi driver onstage so much? I get that he's supposed to serve as a narrator, but does he really need three songs? Why was Nikka Graff Lanzarone cast in this show? Is her character supposed to be Spanish? Or is she an American? Because if she's Spanish, she's not bothering to do an accent and it's kind of annoying.

You have to think with the parties involved, this show will gel and go on to become a hot ticket. For now, I would suggest staying away from the preview performances unless you know you can't be in the city to see the finished product after it opens.

If you have attended a subsequent preview, feel free to leave a comment below. I'm curious to see how the show is progressing.

Review- Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

In a recent article already proclaiming the death of the 2011 theater season, Michael Riedel took a shot at the Broadway transfer of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, sarcastically wondering if the audiences "flocking to American Idiot" would buy tickets for Broadway's newest rock-emo musical, currently playing previews at the Bernard Jacobs theater. While it is true that American Idiot has struggled to find an audience on any week Billie Joe Armstrong hasn't been onstage, there is no denying that Andrew Jackson is not only a superior production, but it's also the smartest, most outrageous, and entertaining musical of the year.

How could a rock musical about the country's seventh president and founder of the democratic party be relevant to 2010? The answer is simple... in every way imaginable. Jackson energized a country that had lost faith in it's government, campaigning as the ultimate revolutionary rock star, engaging voters that felt like their voices didn't matter, and riding it all the way to the White House. And while Alex Timbers direction makes you believe you are watching an almost South Park-esque parody of the American Political system, the tone eventually changes, particularly when Jackson is unable to live up to the "agent of change" expectations after taking office. Tough choices are made, promises are broken, and he ultimately gets swallowed up by the machine that is American politics. While the obvious parallels to Barack Obama are evident throughout the first two thirds of the show, we learn through Jackson's journey that even the most well intentioned politician has to have a little "W" in him to get things done.

Make no mistake, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson will not be for everyone. It is far more authentic than American Idiot in it's emo roots. Green Day fans are treated to the majestic red curtain and beautiful interior upon their entry to the St James theater, a sign that they are getting Broadway's sanitized, cleaned up, classier interpretation of a rock concert. Jackson fans walk into a theater that is part rock club, part museum, part taxidermist's office (an upside down, stuffed, horse hangs over the audience's heads). Justin Townsend's fantastic lighting design immediately gives off more of a grimy rock club than a Broadway theater. The older patrons around me were less put off by the experiential production aspects and more offended by the excessive swearing and graphic language that persist throughout the one act show. Perhaps they weren't aroused by Andrew Jackson offering to "stick it in" each and every female in the audience.

For those looking for a catchy score of familiar music, Jackson is not going to provide it. Normally, that would be a disaster for a new musical, but Jackson isn't a "music" show, it's a "thinking" show. You will be more apt to discuss our nation's irrational desire to place politicians on pedestals than hum a song from the show on the way out the door.

As the title character, Benjamin Walker oozes charisma and commands the stage. His singing voice is a little thin in it's upper register, but in a show where the music takes a backseat to the subversive humor, it's never a problem. He's also surrounded by a terrific ensemble of performers including Kristine Nielson as the much abused storyteller, and the hilarious Jeff Hiller stealing scenes in multiple roles.

While there are no obvious problems onstage with Andrew Jackson , it does appear that there are big financial issues plauging the show behind the scenes. The Public Theater's preoccupation with their upcoming Al Pacino led Merchant of Venice has prevented them from raising their portion of the 4 million dollar budget. Rumors persist that they are now offering $150,000 of shares in Merchant in exchange for a $250,000 investment in Jackson. Ultimately, it could mean a brief run for Broadway's first "must see" musical since Next to Normal.

Grade- A+