I walked into the Booth Theatre on June 29th with high expectations for Next to Normal. I found out about it when I was in Manhattan seeing The Little Mermaid and I passed the theatre. Its huge pictures of the cast had pulled me in. Then I started listening to some of the songs and I couldn’t stop. Then the Tony Awards had a performance of the song “I Am The One” and my mouth dropped at the amazing acting, singing, and demeanor of the performers and I knew that I just had to see it. When I finally saw it all my expectations were exceeded.

Next to Normal is what I would call a “rollercoaster of emotions”, but at the same time it is not so much that it leaves you walking out upset.

The play focuses on Diana Goodman, her bipolar/schizophrenia illness and her family’s dealing with it. The acting was amazing. I really could relate not personally, necessarily, but simply as a person caring for another, I connected. Their struggle was so real. The show was mostly sung throughout, which really added to the experience as the songs were emotional and thematic. The stage had a simple three floor metal set with walls that moved around for thematic effect and for scene changes. There were also hundreds of lights in the back of the set that changed colors with Diana’s moods and you felt like you were in her mind, hearing her thoughts and in her heart feeling her emotions.

Humor is used to make this serious musical more approachable and understandable. What makes Next to Normal unique is that it is the only completely original show currently on Broadway. It’s not a revival and it’s concept, story, score, and book are completely original and not adapted from somewhere else. This show is also great in another aspect. The Booth Theatre is actually the smallest Broadway theater with less than 600 seats. This makes the show more intimate and personal. The seats are also cheaper than shows in other theatres. The rear mezzanine tickets are only $36.50, making it affordable for almost everyone. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a show that reaches to the heart and makes the audience walk out of the theater with a feeling of excitement and contentment.