next to normal

'I never know what to say when I have to go over all this. It starts to sound like some story I tell that's about some other person entirely.' From the outside, they're the picture of a nice, normal family. Inside, they're in crisis. At their heart is Diana Goodman, a suburban wife and mother living with bipolar disorder and haunted by her past. How far will she go to keep her family's world intact? With powerful lyrics and an electrifying score of more than thirty original songs, next to normal is an intimate exploration of family and loss. It opened in New York in 2008, and transferred to Broadway in 2009, winning three Tony Awards including Best Original Score, and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This new edition features the complete book and lyrics of the musical, and exclusive new material, including testimonials on creating the show by James Lapine, Michael Greif, Alice Ripley, David Stone and Michael Longhurst, an essay on its presentation of mental health, and the lyrics to a dozen deleted or alternative songs. It was first published alongside the acclaimed 2023 London premiere at the Donmar Warehouse, which was nominated for four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical, and transferred to the West End in 2024.

'I never know what to say when I have to go over all this. It starts to sound like some story I tell that's about some other person entirely.' From the outside, they're the picture of a nice, normal family. Inside, they're in crisis. At their heart is Diana Goodman, a suburban wife and mother living with bipolar disorder and haunted by her past. How far will she go to keep her family's world intact? With powerful lyrics and an electrifying score of more than thirty original songs, next to normal is an intimate exploration of family and loss. It opened in New York in 2008, and transferred to Broadway in 2009, winning three Tony Awards including Best Original Score, and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This new edition features the complete book and lyrics of the musical, and exclusive new material, including testimonials on creating the show by James Lapine, Michael Greif, Alice Ripley, David Stone and Michael Longhurst, an essay on its presentation of mental health, and the lyrics to a dozen deleted or alternative songs. It was first published alongside the acclaimed 2023 London premiere at the Donmar Warehouse, which was nominated for four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical, and transferred to the West End in 2024.

Winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama "Rock is alive and rolling like thunder in Next to Normal . It's the best musical of the season by a mile...an emotional powerhouse with a fire in its soul and a wicked wit that burns just as fiercely."-- Rolling Stone "No show on Broadway right now makes as a direct grab for the heart--or wrings it as thoroughly--as Next to Normal does. . . . [It] focuses squarely on the pain that cripples the members of a suburban family, and never for a minute does it let you escape the anguish at the core of their lives. Next to Normal does not, in other words, qualify as your standard feel-good musical. Instead this portrait of a manic-depressive mother and the people she loves and damages is something much more: a feel-everything musical, which asks you, with operatic force, to discover the liberation in knowing where it hurts."--Ben Brantley, The New York Times Winner of three 2009 Tony Awards, including Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre, Next to Normal is also available in an original cast recording. It was named Best Musical of the Season by Rolling Stone , The Washington Post , Los Angeles Times , and The New York Times . Brian Yorkey received the 2009 Tony Award for Best Original Score for his work on Next to Normal and was also nominated for Best Book of a Musical. His other credits include Making Tracks and Time After Time . Tom Kitt received two 2009 Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations for Next to Normal . He also composed the music for High Fidelity and From Up Here . His string arrangements appear on the new Green Day album 21st Century Breakdown , and he is the leader of the Tom Kitt Band.

Winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama "Rock is alive and rolling like thunder in Next to Normal . It's the best musical of the season by a mile...an emotional powerhouse with a fire in its soul and a wicked wit that burns just as fiercely."-- Rolling Stone "No show on Broadway right now makes as a direct grab for the heart--or wrings it as thoroughly--as Next to Normal does. . . . [It] focuses squarely on the pain that cripples the members of a suburban family, and never for a minute does it let you escape the anguish at the core of their lives. Next to Normal does not, in other words, qualify as your standard feel-good musical. Instead this portrait of a manic-depressive mother and the people she loves and damages is something much more: a feel-everything musical, which asks you, with operatic force, to discover the liberation in knowing where it hurts."--Ben Brantley, The New York Times Winner of three 2009 Tony Awards, including Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre, Next to Normal is also available in an original cast recording. It was named Best Musical of the Season by Rolling Stone , The Washington Post , Los Angeles Times , and The New York Times . Brian Yorkey received the 2009 Tony Award for Best Original Score for his work on Next to Normal and was also nominated for Best Book of a Musical. His other credits include Making Tracks and Time After Time . Tom Kitt received two 2009 Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations for Next to Normal . He also composed the music for High Fidelity and From Up Here . His string arrangements appear on the new Green Day album 21st Century Breakdown , and he is the leader of the Tom Kitt Band.