Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s musical “next to normal” ran for three evenings from Oct. 26 through 28 in the Hyman Fine Arts Center.
The musical follows the mental health journey of Diana, played by Olivia Parrot, a loving wife to her husband Dan, played by Austin Conley, and mother to two children, Gabe and Natalie, played by DeQyan LaSane and Lindsay Navarro, respectively. The musical showcases Diana’s journey through the elements of mental health, such as grief and depression, all while fighting to maintain a happy and picturesque family.
The production kept a small cast of seven students, with the other three cast members including Noah Craig as Henry, Ollie McConnell as Doctor Fine and Brailey Sloan as Doctor Madden.
The live band accompanying the show consisted of FMU faculty and staff members, including professor of music Terry Roberts, assistant professor of music industry Brian Jones and part-time music instructor Shane Reeves.
FMU professors Fran Coleman, Terry Roberts and Glen Gourley teamed up to cast, direct and conduct the musical. Students also helped to create the set, run the lighting and sound boards and switch out props during the shows.
Like any production, the creative team, directors and cast faced a number of challenges.
“I thought it went well, against all odds,” Fran Coleman, associate professor of music industry and music director for the play, said. “We had multiple illnesses and injuries along the way, limited rehearsal resources in addition to probably the hardest music these students have ever had to learn.”
Despite these obstacles, the cast persevered and gave it their all.
“’next to normal’ might as well be a rock opera because it is almost completely sung,” Coleman said. “There are very few spoken lines. But they brought it, and they performed with confidence. I could not be more proud of their hard work and perseverance.”
The show ran for just over two hours, with a brief 15-minute intermission between the first and second acts.
Due to the serious topics that this musical centered around, concerns were raised as to how audiences would react to such themes.
“The subject matter was quite sensitive, as was the language,” Glen Gourley, professor of theatre arts and the play’s director, said. “I was somewhat concerned about the demographics of the audience and how receptive they would be to both the storyline and the language.”
On top of the concerns brought up by the subject matter, the structure of the play itself had its own challenges the team had to face.
“This is among the more difficult shows I have directed as the show is over 80% music/sung,” Gourley said. “I was most happy with the performances.”
Along with the team that worked on the production, the audience seemed to enjoy the performances from the cast.
“I thought the show was really good,” Haley Flowers, sophomore biology secondary education major, said. “The two female leads had amazing voices.”
FMU’s next theater production is “The Sweet Abyss,” written by FMU’s own Dr. Jon Tuttle. The play will be directed by professor of theatre arts Dawn Larsen and will take place on April 11 through 13, 2024 in the Hyman Fine Arts Center.
For more information about upcoming performances, musicals, and productions, please visit the calendar on the FMU website.