Next to Normal- A Bold, Brave, and Breathtaking Musical
The Northfield Arts Guild and director Eric Parrish will present the Tony and Pulitzer Prize - winning musical Next to Normal (Music by Tom Kitt with Book and Lyrics by Brian Yorkey) at the Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 Third Street West, Northfield. Performances will take place on July 27, 28, 29 and August 3, 4, 5 with Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm.
In this remarkable rock musical, a suburban household copes with crisis and the unpredictability of a mother’s worsening bipolar disorder. While the show explores serious subjects, the stunning score is filled with humor, joy, redemption and hope. Next to Normal was chosen as "one of the year's ten best shows" by critics around the country, including The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone and The New York Times.
Dad's an architect; Mom rushes to pack lunches and pour cereal; their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens - all appearing to be a typical American family. And yet their lives are anything but normal because the mother has been battling mental illness for 16 years.
“What musical theater does best is raw emotion,” says director Eric Parrish, “and Next to Normal is almost unbearably emotional. A perfect balance of situational comedy and painful life situations produces an extraordinary, award winning night at the theater. It is one of the most emotionally charged scores in musical theater out there, and this cast doesn't disappoint.”
The regional cast features Michelle Drenth (Diana), Kevin Ideke (her husband, Dan), Kyle Yetzer (their son, Gabe), and Greta Jacobson (their daughter, Natalie). Elijah Leer plays Natialie’s boyfriend, Henry, and Bryan Reed plays Diana’s doctor, Madden.
Director Eric Parrish is based in Worthington, MN where he is the instructor of music and theater at Minnesota West Community and Technical College and serves as Director of Music at First Lutheran Church, and as Conductor for the Worthington Chamber Singers. Selected stage directing credits include Ten November, Nine, Rent and Jesus Christ Superstar. Notably, Eric appeared as the Pirate King in the Guild’s production of The Pirates of Penzance last summer. Parrish holds a Masters of Music degree from the University of Northern Colorado and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Gustavus Adolphus College
Tickets for Next to Normal are available at the Northfield Arts Guild, 304 Division Street South, online at www.northfieldartsguild.org, or by calling 507-645-8877.
The Guild’s production of Next to Normal is sponsored by Rob Martin Agency: Farmers Insurance. The 2017-18 Theater Season sponsors are Neuger Communications Group and Engage Print.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.