About the Book
'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.
About the Author :
Tom Kitt is a musical theatre composer and orchestrator whose award-winning work includes the Tony Award-winning score for the musical next to normal (New York, 2008; Broadway, 2009; Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 2010).
He has written the music for other Broadway shows, including If/Then, Almost Famous, Flying Over Sunset, High Fidelity and Bring it On, The Musical. His work for the stage has also been seen off-Broadway at Second Stage (next to normal, Superhero) and The Public Theater (The Visitor, Shakespeare in the Park).
In addition, his Broadway credits as an orchestrator include next to normal, The SpongeBob Musical, Jagged Little Pill, Almost Famous, Head Over Heels, Everyday Rapture and American Idiot.
His work for film and TV includes vocal arrangement on the Pitch Perfect films, music supervisor/arranger/orchestrator for Grease Live, and contributions to Royal Pains, Penny Dreadful and Sesame Street. He also provided music supervision for the NBC series Rise, and served as a Supervising Music Producer on the musical television series Up Here. His musical adaptation of Freaky Friday, co-written with Bridget Carpenter and Brian Yorkey, was turned into an original movie musical for Disney Channel.
He recorded his debut album, Reflect, in 2021.
Brian Yorkey wrote the book and lyrics for Broadway musical next to normal (New York, 2008; Broadway, 2009; Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 2010).
Other work includes: If/Then starring Idina Menzel; the libretto for The Last Ship (Outer Critic’s Nomination, with John Logan), with a score by Sting; and the Disney Theatricals musical adaptation of Freaky Friday, which also became a Disney Channel Original Movie.
He was the Executive Producer and Co-Showrunner for the Netflix series Echoes. Prior to that, he was the Creator, Executive Producer and Showrunner of 13 Reasons Why for Netflix and Paramount Television. He has also directed for theatre and television.
Review :
'A brave, breathtaking musical. It is something much more than a feel-good musical: it is a feel-everything musical'
'Mesmerizing – an emotional powerhouse with a fire in its soul and a wicked wit that burns just as fiercely'
'A musical that sings in its own consistently ravishing voice. It is a moving, blisteringly honest, and inordinately powerful new musical stocked with beautiful songs that get to the heart of the story – and simply get to the heart'
'The rarest of Broadway species: a thoughtful, emotional musical for grown-ups'
'A startling, emotion-drenched musical about one family’s attempt to cope with mental illness... an impressive achievement'
'An astonishing, involving show... deals with a serious, difficult subject in a bold, brave way... an impressive piece of theatre'
'Compassionate, thoughtful, but also witty... implicitly rebukes those who think musicals can't be serious'
'Brilliant... gut-wrenching and blackly comic'
'A hit rock musical powered by huge, messy emotions and gorgeously, earnestly delivered ballads... an unusual, wholly kitsch-free kind of musical, one that's got the narrowed focus and emotional intensity of a kitchen-sink drama'
'Sensational... first-rate entertainment... as a boutique musical theatre experience, this is pretty special'
'Harrowing, tough-minded and genuinely courageous... rips out your heart and hands it back to you, bruised but overflowing... gripping, challenging theatre, thrilling in its audacity and profoundly affecting in its compassion'
'A blistering musical portrayal of mental anguish... beautiful and unflinching'
'A rare kind of musical... a heart-shatteringly extraordinary piece of theatre... a musical of profound emotional intelligence... the real deal'
'Incredible... such an important show to be on the West End... a total masterpiece from start to finish'
