no. 17 - Next to Normal

vocals: 8/10 || acting: 9/10 || (music) score: 10/10 || stage presence: 9/10 || characters: 10/10 || plot: 10/10 || staging: 9/10 || audience: 10/10 || logistics: 10/10

(contains spoilers)

I watched Next to Normal at a community theater! Two of my friends from college were in them and they both did an incredible job. It was very apparent that the cast really cared about the message of the musical and acknowledged that many families do experience similar circumstances. The acting was overall really great, the singing was a little bit weaker in Act one but picked up a LOT in Act two. Being in such an intimate theater allowed the audience to connect to the actors even further. I (shockingly) did not cry, but they almost got me at the song where the mother recalls the passing of her son again. Loved the performance, their hard work reallt paid off!