next to normal by Tom Kitt

next to normal by Tom Kitt

'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 is published alongside the UK premiere at the Donmar Warehouse, London, in 2023. It 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.

'A brave, breathtaking musicalIt is something much more than a feel-good musical: it is a feel-everything musical'

* New York Times *

'Mesmerizing – an emotional powerhouse with a fire in its soul and a wicked wit that burns just as fiercely'

* Rolling Stone *

'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'

* Washington Post *

'The rarest of Broadway species: a thoughtful, emotional musical for grown-ups'

* Time Out New York *

'A startling, emotion-drenched musical about one family’s attempt to cope with mental illness... an impressive achievement'

* Associated Press *

'An astonishing, involving show... deals with a serious, difficult subject in a bold, brave way... an impressive piece of theatre'

* WhatsOnStage *

'Compassionate, thoughtful, but also witty... implicitly rebukes those who think musicals can't be serious'

* Evening Standard *

'Brilliant... gut-wrenching and blackly comic'

* Telegraph *

'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'

* Independent *

'Sensational... first-rate entertainment... as a boutique musical theatre experience, this is pretty special'

* Time Out *

'A blistering musical portrayal of mental anguish... beautiful and unflinching'

* iNews *

'A rare kind of musical... a heart-shatteringly extraordinary piece of theatre... a musical of profound emotional intelligence... the real deal'

* Broadway World *

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.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781839042232
ISBN 10	1839042230
Title	next to normal
Author	Tom Kitt
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Nick Hern Books
Year published	2023-08-24
Number of pages	160
Prizes	Winner of Pulitzer Prize for Drama 2010
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable