Next to Normal was a contemporary Off-/Broadway ‘rock’ musical about bipolar disorder and suburban living; it won three 2009 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer in 2010, among a litany of other nominations and accolades.
I dig the Broadway poster art, with the purple base, suburban domicile, and newsprint-like stipple effect on the images used (also in some of the on-stage art):
(This poster was swapped out for something a little more overt for a production down under.)
Here’s a sample from the titular song, “Maybe (Next to Normal)”:
“I don’t need a life that’s normal
That’s way too far away
But something next to normal
Would be okay
Yeah, something next to normal
That’s the thing I’d like to try
Close enough to normal
To get by”
—Natalie, “Maybe (Next To Normal)”
The cast recording is available as MP3 download or old-school CD, or as paperback for the full-text read; and there are a few recordings on YouTube as well:
