Directed locally by Shonn McCloud, New Generation Theatrical brings to Orlando a re-conceptualized version of the powerful family drama and rock musical Next to Normal (one of this writer’s favorites), which chronicles one African American family’s journey with mental illness, loss and grief. (But we promise you’ll laugh, too.)
While the original musical touches on the same themes, New Generation promises this take spotlights mental health stigmas in the Black community, as audience members become privy to the internal dynamics of a suburban family, featuring an overachieving teenage daughter plagued by perfectionism, a depressed son, a mom with
bipolar disorder and delusional episodes, and a father who buries his own emotions in an effort to keep the family together.
With a small cast, the show is intimate and tackles difficult subjects, including death, suicide and drug misuse. But it’s also layered with a shock of dark humor (wry, not distasteful) that brings a sort of light to the gloom — while humanizing a family that comes to realize life can and should be more than getting through just another day. (Warning, this preview is littered with song references.) Over the course of the show, the family also comes to realize that while “normal” may feel like something far away, something “next to normal” can be OK, too.
Runs through Oct. 1.
Various times, The Abbey, 100 S. Eola Drive, newgentheatrical.org, $15-$40.
The Abbey
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This article appears in Fall Concerts Guide.
