Since discovering the musical in 2012 (Thanks, Aaron Tveit!) and falling in love with the material, I’ve dreamt of seeing the musical live — so of course I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. (I’m even watching a second time, duh.)

Next to Normal is a rock musical that explores the effects of repressed grief and a crumbling mental state on an individual as well as the people around them. Created by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt, the story revolves around Diana Goodman, a wife and mother struggling with bipolar disorder and depression. With the help of her hopeful husband Dan, she cycles through several rounds of treatment that mess with her system in various ways. Fed up with it all, Diana decides to ditch her meds, and the consequences of that decision sends her and whole family into a spiral.

Apart from the outstanding lyricism and score, I really appreciated the way Next to Normal conveyed the interconnected stories of Diana, Dan, their daughter Natalie (and her suitor Henry), and their son, Gabe. The messages the show sent across were so necessary, the most notable for me being that grief need not be repressed. It had to be properly acknowledged. Felt. Embraced.