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.
Note: I tried my best to write this review without spoilers. Enjoy!
Things I loved
For this local staging, The Sandbox Co. opted for a hyper minimalist approach, incorporating only several chairs and a few prop pieces throughout the entire show, which I felt was a solid choice. The black box theatre was tiny, and the bareness of the stage allowed the audience to pay close attention to the actors and the things they have to say whether through words or actions/facial expressions.
But even with such a bare stage, I was never left wanting. In fact, the live band’s music was so tactile, and the way it filled the entire theatre made me feel like it was both the structure of the Goodman household and the chaos in Diana’s brain. The masterful lighting design that elevated the mood of every scene (my most favorite one was a moment in Hey #3/Perfect for You (Reprise), IYKYK), and of course, the powerhouse cast who left their hearts on stage for all of us to see just completed the experience for me.
I was also pleasantly surprised with some of the acting/directing choices made in this staging. Loved how Vino Mabalot infused such pure vulnerability in his portrayal of Gabe without completely erasing his cunning. For so long, I’ve felt that the character mostly existed to punish his parents for “abandoning” him, but Vino showed me a Gabe that’s equally vengeful that nobody cares about him anymore, and also so afraid that he is being completely erased from everyone’s consciousness.
Sheena Belarmino gave us a Natalie that felt so much more human, so much more relatable to me, now more than ever. Like, dude…I never thought I’d ever cry over Superboy and the Invisible Girl, but she made it happen. I loved that her Natalie wasn’t only full of angst — she was also just a young girl feeling her way through her first love, worried that she won’t turn out to be the perfect girlfriend to Henry.
I’ve always been in awe over how much control OJ Mariano has over his emotions in every role he plays, and I saw it in full display with the way he handled Dan. He lets the emotions slip in such small increments, like drops of water seeping through the smallest of cracks — and when it’s time to let go, the only options are to get swept away or drown. Man, THAT CHOICE in I Am the One (Reprise) broke the shit out of me, my heart rate shot up according to my watch (from a resting 79 to a 98 WTF). Anyway, that was amazing and it hurt and I wanna see it again for catharsis. (Someone talk to me about it please I have so many feelings!)
Shiela Valderrama. Oh boy, what a blessing it was to witness her as Diana. It’s easy to fall into the trap of seeming like a caricature when portraying any type of disability, and while I can’t speak on the experience, Valderrama’s depiction of Diana’s struggles felt nuanced and authentic. That, coupled with her pristine voice that made my heart soar and ache, sometimes at the same time (I had to literally bite my scarf during How Can I Ever Forget? because I was so close to sobbing) felt like a religious experience.
Loved that Jef Flores’ voice and demeanor lend well to a doctor/therapist role because he truly calmed me down whenever he was on stage. I loveddd when he transformed into a “scary rockstar” for a few seconds — wished it went on for longer (and that he was facing our side of the audience), but alas. Omar Uddin was very convincing as a lovestruck teen chasing after the bright light that was Natalie, and I was enamored with a particular scene in the 2nd act because he made me laugh. And boy did I need to laugh a little toward the end.
So yes, obviously, I loved All Of It — but if I had to nitpick though, my gripe would be that some mics didn’t seem to be mixed well with the rest. This could be the smallness of the theatre working to the production’s detriment, because the live band, though exceptional, sometimes drowned out the actors’ voices. To someone like me who still has the whole OCR memorized, it’s fine — I could fill in the blanks. But to someone seeing the show for the first time, it could get overwhelming and confusing. If The Sandbox Co. is considering another run, I hope they think of improving the sound in the theatre OR stage it in another theatre with better acoustics.
Musical chairs
I was fascinated by the artistic choice to use chairs to symbolize a character or their struggles. Characters carry them around like personal burdens, move them around and place them back where they should be as if to make sense of the chaos that’s happening in their lives. At some point the chairs were in total disarray, as though mirroring Diana’s fraying mental faculties.
At the beginning of the show, there was one chair in the middle of the stage. It belonged to a particular character, and I “followed” that chair for the entire show, curious to see how certain characters will interact with it. Let’s just say it was an emotionally fulfilling journey of musical chairs from beginning to end. Such a simple artistic decision that paid off so well. Loved it very much.
Additional notes
Prior to the show’s opening, I appreciated very much that The Sandbox Co. published a post on their socials that included content/trigger warnings for the show. Even if a piece of work doesn’t necessary talk about mental health, I firmly believe that CWs/TWs should be provided to audiences whenever necessary. In our current social landscape where more and more people are now open to talk about or acknowledge their experiences with dealing with mental health, it’s great to know that showrunners and producers are taking care of their audiences by doing this. It could be a small detail to some, but a huge deal for many.
I also liked the fact that they had people on standby whom audiences could speak with in case the show triggered intense feelings for them. Next to Normal is not an easy show to digest and it’s great that something like that is readily available to anyone who might need it. Thank you, The Sandbox Co. <3
I hope that shows like this help further the conversation around mental health issues, especially within family, friends, and other circles. It truly helps that we at least understand that these exist, and that they’re not things that simply go away if you stop acknowledging it. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and there is nothing wrong with seeking help to address it.
Next to Normal runs until February 23 at the Powermac Center Spotlight Theater in Circuit Makati. Tickets are available through Ticket2Me, or through showbuyers indicated on The Sandbox Co.’s Instagram account.
