Customer Reviews

Next to Normal

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3 star:		(1)
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When I started seeing a new PCP, she told me that her sister saw the play Next to Normal and that she loved it. She said she found the line "Oh thank you, valium is my favorite color" especially funny. This piqued my interest.

As one who battles bipolar depression and mania, I had to buy the disc. I was blown away. Wow! I don't think that I have heard or am aware of anything that gets it SO right.

I live this life, so it made me laugh at many of the songs on the 1st disc. Disc 2 scared my like the Ghost of Christmas to come scared Scrooge.

Anyway, I had originally written about all the things that go on with this illness, but thought, why bore people with the life of a bipolar wife/mother. It bores even me. After reading, I thought, these are the things that I should be telling MY psychopharmacologest!

Honestly, I think everyone shoulld listen to this almost, like a public service announcement. There a lot of people who have NO idea what it's like to ride this ride. Although there is no longer a stigma attached to mental illness, there are a LOT of people who see it as a sign of weakness and scoff at us. Quite the contrary. I believe that those of us who battle this illness are the strongest people I know. I loved the song that talks about being jealous for the dead. Living is hard, because it means taking a cocktail of one or more of the long list of meds in the song, but we do it each day. Dying is easier. You only have to do this once.

So hats off to the creator of this wonderful play/musical! It's comic relief for those who live with it whether they be the one affected or those who live with the person who rides the ride at least for as long as they can no longer for their own sanity. Many of them are life-long friends, parents, spouses and children and they should know that they are not alone with all the things that are written about it in this musical. Private group therapy if you will.

I wish peace and comfort to those who live this life and pray for those who don't because their lives could be shattered should they experience the condition themselves or someone that they love.Next to Normal (Original Broadway Cast)

We wanted to read Next to Normal before we saw the play as we have had difficulty in the past hearing all the words, songs and actions of a musical when they happen together. The play book, "Next to Normal" is an excellent choice for this and the words are quite poetic. We saw the play the next week and enjoyed every minute for having read the play. Our daughter, who had seen the play before we did, had not read the book, and she missed a lot of the story. I would recommend this book to those who don't see the play as the story is quite powerful and timely.

This item is grat! This book is the manuscript for the whole musical. With this item, you can go deeper into the story of "Next to normal"

I have not had the opportunity to see this show live, but the script alone is fantastic. The story follows a family with lots of problems. For one, the mom is depressed and hallucinating and this creates a lot of problems in the family. It is really powerful and I can't wait until I get a chance to see this show on stage!

I saw this show on Christmas Eve 2010 in Los Angeles with no expectations. Mostly, I was curious about what made it a Pulitzer prize winner. It's been four months now and I'm still haunted by its courage, raw beauty, and the seamless performances of this cast. For the first two months, there were songs that would pop into my head at random. Tom Kitt's music and Brian Yorkey's lyrics are as brilliant and insightful as anything Sondheim has ever given us and despite its electric and modern rock sounds, so much of it feels as if its all been with us before when I know it hasn't. Although Alice Ripley is at the core and the star of the piece, it is about as beautiful an ensemble as I've ever seen. Not since, A Chorus Line, have songs been so well balanced in their story narrative and character revelations. The song, My Psycho-pharmacoligist and I, had me in convulsions of laughter and yet when the song was over, I sat motionless in my seat stone cold with fear. It's that rare piece that penetrates your consciousness without assaulting you months after you've seen it. More than anything, I feel blessed to have witnessed such a masterful and compassionate piece of American musical theater. Without being snobbish, I don't think anyone but American composers could have tackled such a monumental feat so brilliantly.

"Next To Normal" is best seen live from the midddle of a medium sized theatre. It's a musical about the effects that mental illness has on an entire family and it's spot on. This is a collection called a vocal selections, which means it's not the vocal score, but for vocal selections, it's worth having. The music is hard in many ways. Technically it's on a par with needing professional level piano skills. As far as singing it's not just about nailing notes rhythms and expressive qualities but every singler song is a one act play. In order to make the music work, the singer must be an actor-something that's truee with all singers.

This material is worth the effort. Not only is this art on a level with Guettel, Jason Robert Brown and even Stephen Sonddheim, it goes beyond that because there are elements of this musical that have never been done before. I guarantee that even if you purchase this book and polish up one song it will bring you massive satisfaction. And when the rights become available and regional theatres do this show, go to see it. It's another "Floyd Collins", "Sunday in the Park", "Parade" and "The Last Five Years." Honesty.

Trust me on this one. And if you don't consider yourself a "monster" musician, let this be the piece that pushes you to that level.

EXCELLENT! Best book, music, and lyrics of a musical in years. A new favorite, and I can't wait to see this show live.

I bought this because I actually missed the first 20 minutes of the play (how embarrassing). After buying and reading Next to Normal, I realized that I probably should have gotten the musical soundtrack instead. The writing of the play itself is pretty boring.

this is a great add to my collection of Next to Normal stuff. love the book!

This book reflects the life of Human-Being Creature and also encourages us to live through powerful script & lyrics.