rock musical
Next to Normal
book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey
music by Tom Kitt
direction by Emilia Sargent
music direction by Juan Rodriguez
Presented at USF Theatre Centre, TAR 120
3837 USF Holly Dr., Tampa FL 33620
preview May 30
OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION May 31
June 1-June 16, 2024
PRESENTING SPONSOR:
Community Foundation Tampa Bay
Season Sponsors:
The Gobioff Foundation
Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners
Florida Division of Cultural Affairs
Preschool Experience, Inc.
Venue Sponsor:
Love IV Lawrence Foundation
Supporting Sponsors:
Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
ClearEdge Title
Anonymous
BTR
Ticketing Sponsor:
Russell Buchan
Opening Night Sponsors:
Andrea Graham & Geoff Simon
John & Jennifer King
Media Sponsor:
WUSF
NEXT TO NORMAL is an emotional roller-coaster ride that explores the highs and lows of a suburban family coping with mental illness.With an electrifying rock score and heart-wrenching lyrics, the TampaRep production will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. From the outside, the Goodmans are a “normal family”, but inside, there’s no such thing. Diana’s bipolar disorder is a struggle not only for her, but also for her overly-protective husband and anxiety-ridden daughter. Can Dr. Madden’s treatments help make any of them “better”? The journey will tug at your heartstrings and leave you with a renewed appreciation for the power of human resilience. TampaRep is thrilled to present this must-see musical for anyone who has ever dealt with mental illness, or loved someone who has.
Winner! 2009 Tony Award for Best Original Score
Winner! 2009 Tony Award for Best Orchestrations
Recipient of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Winner! 2008 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music
“a feel-everything musical, which asks you, with operatic force, to discover the liberation in knowing where it hurts.”
“Next to Normal throbs with an emotional intensity, steeped in an inescapable, aching compassion for people crippled by pain.”
“Anger, yearning, sorrow, guilt and the memory of what must have been love seem to coexist in every note. None of these are particularly comfortable emotions. In combination they’re a dangerous cocktail. But to experience them is to tingle with the gratitude of being able to feel them all. Diana is right when she sings that “you don’t have to be happy at all to be happy you’re alive.” Nor do musicals have to bubble with cheer to transport an audience as this one does.” – New York Times
“Next to Normal hurts so good. The smiles it engenders are the marveling kind, etched in tears. The emotional rhythms of this exhilarating show, winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for drama, do not correspond to the frivolous fare that all but defines the modern American musical. It’s a work that sings from a bruised heart, not a contented one.” – Washington Post
Meet the Cast
Alexis Carra
as Diana
Jim Sorensen
as Dan
Nicholas Perez-Hoop
as Dr. Madden / Fine
Ben Sutherland
as Gabe
Mariela Zeno
as Natalie
Max Dalton
as Henry
Next to Normal – IN THE NEWS
Review: Tampa Rep’s ‘Next to Normal’ soars musically, and gut-punches, too
Jon Palmer Claridge, 6/3/2024
“If your idea of a musical is ‘raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,’ then TampaRep’s electrifying ‘Next to Normal’ is not for you. However, if you or anyone in your life has been touched by the multi-faceted and much misunderstood world of mental illness, you’ll find yourself on an exhilarating ride splashing into an emotional puddle—and that’s just midway through the first act.”
READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Review: TampaRep’s NEXT TO NORMAL is a Theatrical Triumph at USF Theatre
Deborah Bostock-Kelley, 6/3/2024
“I already knew I would love NEXT TO NORMAL. It was a show my then-teenaged daughter introduced me to, and I had the soundtrack on Spotify for years. But of the several versions I’ve seen, TampaRep’s production was, in the simplest terms, perfection.”
READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Review: Tampa Repertory Theatre’s Astonishing NEXT TO NORMAL
Peter Nason, 6/1/2024
“ ‘You wonder which is worse–the symptom or the cure?’ –Gabe in ‘Aftershocks’ from NEXT TO NORMAL.
I was a wild child. In the 1970s, the word “hyperactivity” was used instead of ADHD, and when I was nine or ten I was deemed by doctors to have this thing, this disorder if you will, called “hyperactivity.” I was prescribed Ritalin, and suddenly Perky Pete transformed into Debbie Downer.”
READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Tampa Rep debuts Pulitzer-winning musical ‘Next to Normal’
Bill DeYoung, 5/29/2024
“Diana Goodman is a suburban housewife with a problem. A whole medicine chest-full of them.
Diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she’s taking way too much prescription medication, and things are spiraling out of control. Her life has become a topsy-turvy balancing act between fits of wildly erratic behavior and disorientation, all while attempting – or at least attempting to attempt – something like normal life. Her husband and her teenage children are caught in the day-to-day vortex of confusion and pain…”
READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Previews: NEXT TO NORMAL at TampaRep
Deborah Bostock-Kelley, 5/22/2024
“On stage at USF Theatre Centre on May 31-June 16 is TampaRep’s emotionally charged rock musical “Next to Normal.” Part of a broader initiative titled “Raise the Curtain on Mental Health Awareness,” directed by Emilia Sargent with music direction by Juan Rodriguez, this production is not just a performance but an exploration of the highs and lows of a suburban family grappling with mental illness.“
READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Tampa Repertory Theater uses performance to stop stigma around mental health
ABC Action News, 5/21/2024
“May is Mental Health Awareness Month and a local theater company and non-profit organization have teamed up to help stop the stigma when it comes to mental health. Tampa Repertory Theater is currently rehearsing for its upcoming musical, “Next To Normal.” The theater hopes the musical will entertain, inspire and educate audiences about the stigmas surrounding mental health. “’Next to Normal’ is a Tony Award-winning, Pulitzer Prize-winning musical about a suburban family dealing with issues of mental health and healing from trauma,” said Alexis Carra Girbés, who plays the mother in the show.“
READ THE ARTICLE
Raise the Curtain on Mental Health Awareness
WFLA Daytime, 4/19/2024
“A musical with a unique distinction is coming to the Tampa Repertory Theatre. Next to Normal has won multiple Tony Awards and a Pulitzer for raising awareness about mental health…“
WATCH THE INTERVIEW
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Location:
University of South Florida
USF Theatre Centre
3837 USF Holly Drive, TAR 120
Tampa, FL 33620
Next to the Marshall Student Center
On both Google Maps or Apple Maps,
the easiest way to find us is to search for
“THEATRE CENTRE“
or “3837 USF Holly Dr.”
Be sure to use “USF Holly Dr”, not just “Holly Dr”, which is a different location in Tampa.
For more info, call the box office: (813) 556-8737
Dates & Times:
May 30 – June 16, 2024
Thu / Fri / Sat evenings – 7:30pm
Sat matinees – 2:00pm
Sun matinees – 3:00pm
Seating begins 20 minutes prior to showtime.
Approximate running time is 2 hours 15 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.
Health & Safety:
TampaRep will follow all local and CDC-suggested COVID safety guidelines at the time of the performances.
parking:
There is plenty of parking at USF, free after 6pm and on weekends. MORE INFORMATION is available here.
***NOTE*** Please plan to arrive early. There is construction occurring on the USF Parking Lots, and many other events happening in other spaces at USF.
What to EXPECT:
Seating will be general admission – first-come, first seated.
Non-alcoholic snacks will be available for purchase.
Only water is allowed in the theatre.
USF School of Theatre and Dance
