On Nov. 23, The University of Wyoming theater department put on the musical ‘Next to Normal’. This was the second week it had been running. The story follows a bipolar mother named Diana, played by Anastasia Zettle and Kayla Lin Colburn, who has trouble connecting with her family, and letting them connect to her.
Next to Normal uses humor while bringing attention to issues such as mental illness, drug abuse, self-harm, electroshock therapy, and suicide. The cast stated that Next to Normal is for an adult audience, as it has mature themes and uses explicit language.
In Next to Normal, Diana tries to raise her daughter Natalie, played by Carolyn Thornton and Halee Inez Terry, while maintaining a marriage with her husband Dan, played by Oscar Erickson. The story continues to weave in Diana’s son Gabe, who passed away, played by Ethan Williams. Diana hallucinates Gabe, causing her to be put on medication. When she chooses not to take them, this causes her to take her own life. Natalie, Diana’s daughter, feels ‘invisible’ to her family. She struggles with drug use to attempt to cope with her family issues. Natalie’s relationship with her boyfriend Henry, played by Lee Cox, shows how mental health can affect people’s lives in many different ways.
Performing a musical about such a serious topic has to be handled with sensitivity. Williams said, “Playing Gabe was really meaningful for me. I think there are a lot of layers to him, specifically with grief and how we deal with it and how different people process it.” The cast of Next to Normal had to not only act their part but understand these very real issues in order to portray a successful musical.
“There were a lot of lessons I learned personally about processing negative emotions. It was really rewarding and difficult to wrap my head around it all,” Williams said. With issues this serious, both the cast and audience were able to take away a deeper meaning to this musical. By showing such sensitive subjects, the University of Wyoming theater department was able to move people to tears and spread awareness of mental health topics.
