compulsivewriter

[compulsivewriter]

As someone who fell in love with Next to Normal when the original Broadway track was the only one available, the fact that (for me) Jack Wolfe's "Hi, Dad" sounded almost exactly like Aaron Tveit's in the 2024 West End recording is so gut-wrenching.

[compulsivewriter]

Whoever thought of "Jazzpiano" for Natalie and Henry from Next to Normal is a genius.

[compulsivewriter]

And yet another addition:

Has a role in a piece of media featuring a sports throuple.

Time to bring this back, I see.

[compulsivewriter]

May 2025 bus art dump!

[compulsivewriter]

Late realization: Dan, who has always been portrayed as "steadfast and stolid and stoic and solid," sounded as if HE'S the one who's about to have a panic attack in "It's Gonna Be Good (Reprise)."

Like, Please, no, no, not this, not this, my wife's going to crack again! Please, God, nonononononono, I can't take it anymore…

Also, Jamie Parker's stuttering "Diana, um..." before the song itself perfectly portrayed how Dan was absolutely running out of ideas on how to "cure" his wife, not realizing that all he has to tell her is their son's name for their situation to become "good."

[compulsivewriter]

Oops, almost forgot the date.

Happy end of May or early June

[compulsivewriter]

For some of you who may have noticed that the West End cast recording of Next to Normal was from a live performance instead of a studio recording, a reminder: that's how they (mostly) do musical recordings in the United Kingdom and other countries.

I suggest you compare the original Broadway recordings and West End cast recordings of Legally Blonde or 9 to 5. I was surprised at how much material was added in the West End recordings, not to mention that in some cases, the audience's reactions such as laughter and applause were also included in the recording. And may I also steer you to the German-language cast recordings of Next to Normal and Spring Awakening, which were also recorded live. (They're on Spotify, too, and they deserve a listen!)

That's what I appreciate more about West End and other foreign theatre: they take the time to give those who can't experience live theatre the chance to understand the musical more.

[compulsivewriter]

So happy they added this bit in the West End recording of "How Could I Ever Forget":

[compulsivewriter]

there's really no family doing it like the goodman family.

the dad is a hopeless romantic doing everything wrong and waiting in the car during all of his wife's endless therapy sessions, the mom is severely mentally ill and also having so much sex with her husband on a regular basis, their daughter is a piano genius and frequently on drugs, and their son is dead but still a main character of the musical.

they're all so silly goofy and all have some of the most gut-punching lines known to humanity.

stunning, no notes

everyone listen to next to normal!!

[compulsivewriter]

Hot take: The way Jack Wolfe played Gabe Goodman, I tend to believe that had he survived infancy, he'd be the kind of big brother to Natalie that Connor Murphy never was to Zoe.

[compulsivewriter]

Finally (re)discovered this gem.

Cynthia: They're the perfect loving family, so adoring, and i love them every day of every week. So my son's a little shit, my husband's boring, and my daughter, though a genius, is a freak. Still I help them love each other. Father mother sister brother, cheek to cheek.

[compulsivewriter]

Monday midnight thoughts

You have to appreciate how the West End version of Next to Normal reimagined "I Dreamed A Dance/There's A World." (Spoilers ahead!)

In the original Broadway production, it's interpreted as a literal dance between Diana and Gabe, complete with Gabe looking as if he's the one going to prom, not Natalie. Kind of reinforced Gabe (particularly Aaron Tveit's portrayal) as a seductive ghost, which makes his own song even more sinister in the context of Diana's suicide attempt.

The West End version, on the other hand, portrayed it as a kind of mother-son bonding. Like a parent who's sold the house and is now sorting over the junk of their past life, and then the kid who has been off to college reappears and they reminisce together over the junk. (I remember seeing this part where Jack Wolfe, as Gabe, is handed the music box and his face lights up like, "Wow, this brings a lot of memories.") It also reinforced how the West End version portrayed Gabe as a child in an adult's body, which really makes "There's a World" sound more like a desperate plea to his mother rather than an invitation for Diana to join him in the afterlife.

[compulsivewriter]

So in this version, it's not just "Hi, Dad" but "Hi, Sis" as well?

So anyway, I'm weeping.

You have no idea how happy it makes me that this little detail is in the pro shot

[compulsivewriter]

Midterm election eve thoughts (and no, not about that...)

This observation is based on what I've seen so far, and you may or may not agree on this.

But hear me out: it's fascinating how Aaron Tveit and Jack Wolfe played two distinctly different versions of the same character.

Aaron played Gabe Goodman as Diana Goodman imagined him to be: a typical teenager whose emotions are, for the most part, matured to an extent. His Gabe, to me, can be a bit eccentric, can sometimes be vengeful, but I think Aaron's portrayal indicates to the audience that Gabe was, indeed, a figment of Diana's unsound mind. Gabe grew up in Diana's imagination, so it's plausible that Aaron's portrayal would match that imagination.

Jack, on the other hand, played Gabe like what he actually was: a toddler whose emotions never really matured. Based on what I've heard and seen so far, it looks like Jack's Gabe behaved like a two- or three-year-old: throws tantrums, is unable to control his emotions, always tries to get what he wants, and turns violent when things don't go his way. Jack's Gabe clearly died as a toddler, and his character never grew up with him - which, in the context of Diana's long battle with grief, hammers home the awful reality that the Goodman family has never really gotten over his death.

[compulsivewriter]

April 2025 bus art dump!

[compulsivewriter]

And oh, the calendar's ripe for this one...

Trust me, it IS what it is.

[compulsivewriter]

April 2025 bus art dump!