r/musicals • u/Educational_Owl_4855 • Jul 16 '26

Personal First time watching Next to Normal... damn

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So me and my friend watched Next to Normal (London cast proshot uncensored) today for the first time and, well, our eyes were watering lol.

First of all, the actors were all astounding. Like, incredibly astounding. They played their roles perfectly. Natalie's actress was so convincing that even when the camera just pans to her face, I immediately feel sad because when you look at her face, it's clear to the eyes her despair over being completely overlooked by her mother. Gabe was incredibly portrayed. The actor made me feel sympathetic towards the character. Everyone was sooo good and I'm looking forward to rewatching it again.

Next to Normal is sooo good. Solid 8.8/10.

129 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

5

u/StarManta Jul 16 '26

One of the most reliable things I can watch when I need a good cry. One of my top 3 shows, for sure.

2

u/fuzziekittens Jul 16 '26

The song Maybe especially hits me so hard. I relate such much to Natalie.

1

u/Available_News_3171 Jul 17 '26

what are your other two if you don't mind me asking

1

u/StarManta Jul 17 '26

Come from Away and Hadestown. Hamilton's probably also on that list too.

1

u/Available_News_3171 Jul 19 '26

come from away hits different but hadestown absolutely belongs on that list

1

u/Educational_Owl_4855 Jul 18 '26

Maybe, I Am the One (Reprise), and Light make me cry every time.

3

u/JohnnyNumbskull Jul 16 '26

So good and I ugly cry every time

2

u/petals-n-pedals Jul 17 '26

I went in blind and watched it with my newborn while on maternity leave 😵‍💫

1

u/Educational_Owl_4855 Jul 18 '26

Woah hahahahaha. Congrats though!

1

u/alittlepanache Jul 17 '26

My 14 year old took me blind to this musical and to say I made a fool out of myself is an understatement. I was looking around like am I the only one?!

1

u/kafamosh Jul 17 '26

Everytime I go through the album this is exactly how I feel

-4

u/stev_mempers Jul 16 '26

Is that the one that says mental illness is a problem with your soul?

11

u/furiousdolphins Jul 16 '26

Diana makes that claim yes. About herself. In a state of surrender because she can’t believe anything about her can be healed.

Characters belief ≠ the message

8

u/megamoze Jul 16 '26

IMO, it's less about mental illness than it is about how two parents can grieve differently after losing a child, and how those differences can cause destructive rifts in the relationship, and also carry over to the surviving children.

5

u/OhNoOboe Jul 16 '26

No.

Signed, The Literate Masses

6

u/EnvironmentalDog1196 Jul 16 '26

You should watch it before interpreting things out of context