On Stage: Rock musical ‘Next to Normal’ explores mental illness

A Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical about mental illness comes to the stage for five performances in June.

Maricopa Community Theatre will present “Next to Normal” June 10-11 at 7 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m., and June 17-18 at 7 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday at Maricopa High School Lecture Hall.

The show (book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, music by Tom Kitt) follows a seemingly typical suburban wife and mother who begins manifesting strange behavior. She eventually receives a diagnosis of bipolar disorder with hallucinations.

As Diane gets treatment for her issues, her husband Dan copes by trying to put a normal face on the family situation. Their teenage daughter Natalie has her own self-destructive means of escape and holds new love interest Henry at arm’s length.

Under a doctor’s questionable care, Diane has a meltdown that nearly leads to suicide. She agrees to ECT treatments, which causes her a devastating loss of memory and further confuses whatever family stability is left. And for all that, her main hallucination has not ceased.

“It’s the most challenging role I’ve ever done at so many levels,” said Carrie Vargas, who plays Diane.

Vargas is the artistic director of MCT. She has dealt with mental illness (anxiety and depression) in her own family and found the story of to be “intensely personal.” She corralled Cindi Calhoun, an MCT member who heads up the theater company at Maricopa High School, to direct “Next to Normal,” with Mandi Ware as assistant director.

[quote_box_right]“It’s a very important story to tell.” — David Vargas[/quote_box_right]

Calhoun was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder several years ago. When the prospect of staging “Next to Normal” came up last year, she was interested in how the arts represent mental illness.

“We have so much shared experience with this story,” Calhoun said. “I refuse to live in silence and stigma.”

David Vargas, who plays Dan, sees a lot of his father in the role. His mother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and his father became ground control. His first introduction to “Next to Normal,” which won Broadway’s Tony award for best score, was through Carrie’s side business as a voice coach. One of her students performed a song from the score.

Only when the musical was scheduled for MCT did he look more closely at the show.

“It’s a very important story to tell, in my opinion,” he said. “It puts light on mental illness in a family and how they cope on a day-to-day basis.”

While the rest of the cast have worked together in MCT productions, the new guy is Ryan Glover, who plays the son of Diane and Dan. Glover sings professionally with Phoenix-area companies.
[quote_box_left]If You Go
What: “Next to Normal”
Who: Maricopa Community Theatre
When: June 10-11, 17-18
Where: MHS Lecture Hall, 45012 W Honeycutt Ave.
How much: $12 in advance; $15 at the door
Info: 520-261-4097, MaricopaCommunityTheatre.org[/quote_box_left]
“It was like coming to a new family,” he said. “They are all very comfortable with each other, so it was easy to transition into.”

Glover auditioned for “Next to Normal” because “it’s a show I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time.” He said it was the first musical he loved from start to finish.

Ashley Lynn, who graduated from Maricopa High School this month, plays Natalie. She said as a teen she recognizes Natalie’s coping mechanisms within the family dynamic.

When she performed in “The Snow Queen” earlier this season for MCT, she was recast late and most of her focus was on learning a new part. “So it’s kind of cool to get more of a chance to focus on myself as a singer and actor,” she said.

The show is also a change for the cast’s youngest member. Carlos O. Venegas, 17, plays Henry. Coming off the lead role in the high school’s production of “Les Miserables,” he is accustomed not only to singing classical-style scores but also playing much older characters. “Next to Normal” is a shift away from that.

“It’s different to play my age and show how people relate to and react to kids these days,” he said.

Though he recently moved out of Maricopa, Gabe Jenkins is returning to play the doctor with the questionable treatment regimen. He said he has loved working with MCT over the years and values his friendship with Calhoun.

“I love this theater and what we’re doing as far as bringing culture and the arts to Maricopa,” he said.

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“Next to Normal” contains adult language and adult subject matter.