Melbourne Theatre Company is getting quite the reputation for putting on the odd “small” musical each season. Last year was The Drowsy Chaperone with Geoffrey Rush, and this year they took on the surprise New York hit, Next To Normal.
Directed and musically directed by playwriter/composer team Dean Bryant and Mathew Frank (who wrote the very moving Prodigal, amongst others), the show focuses on an American family led by a mentally ill mother, Diana. The show’s focus moves between the reason for her illness, her attempts at treatment and therapy and later, its effect on the family. It’s surprisingly lengthy at around two and a half hours, particularly for a work as intimate and heavy in tone as this, but the story is structured in a way that the second act doesn’t feel like it overstays its welcome. This is also likely due to the enjoyable score that I could best describe as “soft rock”.
The small cast is headed by Kate Kendall, probably best known for her role on the TV police drama Stingers. While Kendall doesn’t have a powerhouse voice in terms of strength, she does have a pleasant coarseness in her voice, not unlike the role’s originator, Alice Ripley. She also never struggles to hit any notes throughout the diverse score, and powers through the emotional drama. The rest of the cast are vocally very strong, particularly Matt Hetherington who’s warm voice and gentle character is a lovely contrast to the volatile Diana. Their son, Gabriel, played by Gareth Keegan also does wonders with the pop-esque melodies he’s given.
The production looks and sounds wonderful. Richard Roberts’ compact set is ingenious and seemingly limitlessly versatile. The lighting design, combined with the subtle projections add great depth to the set. Mathew Frank’s band of 6 is tight, energetic and very sensitive to the cast and venue. The orchestrations (focussing on piano, strings and guitars) and vocals were always clear, so hats off to Terry McKibbin and his sound design for that. With barely a synth in sight (the violinist doubles on synth in a few numbers), I was impressed that Frank led the band onstage from an acoustic upright piano lending authenticity to the sound.
The season has been extended until 4th June so it’s worth a viewing. Cheap tickets are available at HalfTix Melbourne, too.