Review Roundup: What are the critics saying about Next to Normal?

Posted on Jun 27, 2024 | By Sian McBride

The Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning Next to Normal officially checked in to the Wyndham’s Theatre last night. The American rock musical last visited the capital in 2023, where it had a successful stay at the Donmar Warehouse. The entire run sold-out in record-breaking time, and the critics agreed with the audience's adoration. The production picked up four Olivier Award nominations and received a host of rave reviews from the press, with the Sunday Express calling it ‘electrifying, heart wrenching, profoundly human.’ But how did the latest adaptation of the landmark musical compare?

What is Next to Normal about?

Next to Normal is an intimate exploration of family and illness, loss and grief. At its heart is Diana Goodman (Caissie Levy, who originated the role of Elsa in Frozen the Musical on Broadway), a suburban wife and mother living with bipolar disorder and haunted by her past.

Next To Normal features a thrilling and original rock score by Pulitzer, Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Tom Kitt and book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Brian Yorkey. Starring alongside Levy are Olivier Award-winner Jamie Parker (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Jack Wolfe (winner of the Critic’s Circle Theatre Award for Next to Normal), Olivier Award winner Eleanor Worthington-Cox (Matilda the Musical), Trevor Dion Nicholas (Aladdin) and Jack Ofrecio.

What are the critics saying about Next to Normal?

⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘It may have been marvellous at the Donmar, but it’s a must-see now’ - WhatsOnStage

⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Caissie Levy is phenomenal’ - The Stage

⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Equal parts heartbreaking and heart-wrenching, Next to Normal is the kind of show that you're left thinking about long after you've left the theatre’ - BroadwayWorld

⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Kitt and Yorkey’s musical soars in the hands of such an accomplished and connected cast’ - London Theatre

‘Jack Wolfe, is a fantastic performer with a voice as sweet and powerful as a thunderstorm in a heatwave’ - The Spectator

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