Next To Normal at The Kennedy Center

Next To Normal

The Kennedy Center
2700 F Street, NW Washington

From the director of Rent comes three-time Tony winner Next to Normal. A story of family members torn between caring for themselves and each other, this musical with a thrilling rock score was deemed "one of the year's ten best" by critics.

Thru - Jul 10, 2011

Tuesdays: 7:30pm

Wednesdays: 7:30pm

Thursdays: 7:30pm

Fridays: 7:30pm

Saturdays: 1:30pm & 7:30pm

Sundays: 1:30pm & 7:30pm

Price: $35-$120

Show Type: Musical

Running Time: 2 hrs with 1 intermission

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Next To Normal Reviews

Average Rating based on 7 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Recommended

"...Ripley has been portraying Diana since the musical was first presented more than three years ago off Broadway, at New York’s Second Stage. The dramatic performance — for which she deservedly won the Tony — is at the point of second skin now. (This is her second visit to the Washington area as Diana: She played the part in late 2008 at Arena Stage, where “Next to Normal” was polished up after the initial off-Broadway run received mixed reviews.)"

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- Peter Marks

Washington Examiner - Highly Recommended

"..."Next to Normal" is a new kind of musical, willing to tackle a complex social problem through an intensely personal lens. And this production of it, under the provocative direction of Michael Greif, does not try to sugarcoat its message. In its finely drawn portraits of the people close to Diana and of Diana's refusal to be defined by her sickness, this "Next to Normal" suggests new adjectives: "unromanticized," "illuminating," and "brave.""

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- Barbara Mackay

Baltimore Sun - Highly Recommended

"...Ripley is the riveting anchor for the production, directed by Michael Greif. At the performance I attended, her singing did not match her acting -- problems with tone and pitch suggested a cold -- but that was a minor disappointment in light of so many other plusses."

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- Tim Smith

MetroWeekly - Recommended

"...While the show's caliber and acclaim are surely big selling points, there is no small amount of weight put upon Ripley's shoulders. From an acting perspective, it's easy -- and exhilarating -- to see why she nabbed a Tony Award for her take on Diana -- a complex woman whose choices aren't always easy to embrace. Vocally, though, at the tail end of a 36-week North American tour, Ripley is not in top form. Her lyrics are barely intelligible at times, and it's a shame to lose any of Yorkey's words to the raspy fatigue that Ripley seems to be fighting."

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- Jonathan Padget

MD Theatre Guide - Recommended

"...This cast is hard-working and talented across the board, bringing their respective characters to life with admirable expertise. However, while Alice Ripley’s Tony Award- winning performance shines from an acting perspective, her voice is raspy and strained to an extent that it becomes distracting and unpleasant. Some of her painful struggle to hit notes fits with the plight of her character but she doesn’t rival the beauty of her earlier performances in this role. That being said, Ripley gives her performance everything she has, no doubt in part as a result of her amazing and commendable dedication to her fans and craft."

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- Alex Murphy

DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended

Next to Normal is a harrowing, utterly unsentimental depiction of the anguish and devastation which accompany severe and persistent mental illness. Its strength is the realism – the compassion and sophistication – with which it tells the heartbreaking story of a woman, wife, and mother Diana Goodman (Alice Ripley) whose treatment-resistant bipolar disorder steals her life and paralyzes that of her family.

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- Gary McMillan

BroadwayWorld - Somewhat Recommended

"...Producers may sell tickets using Ripley's Tony-winning performance as a reason to see the show. But it also won the Pulitzer Prize. There is no reason to continue this charade if she is not in perfect form."

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- Charles Shubow

Next To Normal at The Kennedy Center

Next To Normal

Next To Normal Reviews

Washington Post - Recommended

Washington Examiner - Highly Recommended

Baltimore Sun - Highly Recommended

MetroWeekly - Recommended

MD Theatre Guide - Recommended

DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended

BroadwayWorld - Somewhat Recommended

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