BWW Reviews: Theatrezone Tackles Crazy with NEXT TO NORMAL

Mark Danni continues to tackle ambitious projects at TheatreZone. With critical and commercial hits "Forum" and "Grand Hotel" behind him, success augured well for edgy small-cast, sung-through musical "Next to Normal." The pieces just don't fall into place.

TheatreZone's professional production of "Next to Normal" contains good - even great - moments. Those spots are simply overshadowed by critical flaws in casting and directing.

Parts of the show dazzle. "Next to Normal" delivers a rock opera beat (from Michael Horsley's thumping orchestra) that still retains a musical theatre sound. Brilliant writing makes a tough subject palatable and entertaining. Smart staging and athletic, modern choreography from Karen Molnar drive energy right out into the crowd.

The show feels raw and rushed, a victim of TheatreZone's compact rehearsal process. Characters don't relate to each other so much as sing toward each other; some scenes feel leaden, with little movement.

TheatreZone favorite Larry Alexander, a Broadway talent, brings his titanic voice to harried husband Dan. Alexander powers the show vocally. Wait for the show-stopping eleven o'clock number "I Am the One" that crescendos in a wave of sonic pleasure.

Yet, Alexander seems an awkward pairing with Karen Molnar's Diana. While theirs is the show's critical relationship, there is little on-stage chemistry nor do their voices match well.

Molnar offers a surprising bright spot in the series of brief scenes with spoken dialogue. Tender moments with daughter Natalie (Vera Samuels) and son Gabe (David Michael Bevis) help paint a picture of a mother trapped in pain she doesn't understand.

These short but sharp moments - and her ability to connect - ultimately provide the glue that holds the show together. I wish she brought more to the table vocally; only "I Miss the Mountains," Diana's aching ode to life without antidepressants, connects.

"Next to Normal" offers an interesting, if decidedly imperfect, take on a bold musical. Much like the subject matter itself, elements of the show war with each other for dominance even as a beautiful battered message emerges.

Chris Silk is the arts writer and theater critic for the Naples Daily News. To read the longer version of this review, go to: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2013/mar/08/review-theatrezone-mark-danni-next-to-normal/