New West rock musical tackles mental illness

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on September 7, 2022.

Herald photo by Al Beeber Irene Poole and Sarah Irwin perform a scene from the New West Theatre production of "Next to Normal" opening Thursday and running until Sept. 24 at the Yates Centre.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

New West Theatre is tackling the subject of mental illness in a new musical running Thursday until Sept. 24 at the Yates Centre.

“Next to Normal” is a three-time Tony Award winner in 2009 and has a content warning for adult language and mature subject matter. It was written by Tom Kittening with lyrics by Brian Yorkey.

Directed by New West’s artistic director Kelly Reay, the musical “tells the story of what appears to be your kind of typical suburban family and in many ways, they are. But we learn quickly in this show they’re a family that is impacted by mental illness,” he said.

“The play is really a family drama; it explores the impact on this family and it’s told through this amazing storytelling and fantastic rock and roll music. It’s a really really well-crafted story and a really well-composed musical. We’re honoured to be able to tell this story on our stage,” added the director.

Reay said New West first and foremost wants people to be entertained by “Next to Normal.”

“This is a show that did really really big business on Broadway and played to critical acclaim on Broadway and across North America so we want our audience here to be able to experience a different kind of show, a show that expands the palette of what’s often seen on our stages.

“And on top of that, there’s a deeper level in there where we know that many many of our friends and our family and ourselves are impacted by mental illness. And we want to be able to talk about it,” added Reay.

“Next to Normal” is the tale of a family of four including a mom who has struggled with manic depression for 16 years. While they appear to be the perfect nuclear family, life is far from normal for them.

Cast member Stephen Peasley who plays Dan in the musical said he connects with a lot of themes personally and both directly and indirectly.

“The show itself is beautifully written, the music is incredible. I’m still not tired of hearing any of the songs. It’s such a real grounded human story,” said Peasley.

He said it’s important to continue normalizing conversations around mental illness and being vulnerable about such matters.

“It’s really powerful and I think this is one of those shows that really has the ability to change people,” Peasley added.

The production also stars Sarah Irwin, Ethan Snowden, Greg Wilson, Irene Poole, Kevin Owen Clarke, Scott Mezei, Keenan Pezderic, Kathy Zaborsky, Greg Paskuski and Bree Clark.

Set design is by Terry Gunvordahl while Leslie Robison-Greene is in charge of costume design. Sound design is by Jason Eveleigh and lighting design by Robert Stanford.

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