From Broadway to B’More: Next to Normal

Without any context, the opening scene of “Next to Normal” might make you laugh.

Seeing a suburban mom crouched down on the floor as she lines up bread for an infinite number of sandwiches certainly elicited a chuckle from a few audience members at the Vagabond Players theatre.

However, there is tragedy behind the play’s levity. And as this pain manifests itself, the humor develops a bitter aftertaste.

In this way, “Next to Normal” is very much a modern musical.

It follows in the tradition of “Rent” and “Spring Awakening,” mixing an utterly depressing storyline with humor, rock, anger and exuberance. The result is a heart-wrenchingly beautiful concoction.

As this play deals specifically with a bipolar character, its spectacular highs and lows are perhaps to be expected. But that doesn’t make it any easier on your emotions.

“Next to Normal” tells the story of one woman’s battle with mental illness.

Diana (Shannon Wollman) is a wife and mother who can barely hold on to the reality of her suburban life. The play focuses on Diana’s attempts to stabilize her bipolar disorder and overcome delusions caused by traumatic loss.

Her family struggles to support her while maintaining a semblance of normalcy in the face of her overwhelming condition.

“Next to Normal”takes on the complex triumphs and shortcomings of modern psychiatry.

In a song called “The Break,” Diana sums up the trial and error involved in treating the human brain: “They tried a millions meds and / They strapped me to their beds and / They shrugged and told me that’s the way it goes / And finally you hit it / I asked you just what did it / You shrugged and said that no one really knows.”

The musical also deals with drug use and abuse. In the electric number, “Wish I Were Here,” Diana and her daughter sing about medicine and the mind: “Is my brain reborn or is it wrecked? / In freedom or in fear? / Wish I were here.”

“Next to Normal” might be most effective on a big Broadway stage, but the Vagabond Players give it life in this small-scale rendition.

Their set isn’t much, just an open center surrounded by a few doors. It lacks the ambition of the face-like house design used on Broadway, but this simpler stage also works.

The worst moment of the production is thankfully very brief, but it comes at a crucial point in the play. A dummy is used to stand in for Diana, and this figure is so obviously fake that it briefly takes away from the drama of the sequence.

But to compensate for the lack of scenery, the focus is drawn more intently on the performers.

Particularly impressive in this production is Darren McDonnell as Dan, Diana’s desperately loyal husband. It’s heartbreaking when he expresses his character’s tragic love and frustration. Dan’s best song is perhaps “I Am the One.” In this number, he wearily tells his wife, “I am the one who knows you / I am the one who cares / I am the one who’s always been there / I am the one who’s helped you / And if you think that I just don’t give a damn / Then you just don’t know who I am.”

Another stand-out performance is Julia Capizzi’s Natalie. She brings a vibrant earnestness to her character’s pain.

As the star, Wollman’s Diana also holds her ground. She plays despondent just as well as manic.

Henry, Natalie’s boyfriend, is depicted as awkwardly charming by Jim Baxter. Baxter seems to really get his character, right down to the slouching posture.

Chris Jehnert is effectively enthralling and eerie as Gabe. And Tom Burns keeps his double doctor roles from fading into the background, astutely allowing an emotional connection to develop between psychiatrist, patient and audience.

The music in the Vagabond Players Next to Normal is generally very compelling. It is a lively rock score, performed with energy and enthusiasm. The lyricist, Brian Yorkey, has a talent for having multiple characters sing the same lyrics while implying vastly different meanings for each of them. The best songs are probably the faster-paced ones, such as “You Don’t Know,” “I’m Alive,” “Aftershocks” and “The Break.” These manage to be both emotionally touching and viscerally exciting.

However, the Vagabond Players perform most of the songs noticeably slower than the Broadway or album versions. This change is especially evident in the should-be rapid number, “Aftershocks.” This dulling of the pace has the effect of lessening the song’s intensity.

On a technical note, Gabe, Henry and the doctor could benefit from louder microphones. Their softer voices are at times drowned out by the music or the other actors.

However, any mistakes are overshadowed by Next to Normal’s transcendence as a show. Most essential, the core emotions are present in this production. That’s what moves the audience, and that’s why the Vagabond Players ultimately succeed.

Next to Normal is playing in “America’s Oldest Continuous Little Theatre” through Nov. 25th.