It’s been a long time coming, but the UK premiere of Next to Normal, Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s rock musical about mental health, has finally arrived.
The original 2009 Broadway run picked up the Pulitzer Prize for drama, alongside three Tony Awards, and it’s arrived here with some fanfare, not least because it stars Caissie Levy – who originated the role of Elsa in Frozen on Broadway – in the lead role.
Having a show of this calibre and a cast of this talent in the intimate 250-seat Donmar Warehouse really feels like a special theatrical event.
For those unfamiliar, Next to Normal tells the story of Diana and her family; during the show’s opening number, everything initially seems very ordinary and unremarkable, until Diana decides she’d rather start making sandwiches on the kitchen floor.