Leave your favourite Next to Normal quote below ⬇️ I'll start: "I don't need a life that's normal, that's way too far away But something next to normal would be okay"
Idk if someone's already mentioned this, but I love how "Superboy and the Invisible Girl" is Natalie's song, and then Gabe comes in, steals the melody, and pushes her into harmony....Such great score and writing...
And bootlegs of the original cast. And bootlegs of the pre-Broadway version before some songs were removed. And bootlegs of the early workshop version titled Feeling Electric And bootlegs of the original table read of Feeling Electric with Anthony Rapp as the doctors.
I know I'm late to the party here, but I have to say... do we like Henry? Yes, we love Henry. Henry is Natalie's Dan, but as you realized at the end with Dan: Henry didn't try to suppress Natalie's trauma to try to fix things. Notice in Hey #3/Perfect For You, he's not shying away from the problems. After his reactions of "you look like a star" and "hey, you came", he asks if her mom is okay. For a moment it's dicey, because he does ask if she can "leave it behind" and stay, but when she has her freak out, he calms her down but lets her know that her trauma is part of her, and he loves her in spite of, or perhaps because of the person it's made her become- "crazy is perfect, and fucked up is perfect" I love the parallels with Dan because they introduce Henry as a stoner kid who's clearly had a crush on Natalie, and they start becoming friends. He sings Perfect For You, and you think he's going to be unhealthy for her, especially as he introduces her to weed. At the same time you see Dan apparently being the perfect husband, being completely supportive to Diana despite the burden it's causing him. But in the second act you see this reversal. Henry isn't obsessed with Natalie, but genuinely loves her and is concerned when she takes the drug use too far. He tries to give her the space she needs while still being supportive, and even though she thinks he's being smothering at times, he's truly doing the best he can. Meanwhile, you see how Dan's support has become toxic. He's trying to erase Gabe from their lives so it's not an issue for Diana. She can't feel what she needs to feel, and it's smothering for her
“Didn’t I see this movie” referred to a real movie: One Flew Over the Kuckoo’s Nest. It has a lot of electroshock therapy, and that’s what they were trying to convince her to undergo. She didn’t want to do it because she had seen that movie. Eventually she agrees and she sings while under ECT while Natalie sings high as a kite on Mommy’s meds in Wish I were here. Gabe is even more sinister in the stage version. He’s the one that moves his Mom’s purse directly in Natalie’s line of sight, encouraging her to drown her sorrows in drugs. Before, she was just a mild pot smoker, introduced to weed by Henry who knows how to make a bong out of an apple. He also convinces Diana to stop taking her medicine. By the way Dan got therapy for himself at the end. The therapist asks if he would like him to recommend someone for him to talk to after Diana leaves, and at first he hesitates but finally says yes.
One of my favorite cast albums and even better on stage. Fun Fact: Next to Normal is one of only 10 musicals to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (one of 3 since 1997)
One of my favorite musical moments in this show is the last chorus of Superboy and the Invisible Girl. Natalie is literally singing harmony to Gabe in her ballad about always feeling second best and unappreciated. It’s just such a brilliant and subtle writing decision.
Also I think that Diane left to give Dan and Natalie space to deal with their own stuff. Because as long as she was there, they were both too busy taking care of her.
I just want to say I'm so happy you reacted to this musical. It's my favorite musical of all time. It was the portrayal of mental health that I didn't know I needed--especially how it affects the people around the person with the mental illness. I just connect with this show on so many levels and your commentary made me connect to it in another way. I cry listening to this musical every time at multiple points and some of them don't even seem like a place that you would cry at but I just connect to it so much and I just feel like someone wrote what I felt. Some info so you have a little more context: -Right after "Gonna be Good" the family is having dinner with Henry and Diana brings out a cake saying "it's someone's birthday!" Henry is confused, Natalie tries to get him to leave, Dan tries to get Diana to stop. Finally Natalie says that it's for her brother to which Henry says that he didn't know she had a brother, so Natalie is the first one to say he's dead and has been her whole life. She then leaves with Henry and Dan tries to bring Diana to reality "He's Not Here" -"There's A World" is Gabe convincing Diana to k*ll herself. This is referenced later in "Hey#3" when Natalie talks about bleeding out in the bath. She does attempt but is found. -In "Didn't I See This Movie" Diana is referring to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. She makes a lot of references to it over the course of the song from "That hospital was heady but this cuckoo's nest is worse" to referencing specific character and things that happen in the movie. Disclaimer: this movie is very very dark. It is a pretty accurate portrayal of what mental hospitals were like at that time. They're much better now. -Everything Natalie says might happen in "Hey#3" is stuff that Diana has done. -When watching the show you don't know Gabe's name until Dan says it when he finally remembers him. "I am the One (Reprise)" Gabe is only singing to Dan. Diana has finally accepted his death and is ready to move forward, but Dan has been in denial the whole time. They coped with their son's death in opposite ways, but neither were super healthy and both were actually obsessive. Gabe leaves right after saying "Hi dad" because his job is done. His parents have finally accepted his death so he can finally move on.
I don’t think Dan is in denial of Gabe’s death. I think he takes comfort in “talking” to or recognizing Gabe. It’s like me telling my mom who has been dead for 15 years about my crazy days. I think Dans downfall is when betrays tries to deny Gabe’s life completely after ECT. One family member with a mental health issue is hard, but when all are dealing with the original trauma…..
"The support of the men in this is a relief" Is a comment I actually want to return to, because while the support is sincere and whole-hearted, it's incomplete. Henry represents how Dan used to be; promising optimism without really understanding what's ahead, whereas Dan represents what happens if a couple like Henry and Natalie don't truly stick together through their struggles. Dan becomes paternalistic, isolating. He wants to hide Diana from her pain wherever possible because he doesn't want to deal with his own end of it for fear of causing her symptoms to flare up. But that's a huge factor in why they keep recurring. Most of it is chemical sure, but a lot of that chemistry can be stabilized if the people sharing the pain can communicate openly and take care of each other, whereas Dan has closed himself off and appointed himself some sort of guardian over Diana. That's what Anyway is. "You've been doing your best to keep me afloat, but we're not actually trying to solve anything."
This is my favorite musical. I've watched a lot of Starkid, I'm a huge fan of Sondheim, but if I have to pick *one* favorite musical it's this one. I was able to see a small local production once, and for "Catch Me I'm Falling" they staged it so Gabe was reaching toward Diana from above., she was leaning up to him. He whispers "catch me I'm falling" first, then she repeats it, as if he's put the thought in her head. For me, it represents one of the hardest things people go through in therapy. Whether it's grief, trauma, depression, or anything else, people often have the impression "my feelings are Too Big, they're intolerable, I can't touch or look at or think about them" which leads to more avoidance and covering up. Often what helps more is sitting with the discomfort and letting the negative feelings come and go with acceptance. So Gabe nudging Diana with "catch me I'm falling", I think, is meant to read as him suggesting in her mind that the therapy is too scary, she can't handle it, she needs to stop or be rescued (and Dan is usually the one rushing in to rescue).
Yesssss, this is my second favorite musical! One thing I really like about the show that you couldn't experience, is the fact that the audience doesn't know Gabe's name until Dan says it in the final seconds of the second to last song (I Am The One Reprise). It's wonderful, because it deprives him throughout the show of that last bit of humanity that would come with having a name to refer to him with. Unfortunately, people writing lyrics use his name from the start (which makes sense), so the effect of that moment, and of Diana asking Dan about their son's name, is kind of lost. Still, it's an awesome musical and it was great to see you react to it!
@@Barbara2.0 There’s bootlegs of this show out there and it’s old enough that they don’t get quite as much attention as other bootlegs. Aaron Tveit is shirtless once and once he pole dances.
There are a lot of lines that I love in these songs, but the one that really got through to me is "you find out you don't have to be happy at all, to be happy you're alive". This is one of my favourite lines out of any song at all.
This Album helped me through my Teenager Depression. Especially the line "you don't have to be happy at all to be happy you're alive." Was an anchor for me.
Saw the OBC in New York, the raw emotion of the album is magnified X1000 in person. Another thing you don't get from listening only is the full depth of Henry, He is really supportive of Natalie but isn't afraid to share his concern.He is so sweet and gentle to her, empathizing with the situation, making sure she knows he cares, but giving her space to deal with everything in her way. Really an amazing character,
This is one of my favorite musicals of all time. I'm so glad you liked it!! Also, big ouch moment- Diana says that Valium is her favorite color. Valium is blue. Gabe's eyes are described as blue :(((
I'm so happy you're reacting to this! It's one of my favourite musicals. Fun fact: When this show was off-Broadway, it had a different actor playing Dan, the father. It was Brian D'Arcy James, who then went on to star in Shrek: The Musical because no one was certain whether the show would make it to Broadway or not.
This show is so good and so heartbreakingly powerful that the feelings kind of just stay with you for a while. It makes you ruminate and think and I think that is one of the most beautiful and painful things about theatre. It's over a decade old and maybe that's why it's not as talked about any more, but this show is amazing. If you ever get to see this, the actor playing Gabe does a lot of little things onstage as the manifestation of the character's mental illnesses to influence their behavior.
Last time I listened to this soundtrack, I was driving home after visiting my grandmother with Alzheimers and "Song of Forgetting" and "I've Been" made me BAWL harder than this show has ever made me.
I was in a production of Next to Normal a year ago as Natalie and it has completely changed my life. It is one of the most beautifully Heart-breaking stories I have ever had the pleasure of performing. The mental capacity it takes to perform this kind of show is insane. Not to mention, you also have to be able to act and sing your face off. God I will never forget that experience.
I was in this show as Gabe a while back, so my mom knows it a little. Because of that- when I became aware after a seizure I said "Klonopin" a few times asking my mom to give me my meds, but she thought I was singing the lyrics to "Who's Crazy/My Psychopharmacologist and I"
you should definitely check on the musical The Last Five Years, there's a movie version with jeremy jordan and anna kendrick and i love it wholeheartedly! it has a VERY interesting way of telling the story of a couple (i don't want to spoil anything but trust me, it's absolutely brilliant!!!!!!) the order of songs is very different and tell the story from both perspectives of the relationship, also, the lyrics and book are written by jason robert brown! this story broke my heart in a million pieces but it's amazing and i highly recommend it lol ❤️
You’re experiencing this musical the same way I experienced it at first, through the soundtrack. And it took me years before I finally watched the whole thing live and realized all the plot points I missed. Like, (spoilers) My Psychopharmacologist and I works as a montage to show Natalie and Henry getting closer. And yes, at the end of Come with Me the doctor comes on stage and announces that Diane has attempted suicide. It really does tie together when you see it live. There’s a lot of dialogue.
(Spoilers) another thing that gets lost by only listening to the soundtrack is that during "I Miss the Mountains," Gabe encourages Diana to flush her medication down the toilet. At that point, the audience hasn't discovered that he's not really there and it made learning that he's dead even more of a shock because *he* wasn't encouraging *her*, *she* was encouraging *herself*.
OH MY GOD i'VE BEEN TRYINT TO WRITE AN ESSAY ON THIS SHOW FOR 4 YEARS I'M SO EXCITED AND SCARED "Use may be fatal" is a line that seems a lot more innocuous to US listeners because we're used to hearing that warning from medicine ads, but basically it means what Dr Madden says later, that sometimes treatment can lead us to regain enough strength to follow through on suicidal impulses but not enough to resist them' "stable" technically means "not in immediate danger of hurting yourself or others" I'd recommend reading the Genius annotations The movie is One Flew Over The Cuckoo's nest, which is both sympathetic and patronizing toward the abuse that mentally ill people go through Henry is complicated in that he's basically a repeat of Dan but there's no way for him to know that he is, so as kind as he is and as much as he loves and supports Natalie, we can only hope or trust that things work out for them
This is my favorite show and I'm so glad that you made a video about it cause I also think that having a show that portrays mental illness in such a visceral and real way is so important. I have so many felings about this show, it's my favorite. Since you said you didn't pay much attention to the melody, here's quite possibly my favorite thing from the show. In Superboy and the Invisible Girl, Gabe comes in and takes over Nathalie's melody and somehow becomes the "focus" of what should be Nathalie's song cause he's singing the main melody and Nathalie is singing the harmonies, which is actually a reflection of the relationship between the kids and the mother, Nathalie being relegated to the background while the mother holds on to Gabe and seems to love him more than her. The more I listen to it, the more I uncover stuff and the more it hurts. So if you end up listening to it more than once, I tell you good luck.
In "Haven't I Seen This Movie" she really is referencing an actual movie! It's called One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, and it's about a man named McMurphy who gets sent to a mental institution
I’m so glad you decided to tackle this show/cast recording. I had a friend of mine in my first year of high school introduce me to this show and I have genuinely fallen in love with it, especially when I started to go to therapy and focus on my mental health. I legitimately have the song title “Make Up Your Mind” engraved on a ring that I wear every day. That song and it’s reprise have lyrics that I repeat to myself on the days when my depression gets a bit heavier than baseline (along with Light, but I haven’t found a good base ring for that one yet.) This show has such a unique place in my heart and your reactions just make me feel valid and understood. Can’t wait to see what musical you do next! 💜
Btw, in “Superboy And Invisible Girl” Gabe sings the harmonies to Natalie, it broke my heat to realise it’s because the hold he has on her life, and how he’s hunting her too, even though Natalie was born after he died and they never met.
I’ve been obsessed with N2N for a few years now, I’ve listened to all the cast recordings I could get my hands on, I’ve watched a lot of productions on TH-cam and I’ve delved into a lot of non English speaking Versions of N2N (which they are all amazing go check all of them out!) and I’ve never cried while listening to N2N, I know it’s a sad show, but I’ve never cried during it until I watched this video and seeing you react to it blindly without knowing context and you talking about it made me cry (Or it could just be because I love N2N so much that seeing someone listen to it for the first time gets me excited to the point of crying 🤷♀️) You brought up a lot of amazing points and reading the comments just makes me so happy
I'm so glad you reacted to Next to Normal!! The emotional complexity of the characters and their struggles as they deal with their own mental health, the mental health of the other characters, and their relationships to one another are so powerful and make the show really moving.
I absolutely LOVED watching you react to this show. Next To Normal is one of my favorite shows and I love that you immediately got it with out having any prior knowledge.
This is my favorite musical because its so deep and hits so close. Also I'm a literature student and one of my favorite essays I wrote was analyzing this play through a feminist and Freudian lens and it just made me appreciate the details even more. You have such good insight on it too!
Did I need to watch this movie on a Saturday morning and cry all over again? Life choices. Really good insight about the questions and answers at the beginning! Fun fact: when this was on Broadway, they had a purple shirt with the quote “Valium is my favorite color” and I saw SO MANY people wearing it around NYC during that trip. It also reminds me CXG now.
I don’t know if you picked up on this or if you were told but, I miss the mountains is written the way it is and titled the way it is bc it refers the the highs and lows of bi-polar disorder (which diana suffers from). I just thought that was really cool and that could also help with the imagining of these characters and the lives they live.
I was lucky enough to be a college student in NYC during next to normal’s run… and saw it four times. It changed my life. I actually held it together through your video until you quoted ‘perks.’ Then I really lost it. Lol. I loved watching you enjoy the rollercoaster of this show. It was like remembering my first experience with it. I don’t think any other show can knock this one from my number one spot. It is my favorite. I hope it makes it across the pond one day soon!
I learned about this musical when I was 15, right when I started to uncover a childhood trauma. The musical is so smart and complex, that it actually helped me go through one of my toughest times till now. Diana was hunted by her suppressed past, she was a mirror to me and gave me a way to understand my own struggle. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way (towards her or any of the characters). It’s the most powerful musical I know, and on my opinion, one of the most important ones.
Yay! My favorite! I'm excited to see what you think!!! Edit: personally I love Natalie and Henry. They're so good for each other. I love this show so much.
YESSSSS I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!!! n2n is my favorite musical of all time 😭 it means everything to me. you did an incredible job analyzing it!! there were so many details you picked up on that took me a long time to fully connect. the score is truly so incredible and the lyrics are unbelievably rich. I've listened to this show hundreds of times and I can still notice new things about it
This show hits close to home for my family and it's a bit painful to listen to...but it's so damn good!! I saw the OBC cast back when it was on Broadway and I was _bawling_ my eyes out in the theatre lol
This show hits really close to home for me too. It's painful for me to listen too but for the most part in a good way because it means that there's someone out there who understands what I've gone through and hears what I can't say. I've only seen bootlegs but it's being performed by a local theatre where I live next month so I'm finally going to get to see it live.
I’ve never related to any show more than this one, especially Natalies character. Def a bit painful, but no other show can ever make me feel the same way as this one.
wow, within the first 5 minutes the way you talk about the music is amazing! you actual react to the story and the writing versus a lot of the reactions where people just say they like it lmao! love your interpretation
Barbaraaaa I love this musical but you made so many connections just in the first few minutes that I never thought of, ugh, thanks and I hate you XD idk if you looked some things up but I'll answer a couple questions you asked. What happened at the end of It's Gonna Be Good to trigger He's Not Here I'll put at the bottom because I'm stingy about spoilers, lol. The movie (slash very famous book) Diana references when she's questioning the ECT treatment is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which is the quintessential mental institution done wrong. It's good, I recommend it, but obviously kinda depressing! We like Henry. Or at least I do, lol. I think most people agree but I haven't really had/seen a lot of conversations about this musical, so... that could be off. Anyway, I think he's a total sweetheart. He does introduce her to drugs but he straight up tells her she's taken it too far without abandoning her. It's been too long since I saw it so I don't remember if there's something more particular in the staging or dialogue... but of course I'm tempted to revisit it now. - - - So in It's Gonna Be Good Dan's inviting Henry in for dinner and Diana's running around manically setting the table and everything... then she brings in a birthday cake. For Gabe. ;;
This is my all time favorite musical and I’m so so glad to see someone react to this! It’s a really tough listen but it got me through high school… and undergrad… and now my adult life lol. Natalie is my favorite, probably because I was around her age when I found the show but I love all the characters soooo much and I’m so impressed with your interpretations of all of them and of the lyrics and music.
I'm so glad you reacted to this musical! It's honestly one of my favorites and its a shame not a lot of people know of it. I hope you would also react to 36 Questions The Musical, while not your average "musical" on broad way, it is a type of podcast musical about a couple trying to mending their relationship using The New York Times 36 Questions That Lead to Love, starring Jonathan Groff and Jessie Shelton.
Just wanted to say I found your reaction and insight so interesting and valuable. I will be playing Diana in this show in Montreal this May. Your perspective and initial take away were very helpful.
You should watch Kinky Boots (it's coincidentally my favourite musical ever btw) There's a pro shot UK version, which is available on NETFLIX, which is not bad to be fair, but I personally rather the OBC performance for many reasons, a.k.a Stark Sands being the best Charlie ever lol (there are bootlegs of the original cast on YT)
I love this show so much and your reaction was amazing. I am always really focussed on the lyrics, all of my notes during highschool are full with musical theatre lyrics but I feel like I am the only one I know that does this so intensely. But you might be even worse than me, and it is one of the reasons I love your videos Even though in my relationship I am the one that goes to therapy, I really connect to Dan, “I’ve been” is my favorite song from this show. I think it is because his way of coping is trying to flee in a way, but still feeling he needs to help her and never ask for help because he needs to be strong for her. So Diana leaving might be the best thing for him as well. My favorite lyric is “The price of love is loss, but still we pay. We love anyway”
I'm so happy you're reacting to this!! This is to me what Dear Evan Hansen to a lot of people (the family drama musical after getting into a historical epic), and it just holds such a special place in my heart. I related to a lot of this story, the music still stirs such strong emotions to me while being a bop, and I also just loove Jen Damiano's voice!! (Has anyone made the joke yet that this show is pretty much DEH but with flipped perspectives ahaha)
I didn’t see this mentioned: One Flew Over the cuckoos Nest is not just a movie about a mental institution, it is the only major depiction of electroshock therapy (ECT) in popular culture prior to this show, and is the only reference most people have. It depicts ECT being used basically punitively and destroying the main character’s whole personality. Modern ECT like the mom would have gotten which is a real and powerful treatment in some cases, is much lower dosage, but can still lead to memory loss. A lot of this show is about dealing with the need for, stigma, and effects of ECT. When mom loses her memory, Dad has to decide what to give back. An early title for the show was “Feeling Electric”. The show went through lots of workshops in New York; I talked to people who had seen several different versions.
As always this is amazing commentary! Thanks for making these videos On that note, have you listened to Starry? It is about Vincent Van Gogh and as such it has a lot to say about mental illness
@@anantkerur557 No, it means I'm an ignorant peasant who's had beetlejuice on my to-listen list since it came out and I still haven't gotten round to it 😂
@@Gigglepud 😂 well, I'd recommend it! And on that note, Falsettos is essentially mostly white middle aged men singing songs, and those songs a re phenomenal
So fun fact: someone on that many meds would have a regimen, not a list of "do this but not this," but it FEELS as overwhelming as having to memorize everything just from the pressure of people judging you for being prescribed anything to begin with. Second fact: stable tends to just mean "not at risk of harming someone," so technically... she was, even though she's not good
Hey, I don’t think I’ve seen anybody else asking you to react to Miss Saigon.. it’s a very old musical so that might be why yeah, really nice one you should check out
i definitely recommend listening to we are the tigers. it’s a off-broadway show that basically combine heathers and bring it on. it has great music and i think it’s criminally underrated
A recommendation: Tom Kitt, who wrote the music for this show, also did a musical adaptation of HIGH FIDELITY, which honestly isn't all that good - but I do recommend you listen to its opening number, "The Last Real Record Store on Earth", which is really excellent, and really conveys the mediocre go-nowhere existence of its characters.
If I were to give a suggestion of a brilliant musical you would enjoy, it would be Young Frankenstein. It's a story of Victor Frankenstein's grandson who goes from being a professor in New York who doesnt believe in his grandfather to being a worthy Frankenstein
Hi I know next to nothing about this show except that AJ Holmes was in it in 2013 in San José (that production also had Kendra Kassenbaum) Edit: damn why is I'm alive so catchy
You should react to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella! I just started listened to the whole album for the first time, about halfway through now and it is SO good. Carrie Hope Fletcher is amazing.
Try out 35mm its a crazy show that is basically a compilation of musical songs by Ryan Scott Oliver. An incredible songwriter and Id want to see your reaction
If you want to round out the trifecta of Pulitzer-winning musicals, hit Rent sometime. It's more of a rock opera, so most of the story is in the songs. (Definitely bring tissues.)
@@danielrobinson7350 Where in the original script did it say Jo was non binary? And if the writer wants to change something it is their decision, their hard work, their blood sweat and tears...not yours.
@@Vertigotheatre1 For instance, changing from Jo saying that her mum was fine with her being lesbian but not about the whole gender thing to Jo saying her mum was freaking out about her being lesbian. Also, yes they have the right to change it, but they should have done it openly and honestly rather than pretending they weren’t changing the character and deleting tweets that had referred to Jo with they/them pronouns.
I’m sure you’re probably getting this a lot, but I can’t wait for you to listen to Dear Evan Hanson :) I hope you do it before the movie comes out on September 24th.
Leave your favourite Next to Normal quote below ⬇️ I'll start:
"I don't need a life that's normal, that's way too far away
But something next to normal would be okay"
What doesn't kill me doesn't kill me
If you don't think I give a damn what WAS that line hot DAMN
Some hurts never heal. Some ghosts are never gone, but that's ok.
And "Gabe. Gabriel."
"Hi dad."
Shatters me every single time. Aaron Tveit breaks me in this show.
"the price of love is loss but still we pay, we love anyway"
Idk if someone's already mentioned this, but I love how "Superboy and the Invisible Girl" is Natalie's song, and then Gabe comes in, steals the melody, and pushes her into harmony....Such great score and writing...
Yeah someone just mentioned it and I actually realised that when I listened for a second time, such brilliant writing
“I’ll be thinking about this cast recording for months “
Girl, I’ve been thinking about this cast recording for over 10 years.
Whole mood. I saw it 2 years ago knowing nothing, and the Gabe twist left my jaw on the ground. I have been thinking of it ever since.
And bootlegs of the original cast.
And bootlegs of the pre-Broadway version before some songs were removed.
And bootlegs of the early workshop version titled Feeling Electric
And bootlegs of the original table read of Feeling Electric with Anthony Rapp as the doctors.
I know I'm late to the party here, but I have to say... do we like Henry? Yes, we love Henry. Henry is Natalie's Dan, but as you realized at the end with Dan: Henry didn't try to suppress Natalie's trauma to try to fix things. Notice in Hey #3/Perfect For You, he's not shying away from the problems. After his reactions of "you look like a star" and "hey, you came", he asks if her mom is okay. For a moment it's dicey, because he does ask if she can "leave it behind" and stay, but when she has her freak out, he calms her down but lets her know that her trauma is part of her, and he loves her in spite of, or perhaps because of the person it's made her become- "crazy is perfect, and fucked up is perfect"
I love the parallels with Dan because they introduce Henry as a stoner kid who's clearly had a crush on Natalie, and they start becoming friends. He sings Perfect For You, and you think he's going to be unhealthy for her, especially as he introduces her to weed. At the same time you see Dan apparently being the perfect husband, being completely supportive to Diana despite the burden it's causing him. But in the second act you see this reversal. Henry isn't obsessed with Natalie, but genuinely loves her and is concerned when she takes the drug use too far. He tries to give her the space she needs while still being supportive, and even though she thinks he's being smothering at times, he's truly doing the best he can. Meanwhile, you see how Dan's support has become toxic. He's trying to erase Gabe from their lives so it's not an issue for Diana. She can't feel what she needs to feel, and it's smothering for her
Writing a book for us I see.
“Didn’t I see this movie” referred to a real movie: One Flew Over the Kuckoo’s Nest. It has a lot of electroshock therapy, and that’s what they were trying to convince her to undergo. She didn’t want to do it because she had seen that movie.
Eventually she agrees and she sings while under ECT while Natalie sings high as a kite on Mommy’s meds in Wish I were here.
Gabe is even more sinister in the stage version. He’s the one that moves his Mom’s purse directly in Natalie’s line of sight, encouraging her to drown her sorrows in drugs. Before, she was just a mild pot smoker, introduced to weed by Henry who knows how to make a bong out of an apple. He also convinces Diana to stop taking her medicine.
By the way Dan got therapy for himself at the end. The therapist asks if he would like him to recommend someone for him to talk to after Diana leaves, and at first he hesitates but finally says yes.
Not sure if you noticed this -- but the only time the son's name (Gabe/Gabriel) is spoken in the show is at the very end by Dan (the father).
I actually hadn't notice and someone else just commented it and it blew my mind! That's so sad and beautiful at the same time
That moment had me gasp out loud when I saw it. Verbally went "Oh my god."
21:24 "What is Natalie doing here"
Lol, that's almost exactly how Diana reacts in the show.
the whole theater cried when he said "Gabe, Gabriel" towards the end!!
Can imagine! :,(
One of my favorite cast albums and even better on stage. Fun Fact: Next to Normal is one of only 10 musicals to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (one of 3 since 1997)
Wow that's so cool
I’M DYING THE TITLE CARD THAT JUST SAYS “OUCH” 😂
Ultimate mood hahahaha
o u c h
One of my favorite musical moments in this show is the last chorus of Superboy and the Invisible Girl. Natalie is literally singing harmony to Gabe in her ballad about always feeling second best and unappreciated. It’s just such a brilliant and subtle writing decision.
So true! I was actually thinking about that when I listened to it again
Also I think that Diane left to give Dan and Natalie space to deal with their own stuff. Because as long as she was there, they were both too busy taking care of her.
I just want to say I'm so happy you reacted to this musical. It's my favorite musical of all time. It was the portrayal of mental health that I didn't know I needed--especially how it affects the people around the person with the mental illness. I just connect with this show on so many levels and your commentary made me connect to it in another way. I cry listening to this musical every time at multiple points and some of them don't even seem like a place that you would cry at but I just connect to it so much and I just feel like someone wrote what I felt.
Some info so you have a little more context:
-Right after "Gonna be Good" the family is having dinner with Henry and Diana brings out a cake saying "it's someone's birthday!" Henry is confused, Natalie tries to get him to leave, Dan tries to get Diana to stop. Finally Natalie says that it's for her brother to which Henry says that he didn't know she had a brother, so Natalie is the first one to say he's dead and has been her whole life. She then leaves with Henry and Dan tries to bring Diana to reality "He's Not Here"
-"There's A World" is Gabe convincing Diana to k*ll herself. This is referenced later in "Hey#3" when Natalie talks about bleeding out in the bath. She does attempt but is found.
-In "Didn't I See This Movie" Diana is referring to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. She makes a lot of references to it over the course of the song from "That hospital was heady but this cuckoo's nest is worse" to referencing specific character and things that happen in the movie. Disclaimer: this movie is very very dark. It is a pretty accurate portrayal of what mental hospitals were like at that time. They're much better now.
-Everything Natalie says might happen in "Hey#3" is stuff that Diana has done.
-When watching the show you don't know Gabe's name until Dan says it when he finally remembers him. "I am the One (Reprise)" Gabe is only singing to Dan. Diana has finally accepted his death and is ready to move forward, but Dan has been in denial the whole time. They coped with their son's death in opposite ways, but neither were super healthy and both were actually obsessive. Gabe leaves right after saying "Hi dad" because his job is done. His parents have finally accepted his death so he can finally move on.
Wow thank you so much for this Danika! Awesome info :D
I don’t think Dan is in denial of Gabe’s death. I think he takes comfort in “talking” to or recognizing Gabe. It’s like me telling my mom who has been dead for 15 years about my crazy days. I think Dans downfall is when betrays tries to deny Gabe’s life completely after ECT.
One family member with a mental health issue is hard, but when all are dealing with the original trauma…..
"it goes from bad to worse" is literally a sum up of the show 😂
"The support of the men in this is a relief" Is a comment I actually want to return to, because while the support is sincere and whole-hearted, it's incomplete. Henry represents how Dan used to be; promising optimism without really understanding what's ahead, whereas Dan represents what happens if a couple like Henry and Natalie don't truly stick together through their struggles. Dan becomes paternalistic, isolating. He wants to hide Diana from her pain wherever possible because he doesn't want to deal with his own end of it for fear of causing her symptoms to flare up. But that's a huge factor in why they keep recurring. Most of it is chemical sure, but a lot of that chemistry can be stabilized if the people sharing the pain can communicate openly and take care of each other, whereas Dan has closed himself off and appointed himself some sort of guardian over Diana. That's what Anyway is. "You've been doing your best to keep me afloat, but we're not actually trying to solve anything."
This is my favorite musical. I've watched a lot of Starkid, I'm a huge fan of Sondheim, but if I have to pick *one* favorite musical it's this one. I was able to see a small local production once, and for "Catch Me I'm Falling" they staged it so Gabe was reaching toward Diana from above., she was leaning up to him. He whispers "catch me I'm falling" first, then she repeats it, as if he's put the thought in her head. For me, it represents one of the hardest things people go through in therapy. Whether it's grief, trauma, depression, or anything else, people often have the impression "my feelings are Too Big, they're intolerable, I can't touch or look at or think about them" which leads to more avoidance and covering up. Often what helps more is sitting with the discomfort and letting the negative feelings come and go with acceptance. So Gabe nudging Diana with "catch me I'm falling", I think, is meant to read as him suggesting in her mind that the therapy is too scary, she can't handle it, she needs to stop or be rescued (and Dan is usually the one rushing in to rescue).
Yesssss, this is my second favorite musical!
One thing I really like about the show that you couldn't experience, is the fact that the audience doesn't know Gabe's name until Dan says it in the final seconds of the second to last song (I Am The One Reprise). It's wonderful, because it deprives him throughout the show of that last bit of humanity that would come with having a name to refer to him with. Unfortunately, people writing lyrics use his name from the start (which makes sense), so the effect of that moment, and of Diana asking Dan about their son's name, is kind of lost.
Still, it's an awesome musical and it was great to see you react to it!
Ooooh that's amazing! Thanks for sharing :D
@@Barbara2.0 There’s bootlegs of this show out there and it’s old enough that they don’t get quite as much attention as other bootlegs. Aaron Tveit is shirtless once and once he pole dances.
@@Barbara2.0 My pleasure :D
@@PelafinaLievre I like that those are the highlights of the bootleg for you
There are a lot of lines that I love in these songs, but the one that really got through to me is "you find out you don't have to be happy at all, to be happy you're alive". This is one of my favourite lines out of any song at all.
This Album helped me through my Teenager Depression. Especially the line "you don't have to be happy at all to be happy you're alive." Was an anchor for me.
Saw the OBC in New York, the raw emotion of the album is magnified X1000 in person. Another thing you don't get from listening only is the full depth of Henry, He is really supportive of Natalie but isn't afraid to share his concern.He is so sweet and gentle to her, empathizing with the situation, making sure she knows he cares, but giving her space to deal with everything in her way. Really an amazing character,
This is one of my favorite musicals of all time. I'm so glad you liked it!!
Also, big ouch moment-
Diana says that Valium is her favorite color. Valium is blue. Gabe's eyes are described as blue :(((
I'm so happy you're reacting to this! It's one of my favourite musicals. Fun fact: When this show was off-Broadway, it had a different actor playing Dan, the father. It was Brian D'Arcy James, who then went on to star in Shrek: The Musical because no one was certain whether the show would make it to Broadway or not.
And then Brian ended up re-joining the cast as a replacement on Broadway!
This show is so good and so heartbreakingly powerful that the feelings kind of just stay with you for a while. It makes you ruminate and think and I think that is one of the most beautiful and painful things about theatre. It's over a decade old and maybe that's why it's not as talked about any more, but this show is amazing. If you ever get to see this, the actor playing Gabe does a lot of little things onstage as the manifestation of the character's mental illnesses to influence their behavior.
Last time I listened to this soundtrack, I was driving home after visiting my grandmother with Alzheimers and "Song of Forgetting" and "I've Been" made me BAWL harder than this show has ever made me.
I was in a production of Next to Normal a year ago as Natalie and it has completely changed my life. It is one of the most beautifully Heart-breaking stories I have ever had the pleasure of performing. The mental capacity it takes to perform this kind of show is insane. Not to mention, you also have to be able to act and sing your face off. God I will never forget that experience.
I was in this show as Gabe a while back, so my mom knows it a little. Because of that- when I became aware after a seizure I said "Klonopin" a few times asking my mom to give me my meds, but she thought I was singing the lyrics to "Who's Crazy/My Psychopharmacologist and I"
you should definitely check on the musical The Last Five Years, there's a movie version with jeremy jordan and anna kendrick and i love it wholeheartedly! it has a VERY interesting way of telling the story of a couple (i don't want to spoil anything but trust me, it's absolutely brilliant!!!!!!) the order of songs is very different and tell the story from both perspectives of the relationship, also, the lyrics and book are written by jason robert brown! this story broke my heart in a million pieces but it's amazing and i highly recommend it lol ❤️
Seconded! I love The Last 5 Years!!!
Yh love it especially discussing who's to blame and if you should place any
You’re experiencing this musical the same way I experienced it at first, through the soundtrack. And it took me years before I finally watched the whole thing live and realized all the plot points I missed. Like, (spoilers) My Psychopharmacologist and I works as a montage to show Natalie and Henry getting closer. And yes, at the end of Come with Me the doctor comes on stage and announces that Diane has attempted suicide. It really does tie together when you see it live. There’s a lot of dialogue.
Ooooh I need to see this show! 😓
(Spoilers) another thing that gets lost by only listening to the soundtrack is that during "I Miss the Mountains," Gabe encourages Diana to flush her medication down the toilet. At that point, the audience hasn't discovered that he's not really there and it made learning that he's dead even more of a shock because *he* wasn't encouraging *her*, *she* was encouraging *herself*.
OH MY GOD
i'VE BEEN TRYINT TO WRITE AN ESSAY ON THIS SHOW FOR 4 YEARS
I'M SO EXCITED AND SCARED
"Use may be fatal" is a line that seems a lot more innocuous to US listeners because we're used to hearing that warning from medicine ads, but basically it means what Dr Madden says later, that sometimes treatment can lead us to regain enough strength to follow through on suicidal impulses but not enough to resist them'
"stable" technically means "not in immediate danger of hurting yourself or others" I'd recommend reading the Genius annotations
The movie is One Flew Over The Cuckoo's nest, which is both sympathetic and patronizing toward the abuse that mentally ill people go through
Henry is complicated in that he's basically a repeat of Dan but there's no way for him to know that he is, so as kind as he is and as much as he loves and supports Natalie, we can only hope or trust that things work out for them
This is my favorite show and I'm so glad that you made a video about it cause I also think that having a show that portrays mental illness in such a visceral and real way is so important. I have so many felings about this show, it's my favorite.
Since you said you didn't pay much attention to the melody, here's quite possibly my favorite thing from the show. In Superboy and the Invisible Girl, Gabe comes in and takes over Nathalie's melody and somehow becomes the "focus" of what should be Nathalie's song cause he's singing the main melody and Nathalie is singing the harmonies, which is actually a reflection of the relationship between the kids and the mother, Nathalie being relegated to the background while the mother holds on to Gabe and seems to love him more than her.
The more I listen to it, the more I uncover stuff and the more it hurts. So if you end up listening to it more than once, I tell you good luck.
In "Haven't I Seen This Movie" she really is referencing an actual movie! It's called One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, and it's about a man named McMurphy who gets sent to a mental institution
I’m so glad you decided to tackle this show/cast recording. I had a friend of mine in my first year of high school introduce me to this show and I have genuinely fallen in love with it, especially when I started to go to therapy and focus on my mental health. I legitimately have the song title “Make Up Your Mind” engraved on a ring that I wear every day. That song and it’s reprise have lyrics that I repeat to myself on the days when my depression gets a bit heavier than baseline (along with Light, but I haven’t found a good base ring for that one yet.) This show has such a unique place in my heart and your reactions just make me feel valid and understood. Can’t wait to see what musical you do next! 💜
This made my heart smile so widely 🙂
Btw, in “Superboy And Invisible Girl” Gabe sings the harmonies to Natalie, it broke my heat to realise it’s because the hold he has on her life, and how he’s hunting her too, even though Natalie was born after he died and they never met.
I’ve been obsessed with N2N for a few years now, I’ve listened to all the cast recordings I could get my hands on, I’ve watched a lot of productions on TH-cam and I’ve delved into a lot of non English speaking Versions of N2N (which they are all amazing go check all of them out!) and I’ve never cried while listening to N2N, I know it’s a sad show, but I’ve never cried during it until I watched this video and seeing you react to it blindly without knowing context and you talking about it made me cry (Or it could just be because I love N2N so much that seeing someone listen to it for the first time gets me excited to the point of crying 🤷♀️) You brought up a lot of amazing points and reading the comments just makes me so happy
Now I wanna cry reading this comment, thanks for sharing that, it makes me so freaking happy ❤
I'm so glad you reacted to Next to Normal!! The emotional complexity of the characters and their struggles as they deal with their own mental health, the mental health of the other characters, and their relationships to one another are so powerful and make the show really moving.
I absolutely LOVED watching you react to this show. Next To Normal is one of my favorite shows and I love that you immediately got it with out having any prior knowledge.
This is one of my favorite musicals so I'm really excited for this one
I missed this community
Tell me about it ❤❤❤
@@Barbara2.0 HI MUSICSL MOMMM
Slash my favorite choreographer or director in the future
Brb were all crying broken hearted
He's Not Here - Catch Me I'm Falling is the most brutal sequence of songs ever put on stage. Tell me I'm wrong
this and the entire second act from song of forgetting to the end
This is my favorite musical because its so deep and hits so close. Also I'm a literature student and one of my favorite essays I wrote was analyzing this play through a feminist and Freudian lens and it just made me appreciate the details even more. You have such good insight on it too!
Thank you, Lisa! Wish I could read your research, sounds like a super interesting perspective
Did I need to watch this movie on a Saturday morning and cry all over again? Life choices. Really good insight about the questions and answers at the beginning! Fun fact: when this was on Broadway, they had a purple shirt with the quote “Valium is my favorite color” and I saw SO MANY people wearing it around NYC during that trip. It also reminds me CXG now.
Sorry for making you cry on a Saturday. Not ideal xD
I don’t know if you picked up on this or if you were told but, I miss the mountains is written the way it is and titled the way it is bc it refers the the highs and lows of bi-polar disorder (which diana suffers from). I just thought that was really cool and that could also help with the imagining of these characters and the lives they live.
Oooooh I did not see it from that angle but it makes total sense and adds a nice layer of complexity to the song. Love that!
To add to this, bipolar has a heavy genetic component, which paints Natalie in a new light as well
I've seen a couple people suggest this, but I highly recommend Assassins. Fair warning that it's... a lot. but still. Highly recommended.
I was lucky enough to be a college student in NYC during next to normal’s run… and saw it four times. It changed my life. I actually held it together through your video until you quoted ‘perks.’ Then I really lost it. Lol. I loved watching you enjoy the rollercoaster of this show. It was like remembering my first experience with it. I don’t think any other show can knock this one from my number one spot. It is my favorite. I hope it makes it across the pond one day soon!
Fingers crossed! Really glad you enjoyed the video 😊
I learned about this musical when I was 15, right when I started to uncover a childhood trauma. The musical is so smart and complex, that it actually helped me go through one of my toughest times till now. Diana was hunted by her suppressed past, she was a mirror to me and gave me a way to understand my own struggle. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way (towards her or any of the characters).
It’s the most powerful musical I know, and on my opinion, one of the most important ones.
Yay! My favorite! I'm excited to see what you think!!!
Edit: personally I love Natalie and Henry. They're so good for each other. I love this show so much.
YESSSSS I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!!! n2n is my favorite musical of all time 😭 it means everything to me. you did an incredible job analyzing it!! there were so many details you picked up on that took me a long time to fully connect. the score is truly so incredible and the lyrics are unbelievably rich. I've listened to this show hundreds of times and I can still notice new things about it
I will never get over how Dan and Henry's voices sound soooooo similar
This show hits close to home for my family and it's a bit painful to listen to...but it's so damn good!! I saw the OBC cast back when it was on Broadway and I was _bawling_ my eyes out in the theatre lol
This show hits really close to home for me too. It's painful for me to listen too but for the most part in a good way because it means that there's someone out there who understands what I've gone through and hears what I can't say. I've only seen bootlegs but it's being performed by a local theatre where I live next month so I'm finally going to get to see it live.
I’ve never related to any show more than this one, especially Natalies character. Def a bit painful, but no other show can ever make me feel the same way as this one.
wow, within the first 5 minutes the way you talk about the music is amazing! you actual react to the story and the writing versus a lot of the reactions where people just say they like it lmao! love your interpretation
Thank you so much, Lukas. Really appreciate that. And glad you enjoyed it 😊
Barbaraaaa I love this musical but you made so many connections just in the first few minutes that I never thought of, ugh, thanks and I hate you XD
idk if you looked some things up but I'll answer a couple questions you asked. What happened at the end of It's Gonna Be Good to trigger He's Not Here I'll put at the bottom because I'm stingy about spoilers, lol. The movie (slash very famous book) Diana references when she's questioning the ECT treatment is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which is the quintessential mental institution done wrong. It's good, I recommend it, but obviously kinda depressing!
We like Henry. Or at least I do, lol. I think most people agree but I haven't really had/seen a lot of conversations about this musical, so... that could be off. Anyway, I think he's a total sweetheart. He does introduce her to drugs but he straight up tells her she's taken it too far without abandoning her. It's been too long since I saw it so I don't remember if there's something more particular in the staging or dialogue... but of course I'm tempted to revisit it now.
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So in It's Gonna Be Good Dan's inviting Henry in for dinner and Diana's running around manically setting the table and everything... then she brings in a birthday cake. For Gabe. ;;
Oh I see, thanks for that! :)
Finally!! Been waiting for your reaction to this briliant musical
This is my all time favorite musical and I’m so so glad to see someone react to this! It’s a really tough listen but it got me through high school… and undergrad… and now my adult life lol.
Natalie is my favorite, probably because I was around her age when I found the show but I love all the characters soooo much and I’m so impressed with your interpretations of all of them and of the lyrics and music.
Thank you, Cara. So glad you enjoyed it :)
This was a fantastic reaction! Next to normal is probably my favourite musical of all time, and your insightful commentary was great :D
Thank you so much, Rebecca! So happy you liked it :)
You should react to the Bonnie and Clyde musical! It has Jeremy Jordan
I'm so glad you reacted to this musical! It's honestly one of my favorites and its a shame not a lot of people know of it. I hope you would also react to 36 Questions The Musical, while not your average "musical" on broad way, it is a type of podcast musical about a couple trying to mending their relationship using The New York Times 36 Questions That Lead to Love, starring Jonathan Groff and Jessie Shelton.
Thanks for the recommendation, Bianca. 36 Questions is on the list! ;)
Just wanted to say I found your reaction and insight so interesting and valuable. I will be playing Diana in this show in Montreal this May. Your perspective and initial take away were very helpful.
That makes me so happy, Lisa, thanks for saying that! 🥰 And best of luck with the show!
You should watch Kinky Boots (it's coincidentally my favourite musical ever btw)
There's a pro shot UK version, which is available on NETFLIX, which is not bad to be fair, but I personally rather the OBC performance for many reasons, a.k.a Stark Sands being the best Charlie ever lol (there are bootlegs of the original cast on YT)
OMG I LOVE KINKY BOOTSSSSSS!!! My school's doing Kinky Boots for the spring show, I'm going to audition soon!!!
I love this show so much and your reaction was amazing.
I am always really focussed on the lyrics, all of my notes during highschool are full with musical theatre lyrics but I feel like I am the only one I know that does this so intensely. But you might be even worse than me, and it is one of the reasons I love your videos
Even though in my relationship I am the one that goes to therapy, I really connect to Dan, “I’ve been” is my favorite song from this show.
I think it is because his way of coping is trying to flee in a way, but still feeling he needs to help her and never ask for help because he needs to be strong for her. So Diana leaving might be the best thing for him as well.
My favorite lyric is “The price of love is loss, but still we pay. We love anyway”
That's one of the most most beautiful lines off this cast recording indeed :)
OMG I was looking for this!
I'm so happy you're reacting to this!!
This is to me what Dear Evan Hansen to a lot of people (the family drama musical after getting into a historical epic), and it just holds such a special place in my heart. I related to a lot of this story, the music still stirs such strong emotions to me while being a bop, and I also just loove Jen Damiano's voice!!
(Has anyone made the joke yet that this show is pretty much DEH but with flipped perspectives ahaha)
You should react to the stage production of Hunchback of Notre Dame!!! The music is insane
It's on the list! :)
@@Barbara2.0 omg can’t wait!!! 💛💛
I didn’t see this mentioned: One Flew Over the cuckoos Nest is not just a movie about a mental institution, it is the only major depiction of electroshock therapy (ECT) in popular culture prior to this show, and is the only reference most people have. It depicts ECT being used basically punitively and destroying the main character’s whole personality.
Modern ECT like the mom would have gotten which is a real and powerful treatment in some cases, is much lower dosage, but can still lead to memory loss. A lot of this show is about dealing with the need for, stigma, and effects of ECT. When mom loses her memory, Dad has to decide what to give back. An early title for the show was “Feeling Electric”.
The show went through lots of workshops in New York; I talked to people who had seen several different versions.
As always this is amazing commentary! Thanks for making these videos
On that note, have you listened to Starry? It is about Vincent Van Gogh and as such it has a lot to say about mental illness
Thank you, Malu! And Starry is coming up next ;)
The one musical where the white middle aged man's songs are... Actually really good???? 😂😅
Is that implying that Adam Waitland's songs *weren't* good in BJ? (Okay then again he barely had any but still)
@@anantkerur557 No, it means I'm an ignorant peasant who's had beetlejuice on my to-listen list since it came out and I still haven't gotten round to it 😂
@@Gigglepud 😂 well, I'd recommend it! And on that note, Falsettos is essentially mostly white middle aged men singing songs, and those songs a re phenomenal
Do it now! Hahahaha
Superboy and the Invisible Girl is what turned me onto this musical…and I love every minute.
So fun fact: someone on that many meds would have a regimen, not a list of "do this but not this," but it FEELS as overwhelming as having to memorize everything just from the pressure of people judging you for being prescribed anything to begin with.
Second fact: stable tends to just mean "not at risk of harming someone," so technically... she was, even though she's not good
If you haven't done Spring Awakening yet (still catching up on watching all you videos) you definitely should!!! one of the best musicals out there
Hey, I don’t think I’ve seen anybody else asking you to react to Miss Saigon.. it’s a very old musical so that might be why yeah, really nice one you should check out
Very late to this video, but I clicked so fast when I saw you’d done my favorite musical.
Oh your review hit me so hard, excellent commentary.
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it 😊
i definitely recommend listening to we are the tigers. it’s a off-broadway show that basically combine heathers and bring it on. it has great music and i think it’s criminally underrated
It's on the list ;)
I love your reactions ! Do you know Ragtime? if not I'd love to see that, it's my absolute fav and has the most incredible cast
A recommendation: Tom Kitt, who wrote the music for this show, also did a musical adaptation of HIGH FIDELITY, which honestly isn't all that good - but I do recommend you listen to its opening number, "The Last Real Record Store on Earth", which is really excellent, and really conveys the mediocre go-nowhere existence of its characters.
If I were to give a suggestion of a brilliant musical you would enjoy, it would be Young Frankenstein. It's a story of Victor Frankenstein's grandson who goes from being a professor in New York who doesnt believe in his grandfather to being a worthy Frankenstein
Hi I know next to nothing about this show except that AJ Holmes was in it in 2013 in San José (that production also had Kendra Kassenbaum)
Edit: damn why is I'm alive so catchy
Mood. I'm alive is such a bop.
I saw this a few times on B'way. It's not an easy watch, it's a gut punch but NtoN is a stunning piece of theatre.
I am just going to leave this musical here not hoping to get a video but also this is for anybody's personal enjoyment. Check out Jagged Little Pill
Amazing this musical! Amazing!!!!!
Please do Batboy! It was composed by the same person who did legally blonde and heathers and it’s amazing
Yes!!! I second that! Bat Boy is one of my favorite musicals. It's kind of like Edward Scissorhands but....really fucked up.
You should react to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella! I just started listened to the whole album for the first time, about halfway through now and it is SO good. Carrie Hope Fletcher is amazing.
Love this so much! N2N is my fave show, it’s so incredible. You should listen to Fun Home ;)
Oop just saw you already did, brb gonna go watch that lolll
Ok alternatively you should listen to Hedwig and the Angry Inch is so underrated and just fantastic
aAAAAA IM ABOUT TO GO TO WORK BUT ILL WATCH THIS IN 6 HOURS
Try out 35mm its a crazy show that is basically a compilation of musical songs by Ryan Scott Oliver. An incredible songwriter and Id want to see your reaction
It's on the list! :)
@@Barbara2.0 yayyyy
If you want to round out the trifecta of Pulitzer-winning musicals, hit Rent sometime. It's more of a rock opera, so most of the story is in the songs. (Definitely bring tissues.)
My favorite show starring Aaron Tveit!
Jagged Little Pill the Musical is stunning, you should check it out..
Was the cast recording done before or after they changed the script so they could pretend they didn’t have a non-binary character?
@@danielrobinson7350 Where in the original script did it say Jo was non binary? And if the writer wants to change something it is their decision, their hard work, their blood sweat and tears...not yours.
@@Vertigotheatre1 For instance, changing from Jo saying that her mum was fine with her being lesbian but not about the whole gender thing to Jo saying her mum was freaking out about her being lesbian.
Also, yes they have the right to change it, but they should have done it openly and honestly rather than pretending they weren’t changing the character and deleting tweets that had referred to Jo with they/them pronouns.
Watching this obsessively now the UK run has been announced
And I can not wait to see it! I've had my ticket for months now
I’m sure you’re probably getting this a lot, but I can’t wait for you to listen to Dear Evan Hanson :) I hope you do it before the movie comes out on September 24th.
Pleased to inform I already did! :) You can watch the video here: th-cam.com/video/U0Sqa6cXlKM/w-d-xo.html
@@Barbara2.0 I didn’t notice that! I’m excited to watch it, but it says it’s blocked for copyright😬
Oh no! :( I'll try to upload it again or just react to the movie
FINALLY BACK FROM NO PHONE JAIL
And you're not crazy it sounds SO similar to falsettos. Sorry I'm a hyper child actor turned asm
Congrats, welcome back
Do you know anything about Catch Me if You Can? More Aaron Tveit.
I don't. Probably has to go on the list ;)
Welp, Y'know what this means..
Waitwhythehellshouldiknowhahahawhyshouldi-
J A L I S A !
I love seeing people analyze Gabe before they find out the truth about him.
Oooooh he said the S-Word...
how tf did you know Gabe's name on a first listen
Assuming it’s because she’s reading along with the lyrics, which likely have his parts labeled with his name
This :)