"Next To Normal" Musical Coming To Limestone Theatre February 20-23

With book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt, the musical “Next To Normal” explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness.

Limestone College’s Department of Theatre will present the three-time Tony Award-winning musical during a four-show run February 20-23.

Show time is at 7:30 p.m. each day on Thursday, Feb. 20- Saturday, Feb. 22. There will be a 3 p.m. performance on Sunday, Feb. 23.

The 2010 Pulitzer Prize musical was also selected as one of the year's 10 best shows by critics around the country, including “The Los Angeles Times,” “The Washington Post,” “Rolling Stone,” and “The New York Times.”

In the story coming to life in the Limestone Theatre later this month, Dad (played by J.R. Bloomer) is an architect; Mom (Bre Surratt) rushes to pack lunches and pour cereal; their daughter (Sabrina Schmidt) and son (Jamaas Britton) are bright, wise-cracking teens, appearing to be a typical American family. However, their lives are anything but normal because the mother has been battling manic depression for 16 years.

“Next To Normal” takes audiences into the minds and hearts of each character, presenting their family's story with love, sympathy, and heart. It is known as an emotional powerhouse that addresses such issues as grieving a loss, ethics in modern psychiatry, and suburban life.

“This show asks a lot of the performers,” said Limestone’s vocal coach Ashley West-Davis. “On top of the heavy subject matter, the pop-rock score poses vocal challenges for the entire cast. My main focus has been finding ways to maintain healthy singing, while still achieving the rocker edge that this show calls for. The success is in the details, and the students have done some amazing work.”

Limestone’s Director of Theatre and Musical Theatre Dr. Tim Baxter-Ferguson noted, “We’ve been so fortunate to be able to work on a piece that explores such difficult subject matter with humor and insight.  I’ve also been more than blessed to have such talented actor-singers who have embodied these incredible complex characters so fully. That this musical won a Pulitzer is not surprising. It makes you think about grief, mental illness, marriage, and family in new and profound ways. I can’t wait for our audiences to experience it.”

Other members of the Limestone cast include Billy Smith and Ben Abrams.

Advance tickets are available at www.showtix4u (search for Limestone College). Adult tickets are $12 each, while child and senior citizen admission is $10. Non-Limestone student tickets are $6 each, and Limestone faculty, staff, and students will be admitted for free with current college identification card. Tickets will also be available at the box office one hour prior to each performance.

“Because of the kinetic nature that the musical calls for, we're renting some newer lighting fixtures that help supplement this production,” said Assistant Professor of Theatre and Lighting and Costume Designer Bill West-Davis. “These lights move, change color, and do a ton to help accentuate the music in the show. This is something that hasn't been done before at Limestone, and I look forward to showing our students and community what our Theatre program is capable of doing.”