Who’s crazy? The one who’s half gone? Or maybe the one who holds on? Or maybe you’re crazy— at least you will be if you don’t catch Street Lamp Community Theatre’s production of Next To Normal. This evocative and heart-ripping story will shake you to your core. Theatre was designed to comfort the discomforted and discomfort the comfortable; somehow this stellar production does both, all while bringing the waterworks (and the questions at the very, very end…red? Blue? What? #IYKYK) Directed by Jamie & Andrew DiMaio, with Musical Direction by Steven Edward Soltow, this tragically beautiful tale memory, pain, and learning to cope with what is and isn’t there is truly an exquisite theatrical endeavor; a perfect way to commemorate Street Lamp’s 10th Anniversary Season!
Producer Laura Woods and Set Builder Kevin Woods keep things simple; deceptively so; because you don’t hurt for lack of scenery— the pull-out chair and table for ‘family gatherings’ are carefully tucked away and whipped out from under the platform riser as needed. Co-Directors Andrew & Jamie DiMaio also provide the show’s lighting design, which is pretty intense, all things considered, but in a necessary and visceral way. Particularly during “Didn’t I See This Movie/A Light in the Dark.” The design team as a whole doesn’t shy away from creativity but rather wholly embraces minimalism in an effective and sophisticated fashion, which allows Tom Kitt’s music, Brian Yorkey’s book & lyrics, and the casts raw, emotionally-charged vocal talents to radiate in all of their resplendent glories. There is a vast difference between budgetary minimalism (or even indolent minimalism) and what’s happening at Street Lamp Community Theatre is absolutely not either of those; it’s poised, intentionally and services the overall production extremely well.
DiMaio & DiMaio’s blocking for the show is not only clever but deftly showcases their intimate knowledge of the source material and how to intrinsically show all of the things that you learn throughout the performance right from jump-street without you ever knowing that’s what you’re seeing. Even if you’ve seen this remarkable masterpiece of a musical theatre adventure before, they have lots of little nuanced setups, which includes the layered, simultaneous staging use of the raiser and stage floor. The majority of their craftiness comes into play with the Gabe character, who can be seen utilizing mirror and shadowing techniques with characters like Natalie, and more obviously with Diana. The DiMaios make Gabe’s character a symbolic representation of the way our emotions, our memories— real or perceived— can play games with us and do a number on our mental states. It’s wild. (Almost as wild as the…selective symbolism in the show’s final sartorial selection.)
Vocally, you couldn’t ask for a half-dozen more talented people. In a cast of six, even the slightest hint of tonal deficit stands out. And there are none in this cast*. Musical Director Steven Edward Soltow has a hand in bringing those intensely complex harmonies to fruition, in addition to conducting the live five-person pit (at this performance Soltow on piano, Trey Pope on bass, Stephen Tipping on drums/percussion, Pat Collins on guitar.) Having the raw, edginess of a live orchestra pit adds that extra level to the experience-factor of the production. There are times when the pit is loud, despite being masked off ‘in the hole’ and the microphone balance feels a bit off (this is a Street Lamp first, using mics, though it becomes a necessity with having the live musicians) but as the production team navigates the performances, a more sublime blending of levels and balance is hopefully to be achieved.
It’s hard to find accurate words to praise the insanity with which the DiMaio Directorial Team, Soltow & his N2N-Pit Musicians, and the half-dozen actors bring to the performance. Calling it extraordinary falls short of its actual depth. Emotionally riveting? Blindsidingly-compelling? Like high-intensity-emotional-electrodes being juiced directly into your ears, surging through your heart and soul, and erupting back out of your eyes as you exhale each breath with them? Yeah, let’s go with that one. It’s an intense experience, wholly evocative, and tissues are strongly recommended.
The cast— Albert Ulozas as Dr. Madden, Aaron Knight as Henry, Jacob Albert Gross as Gabe, Molly McVicker as Natalie, Matthew Peterson as Dan, and Erin Smith as Diana— are a bonded unit that doesn’t just tell this brutally moving story; they live it. With raw, unapologetic emotional fortitude, sounds of tortured anguish that rage through their singing voices in earnest, shoving these larger-than-life emotional disruptions into the ears, minds, hearts, and souls of the audience in such a way that you might need some time after the performance to fully digest what you’ve experienced. It’s theatrical catharsis at its finest, though such release does not come without its painful heartaches and tear-filled moments.
While the Dr. character seems to float in the periphery of normalcy, Albert Ulozas’ performance will shake you and take you by surprise. The robust and expressive vocal sound that erupts, seemingly unexpectedly out of this man (who is a loud, proud 75) are jaw-droppingly impressive. This is some Julie Andrews/Dick Van Dyke level talent sounding several decades sprier than seems conceivable. And the vocal fortitude that goes into Ulozas’ moments in song is in such strong opposition when juxtaposed against his calm, reserved speaking tones. And let’s not forget the screaming-rocker blasts which are simply astonishing to behold.
Poor Henry (Aaron Knight.) Sweet and nerdy, that twitterpated stoner who can’t help stumbling over himself in ooey-gooey love-at-first-whatever when it comes to Natalie (Molly McVicker.) When singing in tandem with Natalie during “Why Stay?/A Promise” Knight achieves this strikingly tragic moment where he’s face to face with McVicker, begging and pleading with his eyes, desperation soaking his vocals; it’s so very beautiful and so very sad. Knight keeps himself in the narrative, though it’s easy to dismiss the Henry characters as ‘outside of normal’ rather than next-to. There’s convivial intention and earnest dedication from Knight’s portrayal of the lovestruck teenager— watch the microscopic gesture of him putting his hand over McVicker’s when they’re all at the dinner table just after the candles get blown out on the cake— and his voice pairs exceedingly well with McVicker’s throughout the performance.
Cherubic sounds that somehow soothe and slash simultaneously are what make Jacob Albert Gross’ performance as Gabe so fascinating. “I Am The One” lets Gross’ voice soar in beast-mode coming at the Diana character whilst she’s defending herself emotionally and vocally from the Dan character; it’s a dizzying circus to watch, that particular number, which accurately reflects the tempestuous maelstrom that is the inside of Diana’s mind. Having Gross’ as backing vocals for “Superboy and the Invisible Girl” is the epitome of ‘achievement unlocked: intensity side quest.” And you’ll be eternally haunted by Gross’ high-piercing tenor during “Catch Me I’m Falling.” He brings the intensity like everyone else in this show and it’s nothing short of sensational to watch him perform and hear him sing.
Flame, fire, destruction, desire; it applies to all six performers but by leaps and bounds to Molly McVicker with her mercurial portrayal of Natalie. Feral and unrepentant for simply trying to exist in this f**ked-up existence that can’t even be categorized on the same chart as ‘normal-abnormal’, McVicker is bringing unfiltered pathos to every vocal number, ferocious facial expressions to every scene, and this insurmountable tension that crashes hard and heavy into each moment her character breathes. It’s disarming and mesmerizing all at once. The unadulterated heartache that bursts out of McVicker when she rage-roars into “Superboy and The Invisible Girl” is harrowing. Watching her sing-blast right into Diana’s face is an unhinged emotional gut-punch. McVicker has moments of peak intensity but also understands when to dial back the emotional assaults, easing the character into a dismissive trainwreck of a ‘typical moody teen’ with a graceful ease. “Perfect For You” and both of the “Hey” songs are other hearty moments of McVicker’s vocal prowess radiantly on display; she’s stellar in this role.
Who’s crazy? Is it Matt Peterson as Dan? Who’s crazy? Erin Smith as Diana? Perhaps both? If you know their story then you know the answer and if you don’t, you’ll soon discover it in the most painstakingly beautiful theatrical endeavor this side of the pandemic to come out of SLCT. Peterson and Smith have a curious chemistry which speaks volumes to the dynamic of their unconventional situation as Dan and Diana. (It’s difficult to talk about their existence without ruining so much of the well-crafted magical devastators that Brian Yorkey drops into the libretto like neatly-intended atom-bombs.) Peterson has glorious tonal control when it comes to singing and he maintains a firm handle on his temper, which always appears to be burbling just beneath the surface, especially when Dan has to confront Diana and her reality. It’s his “I Am The One (Reprise)” and everything that happens in that number and the immediate moment after that wrecks you like a cat-5 emotional hurricane.
Whereas Erin Smith’s Diana is a more consistent, relentless emotional storm. You never quite know whether it’s darkly humored laughter or tears of empathy and pity that will be spurned forth from hearing her sing, but they all hit with consistency, equally damaging across the board, as opposed to Peterson’s character which maintains, and lulls you into a false sense of ‘everything’s going to be okay’ before blindsiding you with that aforementioned number. Smith’s facial expressions are priceless, particularly when you see her trying to navigate the mire of her own mind, uncertain, nervous, cautious, afraid; it’s devasting and yet simultaneously beautiful to watch and her vocal process, particularly when piping the emotional experiences into her songs, is extraordinary. “The Break” is a moment that really blasts you in both the heart and the soul, while “Just Another Day”— a number that features the four Goodman family members— is more cheery and ordinary.
At times it hurts to be healed and there’s no truer way to experience that brilliant, beautiful, painful healing than with Next To Normal and their stellar cast, who are bringing professional caliber performances to the stage with this production. Life may be crazy but you’d be crazy to miss this one, and it’s okay to be crazy…it’s just not okay to miss Next To Normal at Street Lamp Community Theatre this May.
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission
Next To Normal plays the weekends of May 8-11th 2025 & May 15-18th 2025 at Street Lamp Community Theatre— 5 Valley View Drive in Rising Sun, MD. For tickets call the box office at (410) 658-5088 or purchase them online.
*the roles of Diana Goodman & Natalie Goodman are split between Erin Smith & Jamie DiMaio, and Molly McVicker & Natalie Giovan, respectively.
