Oceanside Theatre’s risk pays off with ‘Next to Normal’ musical

Courtesy of Ken Jacques
Danny Holmes, left, Marlon James Magtibay, Melissa Fernandes, Salima Gangani and Daniel Filippi in Oceanside Theatre Company's "Next to Normal."
Courtesy of Ken Jacques
Melissa Fernandes, left, and Berto Fernandez in Oceanside Theatre Company's "Next to Normal."
Courtesy of Ken Jacques
Salima Gangani, left, and Danny Holmes in Oceanside Theatre Company's "Next to Normal."

By Pam Kragen | [email protected] | The San Diego Union-Tribune

UPDATED: May 14, 2024 at 11:10 p.m.

Over the past few years, Oceanside Theatre Company has become increasingly ambitious with its programming, and that has contributed to a growing and more diverse audience.

At opening night of the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “Next to Normal” on Saturday, about one-quarter of the audience members in the mostly sold-out theater raised their hands when asked before the show who were first-time visitors.

“Next to Normal,” the second show in OTC’s 2024 season, was the No. 1 most-requested show by audience members. But the 2008 musical — which was nominated for 11 Tony Awards and bestowed with three — is rarely staged because of the demands it places on its singers and its subject matter, which deals with mental illness, grief, attempted suicide and teen drug abuse.

The central character is Diana, a role originated both off and on Broadway by former San Diegan Alice Ripley. Diana keeps up a surface veneer, but she has been barely holding it together due to her decades-long battle with bipolar disorder and manic depression.

Diana goes through the motions in her marriage to the ever-faithful Dan, ignores her straining-to-be-noticed 16-year-old daughter, Natalie, and endures a stream of increasingly invasive medical efforts (drugs, therapy, shock treatment) to stabilize her unbalanced psyche. Ultimately, she opts to go off her medication, because — as she poignantly explains in the song “I Miss the Mountains” — she’d rather be wracked with roiling emotions than placidly numbed by drugs.

Frankie Errington creatively and viscerally directs the production using the theme of “light” to represent hope, the dawning reality Diana must face about her future and her family’s journey toward clarity and healing. Tangled power cords decorate Reiko Huffman’s minimalist set to represent the chaotic thoughts in Diana’s mind, and the actors imaginitively employ light bars and cubes, flashlights and pixie lights strapped to their fingers.

Melissa Fernandes leads the cast as Diana, singing with raw power and pain while at the same time portraying a woman so disconnected from reality that she has shrunk inside her own skin. Berto Fernández is excellent as Diana’s well-meaning but codependent husband, Dan. His strong and precise baritone voice easily pierces through the pulsing rock score, directed by band conductor-pianist Randi Rudolph.

Salima Gangani is an especially impressive singer as Natalie, the 16-year-old “perfect” daughter who begins sneaking her mom’s pills when stress and family troubles get her down. Sweet-voiced Danny Holmes plays Diana’s son, Gabe, who has his own motivation for prohibiting her recovery. Marlon James Magtibay is endearing as Natalie’s easygoing boyfriend, Henry, and Daniel Filippi has funny and not-so-funny scenes as Diana’s sarcastically named physicians, Dr. Madden and Dr. Fine.

On opening night, the sound mix was a little off, with the onstage band often overpowering the singers, but it improved by the end of the show. OTC artistic director Kevin “Blax” Burroughs designed lighting, Andre Buck Jr. designed sound and Zoë Trautmann designed costumes. Alyssa “Ajay” Junious consulted on movement.

“Next to Normal” isn’t for everyone, due to its subject matter, but it confronts the topic of mental illness and its impact on family in unique and thoughtful ways.