Spend your Friday night listening to quality, Broadway-level music right here in downtown West Chester. On Friday, September 29th, the Resident Theatre Company will present Next to Normal, at Uptown! Knauer and Performing Arts Center. This new show will bring a spectacular vivacity to this center, and will be a great way to kick off the Resident Theatre Company’s 2017/2018 season. Next to Normal begins at 7pm. Ticket prices vary.
Overview:
Next to Normal was on Broadway as a rock musical in 2008, and depicted the lives a basic, American family called the Goodmans. Dan, the father, is an architect; Diana, the mother, is a homemaker, and the pair has two teenage children, Natalie and Gabe. The show’s plot highlights Diana’s struggles with bipolar disorder, as well as how mental illnesses can affect an entire family.
While the subject matter has a serious overtone, it is still a must-see. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of hearing a couple of their songs at a preview performance by the Resident Theatre Company at the Chester County Art Association. The music was both riveting and emotional, with tons of vibratos.
Cast:
The Resident Theatre Company will feature these actors and actresses in their performance:
Nikki Van Cassele – Diana
Galen Murphy-Hoffman – Dan
Alex Kunz – Gabe
Chelsey Ristaino – Natalie
John Wilkening – Doctor Fine and Doctor Madden
Christopher Sheehan – Henry
This show was directed by Kristin McLaughlin Mitchell, who has been the Founding Artistic Director for the Resident Theatre Company since 2013 when she first moved to West Chester. Musical direction is from Corey Everly, who is also currently a part of the Rowan University theater faculty, and is both a pianist, a coach, and a conductor.
Next to Normal will run at Uptown! from September 29th to October 15th. After this show, join RTC again for A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play from December 15th to the 31st, and for Bullets Over Broadway, a performance that will run from March 30th to April 22nd.
