Next to Normal - Donmar / Wyndham’s

This show has had an absolutely cursed bank holiday weekend! Hope everyone is OK

They managed the first aid incident so well, and getting everybody back in promptly. Amazing work from the staff and the cast. Hope everybody is safe and well.

I’m so grateful to have got a ticket to see this again tonight. The show has been under my skin, in my brain, in my soul, since seeing it two weeks ago. The impact was not lessened a second time tonight. I think I was even more pieces and tears tonight. Both on behalf of the story and characters, but also personally too and how some of these songs speak so directly to me and my experience, I’m just blown away. Picked up a poster too for my library of posters in my office! I hope to see it and experience it again before it’s through. Gabe as a character, and that performance… just wow.

A truly spectacular performance again this evening.

Interesting there was a lyric change ...

"Diana: My first psychologist told me that according to the manual, grief that continues past four months is pathological and should be medicated"

was changed to:

Diana: My first psychologist told me that according to the manual, grief that continues past SIX months is pathological and should be medicated"

The things one notices ;-)

No, I think you’re absolutely right - it isn’t easy to schedule in an extra matinee performance. Of course everybody feels great sympathy for members of the audience when a performance is cancelled and, yes, it’s true that the auditorium is free many afternoons of the week, but the number of people/contractual points/additional payments that would all have to be overcome make it difficult to simply ‘put on an extra show.’ I think the situation is probably not as straightforward as some may think.

And also asking a cast to do this show for a 9th time in a week on top of all the logistical stuff? It's a hard show, 8 is enough.

Been lucky enough to get a ticket for Thursday by keeping looking all day and see that the Donmar had automatically given me a credit voucher with NO Update, bit cheeky they have kept the £1.50 booking fee which I have had to pay again!

I understand they can't just put an extra show on but think the communication has been terrible for all of us who were there Saturday when there are random seats being put online - us lot should get first dibs!

I don’t know that I like hearing about people seeing this multiple times when some haven’t managed to get In only once 🤷🏼‍♂️

I'd love to see this again, but I couldn't in good conscience do so knowing I was taking the opportunity away from someone who's not yet been able to get a ticket, so I agree with mrbarnaby on that one.

That returns are not being prioritised for ticketholders of the cancelled show, I think reflects badly on the Donmar.

I saw this last Thursday and it was everything I was hoping for and more. This is an exhilarating show, swinging violently from the spellbinding to the utterly devastating in the blink of an eye.

Caissie Levy enthrals as Diana. Such a powerful acting performance to complement her other-worldly vocals. Jamie Parker, fresh from his stint leading The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, has a tough job to keep up with her but keep up he does.

Special mention though for Eleanor Worthington Cox, playing Natalie, who has proven once again what a star she will be and arguably already is.

I’ll be back for closing night and am already looking forward to the inevitable transfer to be announced…

Five stars.

I'll admit I did book to see N2N twice during my trip to London last week, but I'm super relieved that I did so since if I'd stuck with just my Saturday matinee booking I would have missed out altogether. Given the Donmar have had two cancelled shows within the first two weeks of its run, I'd say you're simply playing it safe booking twice if you're really passionate about seeing it. That said, since I have seen it once, I'll leave the few remaining tickets to other fans.   

Is Next to Normal really a must-see?