Next to Normal - Donmar / Wyndham’s

I think most subsidised theatres enjoy it when a commercial transfer success happens.

I was pointing out that the Donmar has had far fewer than others. And I never said that a show which doesn't transfer is a failure.

Barnaby?

Was in for the matinee today.

However, once was enough for me!

Everyone was fantastic - Cassie is phenomenal. Jamie towards the end almost broke me.

I’m Alive and I Miss The Mountains received the biggest response.

So special that I saw this on the final day. Hopefully it will return judging by the trailer that was released last night!!!

I saw this yesterday matinee and am kind of disappointed that something about it didn’t click for me. I was definitely in the minority as there was plenty of sniffing going on around me (I cry at almost anything). On paper I can’t really fault it, the writing is exceptional in how it handles the subject matter, the music is often great, and the performances were all perfect. In fact the vocals are phenomenal - yes Jamie Parker isn’t the strongest and is just fine but everyone else sounded amazing. My only real criticism of the whole thing is that while I liked the staging, I found the lighting and projection design quite weak overall - very one note which felt odd given the tone of this.

Given it was the second to last performance there seemed to be a lot of people in for a repeat visit that were keen to whoop like they were at a showing of Six which did keep dragging me out of the piece as it just feels at odds with what’s going on on stage. All in all it’s 4 stars from me for quality but I came out not as amazed as I had hoped.

A masterclass performance from one of the best in the world in her field presently. The part was almost made for her.

Hmm, will miss the theatre itself but not the show?!

My second time seeing it and reaffirmed by view that this is such an insanely fantastic piece of musical theatre that really needs to be seen to be believed. I’m so lucky to have experienced its closing night at the Donmar. The cast are so talented and give such powerful and heartfelt performances in a show about such a difficult subject matter.

First of all, Caissie Levy is a phenomenon. Her voice is out of this world and every word is steeped in such emotion. Jamie Parker gives one of the most honest and raw acting performances I’ve ever seen, while Jack Wolfe is completely hypnotic whenever he’s on stage - you just cannot look away.

Finally, Eleanor Worthington-Cox is a superstar in the making. Oh my god, her vocals go right through your body if you’re lucky enough to witness her on stage. I’ve seen her in The Secret Life of Bees earlier this year and I’m pretty sure I saw her as Matilda many, many years ago. A huge talent.

I hope the rumours are true and that this has another life.

The way the cast are all talking about the show ending, there is a very deliberate choice of words about it not being the end of the show necessarily. Obviously it could still fall through but they're under the impression there's a realistic chance of a transfer.

How usual is it to not have a transfer secured by the end of the initial run? I was very hopeful that Tammy Faye would get a transfer and there was a lot of buzz about that initially but it seems to have faded away and I worry that the same will happen with Next to Normal. Both shows seem to have been, in general, adored by audiences but didn't receive the best reviews and I hope this isn't another parallel to draw...

You do need commercial producers involved for a West End transfer but the theatre owners likely have producers waiting to put their shows into a West End theatre even if the show isn't going to open until next Autumn. The other factor is finding a theatre that fits the production both in terms of the set but also capacity, you don't want a theatre that's too big but you don't want one that is too small either.