Review: NEXT TO NORMAL - Paradise Green (12/08/26)

New staging by Bare Productions hits every emotion head on

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After taking over a decade and a half to finally make it to UK shores, with enormously critically acclaimed runs at Donmar Warehouse and subsequently in the west end, the show's second British production, and its Scottish premiere no less, certainly wasted no time in reaching the stage. This Olivier nominated, Tony & Pulitzer winning musical is perhaps one of the most vivid, unfiltered deep dives into mental health, loss, and the familial contention that can often arise through unaddressed grief that you will see on stage, using Tom Kitt's hard rock score to tell a story that's steeped in the very best and worst of what it means to be human.

The Goodmans are just a normal everyday family, or so it would seem from the initial exchanges and exposition, as it soon becomes profoundly apparent that there are deep rooted issues that could take a long time, and a great deal of therapy, to resolve, and that isn't even the full extent of their story. In particular, we focus on the trials and tribulations of matriarch Diana, a woman who has suffered more than any parent should, with her inherent grief being seen to require psychopharmacological treatment, including all manner of experimental drug combinations that, to your average Joe, would be enough to send one into a coma for weeks.

Due to the inherent narrative complexity and deeply raw, visceral thematic material, where notions of grief, depression, suicide and familial dysfunction are explored in often uncomfortable detail, Brian Yorkey's book and lyrics very much do most of the emotional heavy lifting in this musical, as he never shies away from the more difficult subject matter. It's devastating, agonising, and leaves us feeing drained by the end, however it never feels tasteless or at the expense of the real life experiences that have influenced this story, and the accompanying soundscape build through Kitt's music helps lift the material, hitting us in just the right way.

Bare Productions have become something of an Edinburgh Fringe mainstay, as this is their eighth consecutive show to run at the festival, following previous runs of musicals such as "The Addams Family", "RENT" and "Into the Woods" among others. What has always been at the heart of what they do is creating a community driven organisation, and this year is no exception, with a mix of emerging youth and established amateur talent, making this a real labour of love. In many ways, the stripped back, slightly rough and ready nature of this production adds so much to it, as due to the profoundly human nature of this story, we never want to draw focus from the characters or their respective journeys, and this balance is managed superbly well by director Dominic Whitefield-Holbrook.

Though we have a mix of abilities and experiences, and some of the acting is a touch stagnant at times, you absolutely cannot deny the full, unbridled commitment from every member of this company, with the individual and collective vocals proving especially strong. Particular plaudits should also be reserved for the trio of understudies who jumped in to make sure the show could go on, with Guy Bathgate effortlessly drifting in and out of the action as Gabe, displaying power yet precision, and emotional dexterity, Becca Drever showing us a very different Natalie to what we've perhaps seen before, full of anger and angst, and Youssef Basir providing sincere tenderness and empathy as Henry, especially as Natalie breaks down in the final "Hey" scene.

The real star of this show though, and a performer of whom I hope very much we'll be seeing a lot more in the future, is American actress Brikaih Flore as Diana. To say that this was a world class performance would be absolutely no exaggeration, and having experienced Tony winner Caissie Levy in the same role two years ago, the level of depth, vocal ability and emotional maturity Flore brings to this performance hit me in exactly the same way, however it is still distinctive and deeply personal, as she has put her own rather brilliant spin on the character, giving Diana almost a sense of playfulness at first, then developing layers into her portrayal superbly.

It has to be said that, in spite of its flaws and imperfections, we have been treated to what is actually a pretty terrific Scottish premiere of this Pulitzer-winning work, as the story's human nature is kept at its forefront, and if your audience, including this critic, are emotionally spent by the end of the performance, that is nothing more or less than a testament to how hard Bare Productions have worked in bringing this show to Scottish audiences, and it's been executed spectacularly well.

★★★★☆ (4*)

"Next to Normal" runs from 18:40 at Paradise Green until the 15th of August (tickets)

{PR/Gifted Tickets}