4th Wall Theatre Presents NEXT TO NORMAL, 10/5-13

4TH WALL THEATRE opens its 16th season with Next to Normal, a musical, which Rolling Stone said "pushed Broadway in new directions." With a book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt, this rock musical deals with an unusual topic for a musical theatre-mental illness. It won the 2008 Outer Critics' Circle Award for Outstanding Score and went on to win three Tony Awards in 2009 for Best Score, Orchestration and Performance by a Leading Actress in musical for Alice Ripley. Next to Normal also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for drama.

The show features a stellar company of performers including Nancy Feldman, Kelly Karcher, and John Wilkening of New York City, Gregory G. Allen of Hawthorne, David Maglione of Boonton, and Miles G. Jackson of Northfield.

4th Wall Artistic Director Kate Swan, of Teaneck, directs. She is joined by Markus Hauck, of New York City, who serves as the musical director. Gwen Ricks-Spencer, formerly of Montclair, is the Production Manager, and Martha Thalheimer of Glen Ridge serves as the Stage Manager.

Next to Normal tells the story of a mother, Diana Goodman, who struggles with bipolar disorder, and the effect that her illness has on her family as they struggle to cope. This contemporary musical, combining provocative lyrics and a thrilling pop rock score, is an emotional powerhouse that aims for the heart with its story of a family coming to terms with its past and bravely facing its future.

The show began as a 10-minute musical class project for writers Yorkey and Kitt at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. One evening, while watching a television report on shock therapy or ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), Yorkey was intrigued by something said on the program: The vast majority of patients who receive ECT are women and the majority of doctors who prescribe it are men. Thus the idea for the musical was born. The show went through various incarnations and finally opened on Broadway in 2009.

Of Next to Normal, director Kate Swan says, "This is a gripping and emotional show full of characters dealing with many issues - bipolar disorder, codependency, various forms of therapy, and grief, among others. These are the tough issues that get hidden behind closed doors and often aren't even talked about among family members. By bringing these problems into a stage musical, Yorkey and Kitt have brought these issues into the light for all of us to consider and talk about. The show really makes us reconsider what our definition of 'normal' should be."

Next to Normal will play at the Westminster Center for the Arts on the campus of Bloomfield College in Bloomfield and runs October 5, 6, 12, 13 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, October 7 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are only $25 with discount tickets available for students and seniors. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973-748-9000 ext. 1279. Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover are accepted. Tickets may also be purchased online and additional information is available at www.4thwalltheatre.org.

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