J. Robert Spencer to Play Final Performance in NEXT TO NORMAL May 16

Tony Award nominee J. Robert Spencer will play his final performance in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical Next to Normal on Sunday, May 16 at 7:30p.m. A replacement for Mr. Spencer will be announced shortly.

J. Robert Spencer was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Dan Goodman in Next to Normal. Broadway credits include: original Nick Massi in Jersey Boys (Tony Award Best Musical 2006, Grammy Award and Gold Record recipient), Side Show. Regional: Arena Stage: Next to Normal (Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor). Tours: Heartland, Cats, Finian's Rainbow, Tommy. Animated films: Grave of the Fireflies, Nightmare Campus. TV: "Law & Order," "All My Children," "Girls Behaving Badly." Film: Night of the Dog (Audience Award winner at Palm Beach, Santa Barbara, and nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the SMMASH Film Festival), Farm Girl in NewYork (official selection for Atlanta, Big Apple, Seattle and nominated for Best Comedy in Sacramento). His company, 7 Spencer Productions, recently wrapped their second film, titled Heterosexuals. Concerts: He recently performed with the Boston Pops for Handel's Messiah Rocks currently available on CD/DVD by Sony Masterworks. Awards: Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Shenandoah University. www.bobbyspencer.com

Next to Normal has had a surprising and highly unlikely route to Broadway. The musical originally opened at Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre on February 13, 2008. Producer David Stone, who had been guiding the musical since 2005, took the unexpected step of bringing the show to Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage where it was significantly reworked, and then back to New York and to Broadway, where it opened to rave reviews on April 15, 2009. This unusual trajectory from a New York Off-Broadway premiere to an out-of-town regional theatre engagement and then back to New York is unprecedented.

"We're so grateful to Bobby, who has really been the backbone of our show," said Producer David Stone. "We're very pleased for him as he pursues other exciting opportunities."

The musical, which recently announced that it had recouped its entire original investment, celebrated its one year Anniversary on April 15th at the Booth Theatre (222 West 45th street) and will also kick off a North American tour this fall in Los Angeles, beginning performances at the Ahmanson Theatre on November 23. Following the premiere, the tour has confirmed engagements in San Diego, Seattle, Hartford, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, St. Paul, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Washington, DC, and a dozen other cities to be announced in the near future.

Next to Normal is produced by David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, and Second Stage Theatre.

Next to Normal was chosen as "one of the year's ten best" by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Time Out New York, New York Daily News, The Bergen Record, and NY-1 - more than any other musical.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three Tony Awards - Best Score, Best Actress in a Musical, and Best Orchestrations - Next to Normal features music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, and direction by Michael Greif.

With a thrilling contemporary score, Next to Normal is an emotional powerhouse of a musical about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other. The musical also features Tony Award-winner Alice Ripley, Kyle Dean Massey, Jennifer Damiano, Adam Chanler-Berat, and Louis Hobson.

SCHEDULE AND PRICING

Next to Normal is performed at the Booth Theatre (222 West 45th street) on the following schedule: Monday at 8pm, Tuesday at 7pm, Thursday at 8pm, Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 3pm & 7:30pm. Tickets, priced $25.00 - $115.00, will be available at www.Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200.