NEXT TO NORMAL Ineligible For Drama Desk And Outer Critics Circle Awards

Broadway's new hit Next to Normal has been deemed ineligible for Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, the New York Times is reporting. Nominators for the two organizations and the show's producers could not agree on a performance schedule and the critical issue of whether the show would be eligible for awards in all categories.

The show premiered Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre in 2008, and went on to have a heavily-revised production mounted Arena Stage in Arlington, VA. Many critics mentioned changes favorably, and described the Broadway experience as being noticably different from the Off-Broadway incarnation. Drama Desk rules dictate only the show's new elements can be reconsidered. J. Robert Spencer, who was not part of the Second Stage production, would be eligible, but lead actress Alice Ripley, who was a part of the Off Broadway run, would not. Next to Normal producers wanted a guarantee that the revised Broadway incarnation would be reconsidered in all categories, a request which was not be met.

To read the entire report from the NY Times, click here.

The new musical Next to Normal officially opened on Broadway on April 15th. The musical features music by Tom Kitt and book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. Next to Normal is directed by Michael Greif (Rent, Grey Gardens) and produced by David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, and Second Stage Theatre.

The Broadway cast stars Alice Ripley, J. Robert Spencer, Aaron Tveit, Jennifer Damiano, Adam Chanler-Berat, and Louis Hobson.

Next to Normal opened at Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre on February 13, 2008 and was significantly reworked in a subsequent out-of-town run at Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage, where it opened on December 10, 2008. The musical's unusual trajectory from a New York Off-Broadway premiere to an out-of-town regional theatre engagement and then back to Broadway is unprecedented.

Next to Normal is a contemporary musical that explores how one suburban household copes with crisis. With provocative lyrics and an electrifying score of more than 30 original songs, Next to Normal shows how far two parents will go to keep themselves sane and their family's world intact.

Next to Normal plays at the Booth Theatre (222 West 45th street) on the following schedule: Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday - Saturday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm, 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.

For more information please visit www.NextToNormal.com.