Judy McLane Takes Leave from MAMMA MIA to Star in NEXT TO NORMAL at Pioneer

Judy McLane, starring in MAMMA MIA! at the Winter Garden Theater, will head to Salt Lake City to headline Pioneer Theatre's production of NEXT TO NORMAL.

An announcement on McLane's website reads: "Judy will be starring as Diana in Pioneer Theatre Company's upcoming production of Next to Normal. As a result, Judy will be taking a leave of absence from Mamma Mia from Monday, August 22, 2011 to Sunday, October 2, 2011 and returning Monday, October 3."

The actress currently portrays Tanya in Mamma Mia! and will play the lead role of Diana in Next to Normal.

Next To Normal was nominated for eleven 2009 Tony Awards and won three: Best Original Score, Best Orchestration and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley). It also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, becoming just the eighth musical in history to receive the honor. Next to Normal features music by Tom Kitt and book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey.

With provocative lyrics and 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. It explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and just how far two parents will go to keep themselves sane and their family's world intact.

For more information on Next to Normal at Pioner Theatre, visit http://www.pioneertheatre.org/2011-2012-season/next-to-normal/.