Review: Multi-Talented Mary Olive Gauthier in CSA's Production of NEXT TO NORMAL

"Can teenagers play adults and handle adult material, making us forget that they are teenagers?" That's the question I wrote on my notebook before seeing CSA's NEXT TO NORMAL featuring mostly teenagers in the cast. I kept that question in my mind throughout, because oftentimes in the past I have seen shows where talented teens are playing adults (in an adult production), and it seldom ever works. I saw a performing arts high school production of Stephen Sondheim's Company, and though it was quite entertaining, something was amiss. It was hard for me to fathom that Bobby was 35 and that these teenagers were married couples and understood the plight of married couples. They hadn't lived enough to understand what the characters were going through.

Which brings me to NEXT TO NORMAL, Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt's award-winning musical that closed at the Community School of the Arts last Saturday (August 6th). Watching it played by teens in the CSA production made me take a major leap of faith that the leads were adults. It didn't always work for me, but it sure came close because of the major talent at the heart of it: Mary Olive Gauthier in the lead role of Diana. Any issues that the production may have had are easily forgiven here with her spellbinding turn.

NEXT TO NORMAL ranks as one of the finest musicals of the past twenty years, the rare (and last) Pulitzer Prize winner before Hamilton this year. And the part of Diana is a to-die-for role if ever there was one, up there with the likes of Mama Rose, Mrs. Lovett, Sally Bowles and the Baker's Wife. In some ways, because it deals with mental illness, it surpasses those; what actress worth her salt doesn't want to tackle a part where extreme bipolar disorder is showcased at the center of the story?

Mary Olive Gauthier is only 18 years old, but you wouldn't know it here. Her Diana had many layers, which is amazing considering the whole cast had a truncated rehearsal process (four days plus vocal rehearsals). But she rocked the hell out of it. There was one instance in particular where she just won me over, as she sat upright on a gurney, being wheeled out of the theatre to have her brain zapped of its memory, and she gave such a look of helplessness in her eyes, like a puppy knowing it's going to be euthanized. It's a minor moment, but it showed the empathy that this actress can connect with and the depths that she can dig into. Some of her songs, especially "I Miss the Mountains," her part of "The Song of Forgetting" and "The Break," left the audience breathless, unsure whether to applaud or weep.

Cameon Kubly is always so real onstage, never going for cheap, cheesy effects. Sometimes that can come across as a lack of spark, sometimes on the verge of being too underplayed, but he's never dishonest. And we find ourselves rooting for him. I saw him as Bobby in the aforementioned Company, and he succeeded even though I never really bought that he was 35 years old in it. Here, donning glasses, he looked like he could easily pass for thirty. But it took me awhile to warm up to him in the role of Dan, Diana's husband, but by Act 2 he won me over.

Act 2 is one of the most demanding acts in musical theatre, where the audience sits holding its collective breath, daring not to applaud after a number. It's an emotional whirlwind.

Catherine Clark as Diane's daughter, Natalie, matched up well with Mary Olive, and she sang well. But I always got the feeling she was stepping into character when the song started, not that she was already there in character. As her stoner boyfriend, Cameron Schrader was exceedingly likable.

The part of Gabe, Diana's "son," was more problematic, and that's partially due to the role itself as well as of Caleb Quezon's interpretation of it. For instance, in his big number, "I'm Alive," he needed to sound desperate, forcing himself into the action of the play. Quezon played him way too laid back, and since there was already a pretty laid back character in NEXT TO NORMAL (Schrader's Henry), we didn't really need another one.

As the two doctors, the appropriately named Dr. Madden and Dr. Fine, director Seth Travaglino was striking, energetic, and so wonderfully entertaining the entire time he owned the stage. Still, it was a little off-putting that an adult is sharing the stage with a cast of teens playing adults, and it somewhat undermined the perception of youth in the other actors. Travaglino did a fine job of directing the production, keeping it real when necessary and crazy when needed. Sometimes it was hard to see the action of the show because it was set behind you, so you have to crane your head to see what's going on, but this only happened a couple of times. Erin Marsh's choreography rightfully underscored Travaglino's vision.

The biggest issue in this production wasn't the age of the actors; it was the sound, especially in Act 1. The microphones were way too loud, and the opening number ("Just Another Day") sounded like the characters were shouting at the audience. You couldn't hear the harmonies because it was so earsplitting, like being at a Fugs concert decades ago. They were better in Act 2, but sometimes they would pop in and out during a song. Hopefully this tech issue was adjusted for the rest of its run.

The set was minimal, like A Chorus Line without the mirrors. Designed as Theater in the Round, it's actually an immersive experience, with the actors constantly roaming through the audience, in constant motion, like lab rats in a maze. It's nonstop and thrilling, despite some of the technical issues.

The music really hit the bull's-eye, thanks to musical director Jeremy Silverman and his amazing orchestra: Along with Silverman on keyboards, it featured Brooke Stuart on drums, Kaitlin Ross on guitar, and Dan Kolosky on the bass. Very tight, moving, truly rocking.

So what is my verdict? Did they get away with it? Can teenagers handle adult material and make us forget they're teenagers? To be honest, I am still quite torn by the whole thing. Yes, they seemed too young at times, but at others I totally bought into it. But then I would see Mary Olive Gauthier inhabit that role, fill the shoes of a much older woman, and live a life very different from her own. So what if she was too young; talent will out, right? Ms. Gauthier is only starting as a freshman in college this year, and the world is hers. I wish this production of NEXT TO NORMAL ran another weekend so you could see what a mere teenager was able to bring to one of musical theatre's greatest roles.

UPDATE: Good news! Due to popular demand, this version of NEXT TO NORMAL has two shows added: Friday, September 2nd at 7 pm, and Saturday, September 3rd at 7 pm at Corbett Prep. Make sure to see Ms. Gauthier before her incredible performance becomes just a memory!

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