Next to Normal at Theatre Aurora

Diana Goodman, a suburban housewife, struggles through life as she battles mental demons in the form of bipolar disorder coupled with hallucinations that stem from a trauma sixteen years earlier. Her husband Dan, an architect, fights to keep her mind and his family stable but that fight becomes increasingly problematic as Diana decides to stop taking the pills given to her by her doctor. After several failed attempts to stem the tide by means of talk therapy with a different doctor, she eventually falls into an even darker place and attempts suicide. At the suggestion of her new doctor, Diana is convinced by her husband to submit to electroconvulsive therapy that causes her to have short-term amnesia. Throughout her struggles, Diana's relationship with her daughter Natalie becomes strained because Natalie feels invisible in the eyes of her mother, who prefers the superhero-like image she has created for her son.

Authors

• Brian Yorkey
• Tom Kitt

Tony Awards and Nominations for Next to Normal