The lights dim and we turn our focus on the dining table. A red dining table with a set of mismatched chairs of pink and blue sits center stage. The mother, Diana, stands in the kitchen when her son, Gabe, enters the door. Her daughter, Natalie, brushes past them, ignoring Gabe’s “Good morning.” We hear the footsteps of their father, Dan, making his way to the kitchen as Diana tells Gabe, “Make sure your father doesn’t see you.”
Even as this appears to be an ordinary home, the perfect family is about to break.
The Asian American Theater Project’s (AATP) production of “next to normal” was a thrilling musical that drew out raw and emotional performances from the actors. It depicted the story of a family fighting for a “normal” life as a mother mourns the death of her son, who she hallucinates to be around; a father struggles to keep the house’s ceiling from collapsing; and a daughter balances between presenting as a perfect child and trying to escape a neglectful home.
In accordance with themes of healthcare, healing, and complexities of love, the show weaved through experiences of memory and the pain of the past. For one, it is gradually revealed that Gabe (JC Chien ’23) is not an active member of the family — he died of a sickness that went unnoticed.
The cast was phenomenal, adding their own experiences to help embody the characters. They did it in a way that was relatable and comical, while still presenting the serious issues in a way that was easy to grasp. The performance was in sync, clearly showing the connection between the cast members. Truly, the process and the community that came together to create this show were as important as the outcome.
In one scene, Diana (Sheruni Pilapitiya ’26) begins to question her past after losing her memory due to electroconvulsive therapy,…
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