THE ACCLAIMED CAST RETURNS AS
THE DONMAR WAREHOUSE PRODUCTION
TRANSFERS TO THE WEST END
NEXT TO NORMAL
CAISSIE LEVY, JAMIE PARKER,
JACK WOLFE, ELEANOR WORTHINGTON-COX,
TREVOR DION NICHOLAS & JACK OFRECIO
reunite for season at Wyndham’s Theatre, London
Music by Pulitzer, Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning composer TOM KITT
Book and Lyrics by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning writer BRIAN YORKEY
For all information and tickets, visit www.nexttonormal.com
Thursday 18 January, London – The critically acclaimed cast of the smash hit Donmar Warehouse production of the Broadway musical Next to Normal – which sold every seat at every performance across its season at Donmar Warehouse, where the production made its long-awaited UK Premiere – are to return as the show prepares to transfer to London’s West End.
Next To Normal – which has just been nominated for the most Whatsonstage Awards of any new musical this year – will begin performances at Wyndham’s Theatre on Tuesday 18 June 2024 for a strictly limited 14-week season.
The cast includes:
- Caissie Levy, who played the original Elsa in Frozen on Broadway, and whose other leading roles include Caroline, Or Change and Leopoldstadt
- Jamie Parker – Olivier Award-winner for his role as Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London and on Broadway, and portrays Robin Janvrin in Season 6 of Netflix’s The Crown
- Jack Wolfe, who was nominated in the Emerging Talent category at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards for his role in Next To Normal at the Donmar Warehouse and star of Netflix series Shadow and Bone
- Eleanor Worthington-Cox, whose credits include Jerusalem at Apollo Theatre, and the youngest winner of an Olivier Award for her lead role in Matilda The Musical
- Trevor Dion Nicholas, whose West End credits include the Genie in Aladdin and George Washington in Hamilton
- Jack Ofrecio, whose credits include The Merry Wives of Windsor at Shakespeare’s Globe
When the landmark musical debuted on Broadway in 2010, Ben Brantley of The New York Times called it “Brave and breathtaking. It is something much more than a feel-good musical; it is a feel-everything musical.” And Peter Marks of The Washington Post called it “a moving, blisteringly honest, and inordinately powerful new musical stocked with beautiful songs that get to the heart of the story – and simply get to the heart.” Next to Normal went on to win three Tony Awards, including Best Original Score, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, one of only 10 musicals in history to receive the prestigious honour.
Next To Normal is an intimate exploration of family and illness, loss and grief. At its heart is Diana Goodman, a suburban wife and mother living with bipolar disorder and haunted by her past. Donmar Artistic Director Michael Longhurst directs this powerful rock musical.
Tickets are on-sale at www.nexttonormal.com
Caissie Levy plays Diana Goodman. Theatre includes: Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt (Broadway); Rose in Caroline, Or Change (Broadway, Grammy Nomination for her work on the cast album); Elsa in Frozen (Broadway, cast album); Fantine in Les Miserables (Broadway); Molly in Ghost (Broadway, West End, cast album); Sheila in Hair (Broadway, West End, cast album); Elphaba in Wicked (Los Angeles, Broadway); Penny in Hairspray (Broadway, 1st US National Tour); Maureen in Rent (US National Tour); The Bedwetter (Off Broadway); First Daughter’s Suite (Off Broadway, cast album) and Murder Ballad (Off Broadway). In concert:The Music of John Kander & Fred Ebb; The Songs of Kristen and Bobby Lopez (Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops); Sir Rod Stewart (Caesars Palace Las Vegas residency); Musical Gala Concert: 10th Anniversary (Tokyu Theatre Orb, Tokyo). Extensive solo touring throughout The United States, Canada, and the UK including Cadogan Hall (London); 54 Below (New York City); Joe’s Pub (New York City); Feinstein’s (Los Angeles); Feinstein’s at the Nikko (San Francisco) and more. Her debut solo album, With You, is available wherever you buy or stream your music. caissielevy.com
Jamie Parker plays Dan. His theatre credits include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Southwark Playhouse Elephant); The Doctor (Adelaide Festival); Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Olivier Award winner for Best Actor and Tony Award nominee for Best Leading Actor in a Play (Palace Theatre/Lyric Theater, Broadway); Guys & Dolls (Chichester Festival Theatre/Savoy Theatre); High Society (The Old Vic); Assassins; Proof (Menier Chocolate Factory); Candida (Theatre Royal Bath); Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Leeds Playhouse); Henry V, Henry IV Parts I & II, A New World, As You Like It (Shakespeare’s Globe); Racing Demon (Sheffield Crucible); Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (Chichester Festival Theatre/Theatre Royal Haymarket); My Zinc Bed (Royal & Derngate, Northampton); Revenger’s Tragedy (National Theatre); The History Boys (National Theatre/Broadway); Singer (Tricycle Theatre); Between the Crosses (Jermyn Street Theatre); The Gondoliers (Chichester Festival Theatre); and After the Dance (Oxford Stage Company).Television includes: The Long Shadow, Masters of the Air, Becoming Elizabeth, Des, Treadstone, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel, Count Arthur Strong, Lawless, Parade’s End, Silk, The Hour, Burn Up, Horne and Corden, Imagine Van Gogh, Silent Witness, Maxwell, As If, Wire in the Blood and Foyle’s War. Films include: 1917, The Lady in the Van, Le Weekend, Valkyrie and The History Boys.
Jack Wolfe plays Gabe. His theatre credits include Peter in The Magician’s Elephant (RSC); The Snow Queen (Rose Theatre Kingston); The Musician (The Belfast Ensemble); Sweeney Todd (Lyric Theatre Belfast) and Pinocchio (National Theatre). Television includes: Shadow and Bone, Inside No.9 and The Witcher. Film includes: The Magic Flute produced by Roland Emmerich. Award nominations include: Evening Standard Theatre Award for Emerging Talent and WhatsOnStage Award for Best Supporting Performer in a Musical.
Eleanor Worthington-Cox plays Natalie. Her theatre credits include The Secret Life of Bees (Almeida); Jerusalem (Apollo Theatre);Tom Cat (Southwark Playhouse); Bugsy Malone (Lyric Hammersmith); To Kill a Mockingbird (Regents Park Open Air Theatre) and Matilda: The Musical – Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical (Cambridge Theatre). Television includes: Britannia, The Irregulars, The Enfield-Haunting, Cucumber and Hetty Feather. Film includes: Gwen, Action Point and Maleficent.
Trevor Dion Nicholas plays Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine. His theatre credits include George Washington in the West End production of Hamilton, Dr. Parker in Bat Boy: The Musical (London Palladium),Genie in Disney’s Aladdin – What’s On Stage Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical (West End & Broadway), Preacher in Bonnie & Clyde The Musical (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Big River (US Tour), The Wiz, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Ragtime, The Little Mermaid, Into the Woods, Little Shop of Horrors. Trevor is the voice of the Ghost of Christmas Present in the Netflix animated film Scrooge: A Christmas Carol. Television credits include: Panelist/Judge on All Star Musicals (ITV), Gustav in The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti (Disney), Lester in Moley (Boomerang), The Show Must Go One (Sky Arts), Strictly Come Dancing (BBC), Christmas at the Snow Globe, The Americans, Sunday Night at the Palladium, Royal Variety Performance and Disney’s Broadway Hits at Royal Albert Hall (Emmy Award).
Jack Ofrecio plays Henry. His theatre credits include From Here to Eternity (Charing Cross Theatre), Boys Will Be Boys (Flawstate) and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare’s Globe).
Next To Normal’s creative team is led by Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning composer Tom Kitt and Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning writer Brian Yorkey.
Tom Kitt received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, two Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Orchestrations, and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Score for Next to Normal. He is also the composer of If/Then (Tony nomination), Almost Famous (Tony nomination), Flying Over Sunset (Tony nomination), High Fidelity (Broadway), Bring it On, The Musical (co-composer with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Broadway), Superhero (Second Stage), Disney’s Freaky Friday (Signature Theater D.C), Dave (Arena Stage) among others. As a music supervisor, arranger, and orchestrator, credits include SpongeBob Squarepants, The Musical (Tony nomination), Head Over Heels, Hell’s Kitchen, Jagged Little Pill; Grease Live!, Rise (NBC), American Idiot and the Pitch Perfect franchise.
Brian Yorkey received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as the 2009 Tony Award for Best Score for Next to Normal (Second Stage Theater/Broadway). He was also nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical for Next to Normal, and his work on the show earned him the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Score. He partnered again with the Next to Normal team on If/Then (Tony Award nominee for Best Score) starring Idina Menzel. He co-wrote the libretto for The Last Ship (Outer Critics Circle Award nomination, with John Logan), with a score by Sting. His musical adaptation of Freaky Friday for Disney Theatricals enjoyed a national tour before being adapted into a Disney Channel Original Movie. Current theatrical projects in development include the original musical Jesus in My Bedroom, with composer Tim Symons. Additional theatre credits include Making Tracks, which has played off-Broadway and regionally, the musical adaptation of Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet, and the play, Book of Jobs with Alex Glover. Brian was the Executive Producer and Showrunner of 13 Reasons Why for Netflix, Paramount Television and Anonymous Content.
Michael Longhurst is the Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse. For the company, direction includes Next to Normal, Private Lives, The Band’s Visit (6 Olivier nominations), Force Majeure, Midnight Your Time (lockdown film), Teenage Dick, Europe, Belleville and the post-pandemic multicast revival of Nick Payne’s Constellations, which helped reopen the West End,broke box office records at the Vaudeville and won the 2022 Olivier Award for Best Revival. His production of Constellations previously ran on Broadway starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson (Samuel J Friedman Theater, for MTC), in the West End starring Sally Hawkins and Rafe Spall (Duke of York’s, Evening Standard Award Best Play) originating at the Royal Court. His Chichester Festival Theatre production of Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori’s Caroline, or Change transferred to Studio 54 for Roundabout Theater on Broadway, via Hampstead Theatre and the West End, with Sharon D Clarke reprising her Olivier Award-winning performance. The Broadway production received three Tony nominations including Best Musical Revival. Other theatre includes Amadeus featuring the Southbank Sinfonia (National Theatre/NTatHome), The Son (Kiln Theatre/Duke of York’s Theatre), Gloria (Hampstead Theatre), Bad Jews (Theatre Royal Haymarket/Theatre Royal Bath/UK tour & revival at the Arts), They Drink It In The Congo and Carmen Disruption (Almeida Theatre), ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore, The Winter’s Tale (Shakespeare’s Globe), If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet (Off-Broadway for Roundabout), Linda, The Art of Dying, Remembrance Day (Royal Court Theatre), A Number (Nuffield Southampton Theatres/Young Vic), Cannibals (Royal Exchange Theatre), The History Boys (Sheffield Theatres), Dealer’s Choice (Royal & Derngate), The World of Extreme Happiness (NT Shed), Stovepipe (site-specific promenade with the National Theatre, HighTide and Bush Theatre), Midnight Your Time(HighTide), On The Beach (Bush Theatre), On The Record, Gaudeamus (Arcola Theatre), dirty butterfly (Young Vic – winner of the Jerwood Directors Award) and Guardians (Pleasance/Theatre503 – Fringe First Award).
The creative team is rounded out by Musical Supervisor Nigel Lilley; Designer Chloe Lamford; Movement, Choreography and Additional Direction Ann Yee; Lighting Designer Lee Curran; Sound Designer Tony Gayle; Video Designer Tal Rosner; Casting Director Anna Cooper CDG, Musical Director Nick Barstow and Production Manager Chris Hay.
Next To Normal is produced by David Stone, James L. Nederlander, and the Donmar Warehouse.
★★★★★
“Electrifying… beautiful… heartwrenching”
Sunday Express
“Kitt and Yorkey’s decision to write about mental health implicitly rebukes those who think musicals can’t be serious. Their approach is compassionate, thoughtful, but also witty”
Evening Standard
★★★★★
“It tears at the heart in a way few musicals manage.”
Attitude
★★★★★
“A heart-shatteringly extraordinary piece of theatre. It has no heroes or villains, just ordinary people trying to survive intense heartache and the alienation of mental illness.”
Broadway World
“Kitt and Yorkey’s musical combines a sensitive exploration of the issue with a wonderful score. Astonishing.”
Daily Telegraph
NEXT TO NORMAL | LISTINGS INFORMATION
Wyndham’s Theatre
Charing Cross Road
London
WC2H 0DA
Creative Team
Music Tom Kitt
Book and Lyrics Brian Yorkey
Director Michael Longhurst
Musical Supervisor Nigel Lilley
Designer Chloe Lamford
Movement, Choreography
and Additional Direction Ann Yee
Lighting Designer Lee Curran
Sound Designer Tony Gayle
Video Designer Tal Rosner
Casting Director Anna Cooper CDG
Musical Director Nick Barstow
Production Manager Chris Hay
Performances
Performances begin Tuesday 18 June 2024
Final performance: Saturday 21 September 2024
Monday – Saturday performance at 7:30pm
Thursday & Saturday matinees at 2:30pm
Captioned Performance: Saturday 7 September at 2:30pm
Audio Described Performance: Saturday 14 September at 2:30pm
Website
Social Media
Facebook, X, Instagram and Tik Tok @NextToNormalUK