Just got back from NYC. I travel there twice a year to catch up on theater...and see friends too (well, mainly to see theater, but don't tell my friends...hee hee). Saw seven shows this trip and loved just about everything I saw.
Next to Normal is a powerful and amazing piece of theater. Alice Ripley plays a woman with bi-polar disorder and she gives truly an amazing performance. I've always been a big fan of hers, but this performance is truly a highlight of her career. The show really looks intensely at the impact of mental illness on a family and how one woman tries to cope when all treatments fail her. Wow, I just keep thinking about it. And I can't stop listening to the music. Highly recommend it.
Also saw Billy Elliot which cleaned up with nominations. Overall, it also was fantastic. I found the music to be somewhat unremarkable, but as a show, it is a winner.
Oh yeah, this is a DISboard, not Broadwayboard...you get me talking theater, it's hard for me to stop!
Leigh