next to normal is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. It opened at the Booth Theatre on Broadway in 2009 and ran for 21 previews and 733 regular productions. The musical explores the controversial topic of mental disability and medication as its cure. The relationships in the show are fractured and distorted and the façade that the family puts on is only a front for what has become a barren and cold home. For the design, I wanted to emphasize both the ideas of distortion as well as façades by creating an abstracted townhome that would serve as a multi-level structure for the actors. The upper-most level is mostly obstructed by the semi-transparent windows, but serves as the sanctuary for Gabe, the deceased brother of Natalie who is a figment of the Dilusional mother, Diana's imagination.
