Next to Normal

Next to Normal uses music and lyrics to enhance the paths of each character. This can be seen from the moment the musical begins. In the opening song, Just Another Day, Gabe sings the same melody as the other characters, but he has a clearly different perspective than the rest of the family. This distinction separates him from the other characters immediately.

Hornby’s elements can be found throughout the text and the music. Irony, reality being different from what is portrayed, can be found throughout the musical. One instance that stood out to me was during the number, “It’s Gonna be Good”. Dan sings a happy tune. The music suggests that there is hope for the characters, while Dan’s lyrics demand that there is; all the while the audience knows that the family is in dire straights.

Another interesting moment occurs during “My Psychopharmacologist and I.” The music is jazzy, while there is instrumental dissonance in the strings. The song expresses Diana’s frustration with being treated with a drug cocktail that is “not a very exact science.” The number is sung while Natalie discusses jazz music with Henry. She complains “it’s just making shit up.”  In this scene, the playwright is using the placement of  jazz next to psychopharmacology to reflect the two on each other.