Next to Normal Sets Closing Date

The Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning production of Next to Normal currently playing on Broadway has set a closing  date of January 16, 2011.  By that point, the musical, currently starring Marin Mazzie, will have played 21 previews and 733 regular performances at the Booth Theatre.

Does Life Imitate Art Or the Other Way Around?

Next to Normal will be getting its next pair of leads in the form of a real life couple.  Three time Tony nominee Marin Mazzie and her husband, Jason Danieley, will be taking over the roles of Diana and Dan Goodman starting on July 19th, according to a production spokes person.  This will mark the first occasion during which the couple will have appeared together in a Broadway musical.

Next to Normal to Start National Tour

Next to Normal, the Broadway smash hit starring 2009 Best Actress Tony winner Alice Ripley, will be going on a 36-stop beginning on November 23rd with a six week stop at Los Angeles' Ahmanson Theatre.  In preparation for the tour, Alice Ripley, who has signed on to appear as Diana in all 36 cities, will play her last Broadway performance in the role on July 18th.  After Los Angeles, the show will make stops in San Diego, Seattle, Des Moines, Providence, Hartford, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, St. Paul, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and Washington, DC.  More cities will be announced soon.

The Pulitzer Prize

The 2010 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced this morning and, while a full list can be seen at the Pulitzer Organization's website (pulitzer.org), I wanted to announce to my readers that Next to Normal, the rock musical about bipolar disorder, has won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama,  The official citation on the Pulitzer website says that the prize was "awarded to Next to Normal, music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, a powerful rock musical that grapples with mental illness in a suburban family and expands the scope of subject matter for musicals."