Next to Normal

The show opened Off-Broadway in Second Stage on 16 Jan 2008 (Previews)

The cast was Alice Ripley (Diana), Brian d'Arcy James (Dan) (he left afterwards to play Shrek in Shrek the Musical), Aaron Tveit (Gabe), Jennifer Damiano (Natalie), Adam Chanler-Berat (Henry), Asa Somers (Dr. Fine/Dr. Madden)

During previews, the family name was "Brown". Sometime after the show opened the family name was changed to "Goodman". I think. Or there might have just been a typo on the news clip I watched.

Random song facts:

Let There be Light (Preprise)

The show used to have an extended introduction-After the lights turned off when the band played that chord, lights would come up on everyone (except gabe) sitting apart from each other. Dan would then begin singing the first verse of Let There be Light, and the others would join in.

Just Another Day

The part at the start where Diana sings about Gabe coming home late is spoken. During previews and until somewhere in mid-march, instead of ending with the sandwiches, it ended with "every day is just another dayyyyyy". However, Diana starts packing sandwiches in a strange way: "Diana packs lunches. Sort of. She makes one sandwich; the next brown bag gets the individual fixings, the last bag gets half a loaf of bread.". It was replaced after that (more notes in Costco)

Also, there are 2 cut lines that are still present in the instrumental! After the first 2 "it only hurts" parts from Gabe and Diana, Natalie sings "It only hurts when I hide" after her line, and Dan sings "It only hurts when it shows" at his line, followed by a chorus of bum bum bum bum baaaa. All this is still in the instrumental, but they dont sing those parts anymore.

Perfect

This is the (rather cringey) predecessor to Everything Else. Interestingly Natalie mentions playing "Invention in C" but the piece she is playing is not actually in C. During previews, her talk with Henry ends with "Oh, that's sweet! Seven minutes, freak!". After previews, it was changed to the current line of "You give up way too easily..." Prior to previews, this song contained a part for Dan called "In the light", where Dan would try to design a house (he's an architect, remember) and repeatedly make mistakes at the same time that Natalie was making mistakes with her song. This was also cut.

Costco (More...and More...and More)

Diana has a breakdown at Costco. During previews, it ended with Diana screaming "CLEANUP ON ASILE SEVEN!". It was replaced with her saying "Could I get a little help here, please?" In his reflections on the Second Stage production, Michael Grief repeatedly called this the "funny number (another word for song)". He notes that removing this song made the launch of the show much more urgent and escalated the stakes for the next two songs.

The Cavalry

Dan: "Ooo-ee! Now hop on my horse, ya little filly - let's go see that snake oil salesman." Back in the theatre festival days, this was an entire song. It was replaced with one line and foreshadows Diana's hallucination of Dr. Madden as a rockstar. It was moved to Just Another Day when Costco was cut.

Crazy/Psycho

This song has not really changed that much. However, during the show revision (probably around the time costco was removed), after Dan sings "I was so young, and so dumb, and now I am old", he reminisces about meeting Diana. That scene was re-written at least four times before getting cut again.

The first iteration had Diana asking Dan to go out with her somewhere, and Dan would encourage her to attend class as they had skipped class a few times. Diana would then react angrily and Dan would acquiesce.

The second iteration was different in that Diana would very sadly say that she "always ruins everything", Dan would feel sorry and cheer her up by deciding to go along.

The third version was completely different, with Diana buying Dan 21 presents and making a sexual joke at the end. (Then, of course, the song went on to "...the sex was simply inspired" which is probably why the joke was there).

The fourth version made the joke a bit more explicit. Then the entire part was just cut.

Perfect For You

It had an extra verse and some of the violin parts were played by a saxophone.

I Miss the Mountains

This song used to be entirely in D major. The last verse was also in D major. After previews, the start of the song was played in C major and it modulated to a D for the last verse. (Caissie sang it in C# major while the revival in the Kennedy Center had Rachel Bay Jones singing it in D major)

It's gonna be good

It ended with the instruments playing a chord. Now it just drops off suddenly when Diana comes in. It also had Diana dropping an A5 at the end (which was promptly changed before the show opened to an F5. Now it's a C5.)

He's not here/You don't know/I am the one/Superboy

I don't think any of these songs actually changed all that much

Open Your Eyes

Instead of singing another verse the third time, Dr. Madden would sing an entire song about how he could help Diana tell her story. It was cut twice; initially it had a verse about speaking what she wanted to say as Dr. Madden would never doubt her which was cut, and finally midway through the run the entire song was cut. It was not replaced with the "What's your history" line, instead, Dr. Madden would go straight to asking Diana about the last time she felt happy. When the show was in workshops, there was a line which said "I'm the shaman of your lamentation", which was replaced with "I'm the llama of your drama".

I'm Alive

Some awkward lyrics were changed. The score at this point ended with a G, but somewhere after that an opt up to a high B was included which I think one of the understudies sang on Broadway.

Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling

In keeping with the theme of "telling your story", some lines were changed. Natalie plays "Invention in C" instead of the mozart song.

I Dreamed a Dance/There's a World

Diana sings "And on..." instead of Gabe. I'm glad they changed it.

ECT

Dan is much more shocked by the fact that ECT is still being used. Also, I've Been was cut after the workshop, so Dr. Madden just turns around and immediately starts talking to Diana.

Didn't I See This Movie

A verse was cut for being repetitive. Also, there's some really sad stage directions:

"Diana confronts Doctor Madden as Natalie shuts herself in the bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet and pulling bottles from the shelves. Natalie fumbles to open one bottle, then another, then another. Pills fly. She picks a few up and swallows them, the one more, then one more."

"Diana struggles against her restraints. Natalie begins to tear her bedroom apart."

A Light in the Dark

Dan sings about pretending to continue to love Diana if love died.

Feeling Electric

Act 1 used to close with a bang-This song, where Diana's hallucination of Doctor Madden comes out gloriously. Madden rips off his scrubs and is wearing a singlet and jeans LOL

Growing Up Unstable

There's no entrance music. The drums just start playing and "Lights on Natalie, in a chair, staring at us. Just staring."

Song Of Forgetting/Hey #1/Seconds and Years

No change. Actually most of Act 2 is not changed.

Getting Better

This is such a optimistic happy song! It's very catchy. Tom felt it was too generic and replaced it. In between each verse, Dan and Natalie would talk about the pictures and things instead of singing about them.

Aftershocks/Hey #2/You don't know reprise/Music Box

No change

How could I ever forget

Some minor change in the text at the start

It's Gonna be Good Reprise/Why Stay/A Promise/I'm Alive Reprise/Make Up Your Mind

Minor lyric change for I'm Alive Reprise

Everything

This is honestly a very confusing song. The lyrics don't really make sense with what was going on previously... If you read the theory by pisghettio about Maybe (Next to Normal) it is actually much more obvious here, because Natalie interrupts Diana repeatedly with Superboy and the Invisible Girl, and eventually they both sing it with new lyrics.

Hey #3/I am the one reprise

No change

Let There Be Light Reprise

The show ends with a plea for light. It also contains some remnants of the Feeling Electric ending (where you find out that the show is being told from Dan's perspective instead of Diana's persepctive): Dr. Madden mentions that the case file for Diana is closed and he is opening a new file for Dan. The lyrics are repetitive in a sort of prayer way and the harmonies get more complicated. Dan no longer has a solo in the last verse.

I like the change to "Light" in the new version. As the show went along, I think we have figured out that we cannot just hope and pray that everything will get better. Some of the parts are also rewritten and made slightly easier for the actor playing Dan.

I previously talked about this, but there are some very interesting stage directions in this song.

After Dan sings his first verse (in therapy with Dr. Madden), he "walks to natalie and they embrace".

Diana is then revealed to be "watching over Dan and Natalie"

Then, there's a very cinematic thing where Doctor Madden sings his verse "watching over a busy hospital - or over Dan and Natalie"

And most importantly, during Gabe's verse, "Dan reaches out and touches Gabe's cheek. Gabe takes his hand and holds it..."

All this is cut in the new version and there are just general movement directions in the new script.