Next to Normal (stylized as next to normal) is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers around a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that her illness and its management have had on her family. The musical also addresses the issues of grief, suicide, drug abuse, ethics in modern psychiatry and the underbelly of suburban life. Next to Normal received several workshop performances before its Off-Broadway debut, winning the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Score and receiving Drama Desk Awards nominations for Outstanding Actress (Alice Ripley) and Outstanding Score. After an Off-Broadway run, the show played at the Arena Stage in its temporary venue in Virginia from November 2008 to January 2009. The musical opened on Broadway in April 2009. It was nominated for eleven 2009 Tony Awards and won three: Best Original Score, Best Orchestration and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Alice Ripley. It also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, becoming the eighth musical in history to receive the honor. The previous musical to win the Pulitzer was Rent in 1996, which was also directed by Michael Greif. In awarding the prize to Kitt and Yorkey, the Pulitzer Board called the show "a powerful rock musical that grapples with mental illness in a suburban family and expands the scope of subject matter for musicals." The first US national tour launched in November 2010, with Alice Ripley reprising her Broadway role; the tour concluded in July 2011. The Broadway production closed in January 2011 after more than 700 performances. There have been numerous international productions.

Music By - Tom Kitt | Stage Date - 2008