Lately, we have seen a lot of shows on the darker side—we started off with Sweeney Todd in Visalia, then The Bad Seed at 2nd Space, and now Next to Normal in Selma. While all three shows are wonderful and wonderfully done, Next to Normal is the one among them that is most likely to strike a chord with many because of its realistic portrayal of mental illness. It is also the most likely to have you reaching for the tissues.
2012 has been an exciting year for Valley theatre. We have seen Valley premiere's of shows like Next To Normal, Ave. Q, Spring Awakening and Ordinary Days. Fun classic shows like Fiddler On The Roof and Singing In The Rain. Fun newer shows like The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Thought provoking shows like Assassins and Baptized To The Bone, and family friendly shows like Beauty and the Beast and A Year With Frog and Toad.
Over the past few weeks I have had the pleasure of seeing here in the Valley the productions of three Tony Award winning and incredible musicals! One of those was Next To Normal presented by StageWorks Fresno. I had seen this show before presented by a touring company in San Jose with some of the original Broadway cast, so I was very excited to see it again.
July is overflowing with incredible theatre including many Valley premieres of Tony award winning shows, and while we will be reviewing many of them, here’s an overview of several of them up so you can plan ahead and get your tickets now!
