Day 131-1/30/10

Show: Next to Normal
Date: 3/12/10
Cast: Jessica Phillips as Diana
Type: Audio

I have committed to full on love for Jessica's Diana. It's exactly how I feel that works. My problem with Alice is that she plays it crazy, but bipolar depressive isn't crazy. I have manic depressive tendencies so it sort of bothers me the way that Alice plays it. But Jessica played it realistically and sincerely and her voice was pretty much flawless. I really loved it.

Day 121-3/20/10

Show: Next to Normal
Date: 1/1/10
Cast: Meghann Fahy as Natalie
Type: Audio

After listening to Jessica as Diana, Alice is almost painful. She sounds nuts and crazy and uneven and just not as good. Meghann was really good. She sounds quite similar to Jenn except when I really focus I can hear that her voice is softer, and more vulnerable.

Day 117-3/16/10

Show: Next to Normal
Date: 7/31/09
Cast: Jessica Phillips, J.Robert Spencer, Jennifer Damiano, Aaron Tveit, Adam Chanler-Berat
Type: Audio

Wow. Jessica blew me away. Her voice was flawless and she actually sounded like a real person.

Day 90-2/17/10

Show: Next to Normal
Date: 9/27/09
Cast: Alice Ripley (Diana), J. Robert Spencer (Dan) - 1st Act, Michael Berry (u/s Dan) - 2nd Act, Aaron Tveit (Gabe), Jennifer Damiano (Natalie), Adam Chanler-Berat (Henry), Louis Hobson (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine
Type: Audio

Alice wasn’t all that great. Her voice bothered me here. Jenn was iffy, she had noticeable difficult in Everything Else. Bobby struggled in Who’s Crazy he cracked a little bit then stopped to clear his throat. Michael was Dan in Act 2, which I noticed the first word he said. I’m not sure about him. I don’t know if he sounds right for the show. He’s got more of a musical theatrey voice which might not work for Next to Normal.

Day 72-1/30/10

Show: Next to Normal
Date: 6/21/09
Cast: Alice Ripley (Diana), J. Robert Spencer (Dan), Jennifer Damiano (Natalie), Kyle Dean Massey (Gabe), Adam Chantler-Beret (Henry), Louis Hobson (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine)
Type: Audio

To be honest, I didn't know it was Jenn as Natalie until I just looked it up now. She didn't really sound like herself...maybe that's why the next audio I have (June 25th) is Meghann as Natalie. Jenn was fine, just less strong than usual. And Kyle's really growing on me. Can't say I found anything too bad about his performance. Alice has been seeming kind of shaky. She's puts 100% in and I'm not sure if she's getting the full hundred back. I am the one reprise pretty much killed me. So did light. Both were super emotional and wonderful

Day 58-1/16/10

Show: Next to Normal
Date: 2/20/08
Cast: Brian D'Arcy James, Alice Ripley, Jenn Damiano, Aaron Tveit, Corey Boardman, Asa Somers.
Type: Audio

I'm going to begin with comparison and contrast of the Broadway/Arena Stage to this version (Second Stage)

• Don't like the "Let There Be Light" beginning
• Like the lyrics of Just Another Day more on Broadway
• J. Robert Spencer > Brian D'Arcy James
• Asa Somers > Louis Hobson
• Jenn's voice got better when she got to Broadway
• Alice's voice seems stronger and more stable here.
• Loved the Costco song, but I see why they took it out.
• Liked Growing Up Unstable, but it didn't move the plot.
• Perfect has more edge, but I liked Everything Else more. It sounded much better.
• Getting Better is not as good as Better Than Before
• The Broadway lyrics to Light are a lot better.
• Really missed having I've Been, which is a superpowerful song.
  
• Feeling Electric may have been good with Louis singing, but Asa did not sound good at all.

Now onto Corey:
At first I had misread the date and thought it said 2/2/08 which was Morgan Weed as Natalie, but I didn't think she sounded any different than Jenn. But then Henry came in and I realized that I had misread the date. Corey sounds completely different from Adam. I didn't realize I loved Adam so much until I heard this. Corey sounded all wrong, he may have made a better Gabe. Adam sounds sweet, and kind of puppy-ish. And cute and all that. Corey didn't sound any of it. And his singing voice wasn't all that great either.

Day 52-1/10/10

Show: Next to Normal
Date: 12/14/08
Cast: Alice Ripley, J. Robert Spencer, Aaron Tveit, Jennifer Damiano, Adam Chanler-Berat, Louis Hobson
Type: Audio

This was completely normal for a Next to Normal audio. Always emotional and powerful. It grips me possibly more than Spring Awakening does. So moving.

Day 48-1/6/10

Show: Next to Normal
Date: 1/10/09
Cast: J. Robert Spencer, Alice Ripley, Jennifer Damiano, Louis Hobson, Adam Chanler-Berat, Tim Young as Gabe.
Type: Audio

So when I originally flipped to this, I assumed that it was the full OBC including Aaron. Every time Gabe spoke or sang I was bewildered because it didn't sound like Aaron, I thought it sounded more like Kyle if anything but Kyle wasn't in the cast. This irritated me pretty much until the very end when I finally checked the cast list.
But everything else was wonderful. It's been awhile since I listened to a Next to Normal audio and this was really great. I didn't fall asleep on the bus while listening!
Don't know what else to say

Day 43-1/1/10

Show: Next to Normal
Date: 8/15/09
Type: Live
Cast: Alice Ripley. J Robert Spencer, Jenn Damiano, Kyle Dean Massey, Adam Chanler-Berat, Louis Hobson

This was the show that I saw. Live. Second row. Awesomeness and all that. Well, I'm not actually going to write up the review that I had made because it doesn't make much sense and discusses stagedooring more than the show itself.
Here are some highlights of the review (and the night):
-Alice is in character every second and almost always steals your attention.
-Bobby Spencer uses a lot of vibrato but if you ignore it his performance blows you away. So much emotion and really just makes you cry.
-Kyle is not Aaron (which you later find is a good thing) he holds his own and is super good looking. It's interesting to watch him "watch" the other characters. And he's very expressive.
-Jenn looks absolutely gorgeous.
-Adam's adorable and I get the hype about him.
-Louis was quite the rockstar.
-With the exception of Kyle is sounded so much like the CD.
-I've Been made me cry
-I also cried many times in Act 2 (How Could I Ever Forget, I Am The One Reprise)

The rest of my review is just plain stupid.

Day 15-12/4/09

Show: Next to Normal
Date: 8/29/09
Type: Audio
Cast: Alice Ripley (Diana), J. Robert Spencer (Dan), Meghann Fahy (u/s Natalie), Kyle Dean Massey (temporary Gabe), Adam Chanler-Berat (Henry), Louis Hobson (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine)

Okay, so honestly I could not tell the difference between Meghann and Jenn. Maybe Meghann's voice is a little softer, but not really much of a discernible difference. On the other hand, Kyle sounds much much different from Aaron. I definitely like Aaron better.
I'm so sorry that there's not more I can think of saying. I was working a lot while listening to this...