Was it worth it?: Next to Normal

Yes!! Even though Ticketmaster tacked on the extra $15-16 fee per ticket. Everytime I see a Broadway show I think..."Why don't I see these more often? I love musical theater!!!"....and then I remember how much I paid for the tickets. I'm very selective in what I want to see. I'm on the fence with Billy Elliot and Rock of Ages because of this. Are they worth it? I'm especially very inerested in Rock of Ages. I was never an 80's hair metal rock band fanatic, but I did enjoy an occasional *insert fave metal rock band here* song in my youth. I still connect certain songs with people who have been in and out of my life growing up in the 1980's. Many of my friends then LOVED Bon Jovi, so running home or to whomever's home and turning on MTV while doing homework was very much a teenage ritual. I suppose that's why Rock of Ages became so popular. We love to reminisce.

I had not seen a new muscial in years. I won't count seeing Wicked last year since it was the second time I had seen it. Next to Normal was a show I had heard of through watching the Tony Awards a few years ago. As all Broadway tours go, it takes FOREVER for a show to make its way to San Francisco. I jumped on the release of these tickets since I knew it would sell out fast because it's only in town for a month.

I was especially excited to find out that Alice Ripley was reprising her broadway starring role in N2N. I think she was sick or losing her voice by the second act. Her voice sounded squeaky at times and I had a hard time understanding the lyrics. I had heard snippets of many of the songs on iTunes. I had no idea what was going on since I didn't know much about the story except that it centers around a woman who is bipolar and how it affects her and her family. There were surprising twists...that really shouldn't have been that surprising since bipolarism is always a roller coaster. My best friend in high school was diagnosed as bipolar in her mid-20's. It was probably one of the most eye-opening things I've ever encountered. It was overwhelming for me and I did not know how to handle some situations with her. I was scared for her. It wasn't the person I had practically grown up with. Multiple times caught her staring into space for long periods of time. She'd eventually wake up from the fog and excuse herself home. I lost touch with her when she got her meds undercontrol (or maybe not?) and she seemed to be doing better. I still always wonder how she's doing. Hopefully well. She was definitely in my thoughts while watching N2N.

Alrighty...time to make a decision about seeing more shows. Excuse me while I go scope out the SHN site.