Who would have ever thought that mental illness could be so entertaining… Wait a minute and before you go off in a huff, allow me to semi explain myself. With that said, I can’t tell you about all the twists and turns in this musical Broadway drama or it will totally ruin it for you. Tony award winning Alice Ripley plays a suburban Mom with a difference in this highly dysfunctional family. Will putting her back in therapy help this manic depressed Mom stop lining up rows and rows of sliced white bread on the floor while lathering each slice with mayonnaise and lettuce trying to get a good head start on preparing lunches? Or baking a beautiful birthday cake, decked out with lit candles, when it is no ones birthday? Will the Valium that didn’t help her, help her daughter? Mental illness, electroshock therapy, a psychologically scarred family and trying to find a normal place in your mind is not your typical Broadway musical. Next To Normal is very moving, to say the least, outstanding cast performances, especially by Alice Ripley, who plays Diana and a musical score that perfectly tells the tale. I can guarantee you that you will laugh, hum, cry and at one point your mouth will drop open. Go see it while it’s still on tour! Raw material, raw emotions.