Can’t stop yourself from seeing rock musicals tackling mental illness and the disintegration of the “normal” family suburban life? Then you likely witnessed Second Stage’s recent production of “Next to Normal,” the Pulitzer-prize winning musical written by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt and staged by director Sarah Corey ’15. Before our Thanksgiving Break, “Next to Normal” gave many audience members a powerful reminder to be thankful for the relative stability of their own families. This was a production focused on executing tech and powerful acting as well as near-flawless singing.
As a Wesleyanite and poetry slammer, I was excited all last week by talk of who was coming to Crowell last Thursday. Whether eavesdropping on a conversation in Usdan, talking to non-slamming friends of mine, or learning the what inspired my fellow poets to start writing, all I could hear were two words: BUDDY. WAKEFIELD.