i think one the most interesting parts of this song is that when gabe comes in he forces natalie to sing harmony in her own song. he just comes in a takes over which is kind of what their relationship with their mother is like
+Marley Lund You. You have put words to exactly what I was thinking! Isn't that awesome? She doesn't even see him, but she knows from experience when he's going to come in and shove her to the sidelines, and she reacts accordingly, switching almost to the background vocals. I think the thought that went into these songs is so underrated.
I actually think it’s a pretty heartwarming line from Diana, because she at least believes that she’s trying, and it’s a genuine sentiment. But I understand how someone that lacks the perspective of living with a debilitating mental illness would interpret it as negative.
Gunna share my own truth here. I have a mother like that. She doesn't know how to really give without taking. She never learned to love people. She spent most of her life abused and thrown in prison after prison for drugs. She's made it clear she loves me...with words alone. I don't trust words anymore because of this. I need action. Her action tells me she's upset that I came to be because I remind her of what she's done. She abandoned me. She abused me. She neglected me. And now...I make her feel guilty inadvertently, just by standing there. I asked her once if life would be better if I wasn't around. She said yes... I thought about ending my life a few times and tried once. One day, it dawned on me. If she can't love me, then she just can't. So I'll love me. And when I started loving me...I found someone else who loved me too. I've been married to an awesome woman for five years and we live and love together.
+kanos1213 I disagree. Shows don't have to last forever to be successful. This production successfully recouped its investment and ran for almost 2 years. "Next to Normal" is one on my favorite musicals, but it is not a show that pleases everyone; this is not "Mamma Mia." The shows that last for ages are supported by tourists who don't know theatre but know that they want to see "something on Broadway." This was not for them - too small and too depressing.
In my opinion, Gabe isn't mocking Natalie, it's really just who Gabe is to Natalie. Gabe is not a ghost or a memory, he personifies what his character means to every other character in the show. Notice how he's sympathetic around Diana, yet agressive to Dan and Natalie because they're trying to bury him and his memories to the ground because they can't accept his death and the episodes that puts him on Diana's ideas. My interpretation tho.
I would have to disagree...it's Diana who can't accept his death..hence her seeing him. Dan is trying to move on in a healthy way but Gabe is still there for him...Natalie is the one who's fully removed.
Aaron is great, don't get me wrong, but in lieu of all the love he's getting for being hot from fangirls, I'd like to take the opportunity to fanboy out on Jennifer Damiano and talk about how beautiful she and her voice are. She doesn't get enough credit for how difficult of an emotionally and vocally challenging character she has brought to life in Natalie. And that belt before Alice comes in is soooo good. Jennifer, I love you, lol.
ColeTraNe1212 I wish I could, but everyone would say I’m sexually harassing her for saying she’s hot. I know it sounds weird said out loud, but think about that f to two minutes
Yes!! And her voice is also unique and very interesting, it has a lot of character to it which really makes it difficult to imagine anyone else but her as Natalie
1) Natalie is not an adult. She's an angry, hurt teenager, and the song is about her. 2) I would not call struggling to compete with the memory of my dead brother for my mentally ill mother's attention stupid or silly. Why do you consider it to be so?
You can't even see Aaron's face in the beginning you can just see his silhouette yet he still manages to look extremely beautiful I don't understand??¿
I have never felt more seen by a song. My brother died before I was born so I'm the "rainbow baby" but I feel like the worst replacement possible. I have always felt like I'm living up to compensate for someone I don't even know. When I was little, my mother would look through a photo album of him instead of read me a storybook for bedtime. She looked so invested and losy in memories of him it felt like i wasnt even there, like I would never be enough for her to just love. My father never wanted to talk about it, no one did. My older brothers all got to hold him before he died and they all miss him. When I tried to interact with them it felt like i was invisible. I know the song is horribly sad and I know exactly why, but listening to it helps me feel a little less invisible.
Me too. This song is about the experience of the surviving child (children, in my sister’s case and mine) growing up in the shadow of the immortal hero child. It took me years to realise my mother indeed loved me as much as she could - but that doesn’t negate what it was like growing up invisible, with her always seeing him when she looked at me. That’s why this play, and especially this song, was so powerful to me. Like you, I felt “seen”.
I'm really sorry you feel this way. My heart really goes out to you. Please know, YOU'RE NO REPLACEMENT! YOU ARE INCREDIBLE BECAUSE YOU ARE YOU! (I suffer from an inferiority complex so I think I can empathize with you a bit). I know how lonely I am a lot of the time, not feeling like I really belong anywhere aside from in my home w my bulldog and my art. I may not be able to help w the social/familial aspect but I can tell you what makes it easier to spend time with yourself, if others make you feel less than... Find and celebrate things that bring you joy! I challenge you to do a little bit of joy producing, soul celebrating 'something' everyday... It'll help strengthen your sense of self while releasing serotonin, which will help you to have a better, more positive association of yourself! You + doing/creating something from the ❤ everyday= a happier version of who you are today. It doesn't have to be a giant self-promise or undertaking... I challenged myself to "do something creative every day". That's it! Not intimidating at all! Not too specific and not the end of the world if I miss a day or two. I can tell you, it's easier to get out of bed everyday when I know I GET to create something. You're in my prayers 💕
Many years ago I saw something saying how brilliantly this show is written. When Gabe joins in on this song he takes over the melody, forcingn natalie to sing harmony and compete for control of the song
All three of them are just incredible. But I must admit, Aaron is my favorite. He has the most haunting voice. Even though I'm married I have a full on crush!
I love the different ways this musical can be interpreted. Like, Gabe could be a malicious entity trying to break the family apart, he could be a ghost that's been stuck in the same place for years and just wants someone to see him, or he can just not really exist and be the personification of their grief and mental health issues i.e. Diana wants him to be there and can't let him go so he's the perfect son for her, Dan is in denial of his grief and tries to make everything normal so Gabe is hostile and for Natalie, Gabe is the brother she never met but has to live up to his potential which can be worse because she can never do better than someone who never had a chance. All of his achievements were potential. So he manifests as the embodiment of her insecurities.
I love how this show not only portrays mental illness extremely well, but also shows how it can effect the people you love. This show makes me want to cry no matter what song I’m listening to😢❤️
For some reason I think that the reason of why Natalie can't see Gabe is because she has still not reached that level of crazinees and she just feels his presence. Because Gabe is not a ghost he's the personafication of an ilness that has taken the control of that family. Idk, just my opinion
I would love this as a movie .. even if it wasn't a musical. The story line is just so raw and real. (But if it was movie musical it would be even better!!!!)
aaron is just a role model. hes amazing first of all and hot af. To every boy or man trying to be on broadway look to him as a figure to aspire to because he can be any character you throw at him, and especially in this he is just incredible . And to anyone who says he mocking her hes not.
Maybe not so much mocking as taunting her with how 'perfect' he is in their parents' eyes and basically expressing all of Natalie's insecurities, since he's basically a personification of her own feelings and how she sees him (in the same way as he is for all the other family members) and her constant fear of being forgotten and overshadowed by this perfect fantasy brother
I think it's just written at the top of her range- to a point, that's purposeful. I could be wrong, but I think they wanted that straining-at-the-top-of-her-range thing going on. :)
Aaron Tveit is one of those people that is so overlooked, but in reality is pretty much amazing. Amazing voice... amazing looks (babe!). Amazing. And Jennifer and Alice... wow. For real. They're all so great. Jennifer should be as famous as Sutton Foster.
Alice is phenomonal! Jenifer is amazing! And Aaron is THE BEST!!!!!! Next to Normal won't be the same without him :( I wish I could see it before he left!
Yes he is, once the out of town tryout of Catch Me If You Can. It's sometime in September (I can't remember the exact date, but I think it's somewhere around the 7th).
yeah, he is... I have seen both of them play fiyero haha... I saw Kyle's first EVER performance on as Fiyero, on tour in Columbus with Coleen Sexton and Christina DeCicco, he was great, and Aaron was awesome too... Both are really nice at the Stage Door as Well...
Stop talking about Aaron okay this musical is fucking amazing and it's not all about Aaron what about Jennifer her vocals are amazing. I adore Aaron and I'm happy he's found so much success but he's in less than half of this song and the rest is pretty damn amazing too.
