NEXT TO NORMAL: GONE
BRYCE HALLETT looks at why the musical Next to Nothing is now the next one gone
WHEN IT was announced that the Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal would open in September it came amid the usual hype that Sydney was experiencing a boom time in the musical theatre business.
Why wouldn't such a proposition be true? After all, the NSW State Government and it's increasingly aggressive events arm Destination NSW had been spruiking the city's Broadway-like razzle-dazzle for months, what with the success of Wicked, Jersey Boys and Mary Poppins. Indeed, it was only several months ago that the Capitol Theatre, the Lyric Theatre at The Star and the frequently-dark Theatre Royal appeared to be doing a brisk trade, the like of which hadn't been seen since the glory days of The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables.
Even more encouraging was that Australian producers were no longer only interested in revivals or replicating shows from the West End or Broadway but in taking a gamble on new work such as Doctor Zhivago and An Officer and A Gentleman. It was an indication that the industry had matured and was an integral part of the international theatre community known for the energy and expertise of its creatives, actors and technicians.
Irrespective of the success or failure of such enterprises - be it artistic, financial or both - no one can deny that Australia has an abundance of talent and the determination to make high-quality entertainment, given half a chance. But poor decision-making and ill-advised choices - more so than negative reviews or fickle audiences - are taking a toll on the commercial theatre sector.
Fundamentally, Sydney is not Broadway. And no amount of spruiking by politicians or hollow comparisons with Melbourne is about to change that. The cancellation this week of Next to Normal, which was to have opened at the Capitol Theatre for a limited run, is regrettable but also largely inevitable. It's a remarkably original show - passionate, complex, daring and touching - yet before it reached Broadway it was nurtured and given the time to find its feet and to cultivate an audience. Composed by Tom Kitt with a book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, Next to Normal is in every sense a chamber musical, not a blockbuster. It has six principal characters and a seven-piece band, at least it did when I saw it at the Booth Theatre in New York about 18 months ago. The success of the show rested squarely on the bravura performance of Marin Mazzie as the conflicted, bi-polar heroine Diana.
In Sydney, the role had been won by the wonderfully talented Michelle Doake (pictured above with co-star Ian Stenlake) in a version also featuring Bobby Fox, and directed by Tyran Parke. On paper at least, it had the makings of being a very fine production with excellent musical values and credible acting. Why, then, was the production shelved? The producer Paul Jay didn't say much except that the season had been pulled "due
to circumstances beyond his control".
Presumably that means the demand for tickets wasn't strong enough to warrant a run at the 2000-seat Capitol Theatre. One hardly needs to crystal ball to have predicted that a musical largely unknown to Australian audiences would not have the same pull as, say, Billy Elliott or Mary Poppins. Early on, Next to Normal was to have opened at the Theatre Royal, a much better fit for the intimate piece and a venue seldom used since Jersey Boys transferred to New Zealand.
As was the case when Next to Normal was staged by the Melbourne Theatre Company last year, the new Sydney production should have been supported by a clever marketing campaign and been part of a subscription season. Opera Australia did just that with My Fair Lady a few years ago and does so again later this year with South Pacific; and they're two of the most popular musicals in the history of modern theatre.
Next to Normal never got so much as half a chance, not because the audience has little appetite for such fare but arguably because the producers didn't do their research, or their sums. The Capitol Theatre is a wondrous space for such scenic splendours as The Lion King and Mary Poppins but it is not and never should be a home for chamber musicals or plays. It is far too big a stretch. The Booth Theatre on Broadway has uncomfortable, tiny seats and is as squashed as cattle class on Qantas, but the correlation between the stage and stalls achieves a vital connection with the performers and enables maximum impact for both the music and the drama.
The cancellation of Next to Normal and the early demise of An Officer and A Gentleman is proof that there are no guarantees of success when it comes to putting on a show; but you would think the producers - whoever they might be - would be much more intuitive, realistic and canny by now.
