"Next to Normal" - Arena Stage

Mr. and Mrs. Distco left the theater last night in awe. Mrs. Distco confessed to crying no fewer than three times. Mr. Distco confessed to coming as close to crying as his Japanese Danish American machismo allows. The music was fantastic, the story compelling. Performers in the roles of mother and son were particular standouts. The stage too left quite an impression. Mr. Distco once was an engineer, and tries to figure out how stuff works by second nature. "Next to Normal" had a very active set with dynamic lighting and creative use of glass, scaffolding, and stair elements that played intricately off of the developing story.

Not even a month ago, Mr. Distco made some awfully strident statements about the (perceived) (lack of) legitimacy of musical theater. Mr. Distco says such things when having late-night conversations with his brother-in-law. Now Mr. Distco is all embarassment. Apparently musical theater can be powerful without being cheap.