Next to Normal: M. Mazzie & J. Danieley to star

Multiple Tony Award nominee Marin Mazzie and Broadway veteran Jason Danieley join the cast of the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Next to Normal on 19 Jul 2010, assuming the lead roles from Alice Ripley and Brian d'Arcy James, respectively.

Mazzie and Danieley will play 'Diana' and 'Dan Goodman,' a married couple dealing with 'Diana's' bipolar disorder and the effect it has on their family.

Next to Normal marks the first time the married Mazzie and Danieley have appeared together in a Broadway musical. The couple last appeared on stage together in New York in the off-Broadway play, 'The Trojan Women: A Love Story' in 1996.

Marin Mazzie received Tony and Drama Desk nominations and an Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance as 'Lilli/Katharine' in the hit revival of 'Kiss Me, Kate,' and later received an Olivier Award nomination when she made her West End debut in the show. Other Broadway credits include Lucy Prebble's 'Enron,' as corporate vice president 'Claudia Roe,' 'Monty Python's Spamalot' (also West End), 'Ragtime' (Tony nomination), 'Passion' (Tony nomination), 'Man of La Mancha,' 'Into the Woods' and 'Big River.'

Jason Danieley most recently starred on Broadway in Kander & Ebb's 'Curtains'. He made his Broadway debut as the title character in 'Candide,' directed by Harold Prince, and also starred in 'The Full Monty' on Broadway and in the West End.

Also on 19 Jul 2010, understudy Meghann Fahy assumes the role of 'Natalie' from Tony Award nominee Jennifer Damiano.

Meghann Fahy made her Broadway debut understudying the role of 'Natalie' in Next to Normal. She first joined the company in its regional production at Arena Stage. She has appeared regularly on "One Life to Live" and has made a guest appearance on "Gossip Girl."

Directed by Michael Greif, Next to Normal now stars Marin Mazzie (Diana), Jason Danieley (Dan), Kyle Dean Massey (Gabe), Meghann Fahy (Natalie), Adam Chanler-Berat and Louis Hobson.

Winner of three Tony Awards including 'Best Score' 'Best Orchestrations' and 'Best Actress in a Musical' (Alice Ripley), Next to Normal, opened at the Booth Theatre on 15 Apr 2009, following previews from 27 Mar 2009, and is currently selling tickets through to 22 Aug 2010.

The musical recently received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prize Board described the show as, "a powerful rock musical that grapples with mental illness in a suburban family and expands the scope of subject matter for musicals."

The musical opened to mixed, but mostly good reviews: "It has rhythm and angst and unexpected harmonies. What is doesn't have is a story that I can believe."
(newyorktheatreguide.com); "a work of muscular grace and power" (New York Times); "more than a triumph - it's next to wondrous" (New York Daily News); "close to good may not be enough" (New York Post); "easier to admire than love." (Bloomberg); "powerful, riveting and not to be missed" (The Record); "touches your heart and gets under your skin" (NY1).

Next to Normal is a contemporary musical that explores how one suburban household copes with crisis, and shows how far two parents will go to keep themselves sane and their family's world intact.

Next to Normal features set design by Mark Wendland, costume design by Jeff Mahshie, lighting design by Kevin Adams, and sound design by Brian Ronan.

The musical is being produced on Broadway by David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, and Second Stage Theatre.

Next to Normal opened at Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre on 13 Feb 2008 and was significantly reworked in a subsequent out-of-town run at Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage, where it opened on 10 Dec 2008 and played through to 18 Jan 2009.

Marin Mazzie Jason Danieley