8th – 23rd July 2016: This July, an awesome musical is coming to Canberra! Phoenix Players is proud to present their next production of Next to Normal a very powerful and confronting musical that unflinchingly addresses many vital issues of trauma, mental illness, depression, drug addition, suicides and interestingly the definition of being normal.
The contemporary family drama, about one woman’s struggle with mental illness and the effects of her this illness on her family and people around her. The musical written by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt, Next to Normal started as a ten minute workshop musical but soon grew into a full length musical due to its popularity. The musical was nominated for eleven Tony awards, winning three – including Best original score and best performances.
Phoenix Players are a Canberra based community theatre organisation established in 1989 aiming at producing quality theatre including musicals , and particularly unique boutique shows that Canberra audiences might otherwise miss out.
Director – Kelda McManus
Musical Director – Rhys Madigan
Choreographer – Annette Sharpe
Cast presenting Next to Normal
Diana – Janelle McMenamin
Dan – Grant Pegg
Natalie – Kaitlin Nihill
Gabe – Will Huang
Henry – Daniel Steer
Doctor – Joel Hutchings
