Next to Normal Broadway - last performance of Alice Ripley, Jennifer Damiano, and Brian d'Arcy James

[@lonelylittledot]

During "Hey #3" Adam: *sobs* The audience: *sobs* Me: *sobs*

[@headhole1934]

Earth: *sob*

[@MS-df2fk]

The dual meaning behind "I am the one that watched while you died" in the reprise is one of the most haunting and devastating lyrics ever. Dan saw his son die, while Gabe watched his memory tear the family to shreds and kill his father's spirit. Such a brilliant gut punch of a show.

[@georgecampos6031]

George

[@TigerPrawn_]

Yeah I cried at that reprise

[@kellygillan7704]

YOU CAN LITERALLY HEAR THE AUDIENCE CRYING! IM SOBBING

[@redmask1252]

your in the audience

[@werdchester]

"Gabe...Gabriel" Completely crushed my soul....

[@MinecraftZeta16641]

That last Hey #3/Perfect for You hurts. The way Adam just can't get out his words because he's crying so much makes me cry!

[@charl0ttecompo]

Zeta SO BEAUTIFUP

[@elizabethkindig224]

Zeta That and the "Hi dad"

[@klajoonas1196]

IM NOT CRYING YOU ARE

[@LilyBrownlivingforEGG]

This is the most beautiful show I have ever seen. It channels RENT's need to share the lives of real people. And in a way, they have become more than characters. I can see myself in Natalie; I know someone who reminds me of Henry; my own mother can channel her inner Diana sometimes... This show has affected my life, in a way that only something really well-written can.

[@joywood5989]

AMEN

[@nerissabodwell7064]

Lily Brown I am both Diana and Nathalie. Ugh

[@ericarichter5542]

As someone who’s mother also gets ECT treatments, I can say that finding this show when I was 14 kept me sane, as ironic as that is. To see the same family issues I was dealing with represented made me feel like I wasn’t alone.

[@Taminaminaaa]

I am late to this but SAME! No matter how many professionals my family saw or how much everybody was trying to tell us they understand, I never felt as seen as when I discovered this show. It really hits close to home but it’s good to finally feel like you’re not alone.

[@calliemyersbuchanan6458]

@@Taminaminaaa Same. My mom was a meth addict/alcoholic/schizophrenic for the majority of my childhood. Though she never intentionally tried to end her life in the traditional sense she constantly pushed her limits and ended up in very dangerous situations. I hated the fact that i hated her. That picture of the recital wondering where mom was and she only "made it to the school" but didn't actually go in was every single performance i ever did in school. So Natalies line at the end where she sings "For all those years i prayed you'd go away for good, half the time afraid that you really would" reaches me at a depth i didn't think was possible. feels like someone read my diary and used it to write the show. my mom has since been through legally enforced rehab and has been clean for 10 years and there is no one in my life i am closer to, not even my husband. She and i watched the show on youtube last night. talk about catharsis!

[@kismetfolly4954]

same, my mom has made my entire life about her miscarriage because of her psychotic bipolar. every minute of my life was trying to live up to someone who never even lived. this musical really helped

[@felixking2318]

this show is so perfect :,) im diagnosed with bipolar depressive and delusions as well, and ive never seen such a realistic portrayal of life with it. the songs by diana are so personal to me and its all so true to life. this show is perfect

[@spurioussnail]

i hope you're doing well !!!

[@zariaackermann3147]

I have a few different disorders but I have cyclothymia which is basically bipolar jr. This is my favorite musical by far.

[@stephanipeloquin4631]

Myself as well

[@Jpbandgeek97]

So this version of "Hey #3/Perfect For You (Reprise)" just destroyed me. You can truly see how much they care for each other.

[@SoICanComment163]

Even if Dan were a giant, green ogre, he is still the man I want.

[@Atorres890]

+KissyLipRaptor I completely agree

[@tntbandit5]

Oh man...when they sing Make up your mind/Catch me I'm falling...you can hear that emotion. Everyones breaking point. They all really cared about each other, you can hear it in every song. That takes skill, trust, and that IT factor with songs/actors/lighting, the whole works. This particular show alone would have made it Tony worthy!

[@aether413]

tntbandit5 definitely my favorite scene. So powerful

[@nicolestewart4757]

natalie comes in and i just scream

[@beccaswann6391]

I've seen quite a few different version of this show and this is by far the most emotional. The scene between Henry and Natalie at the dance hasn't made me tear up before.

[@loganjenkins5473]

I really wish Brian d’Arcy James was with the show when it premiered on Broadway and got to record Dan for the cast album.

[@lukenaoumovitch4477]

He also was with Hamilton as King George before it went to Broadway!

[@trb7153]

YES YES YES I agree

[@PerpetuallyDaydreaming]

When Henry started crying during Hey #3/Perfect for You(Reprise), I lost it. Oh my God, Henrrryyyyy :'(

[@00rabbit7]

I'm sure I already commented before...but the way Brian sings "the promise I made to STAY and I STAY true" is just heart wrenching. I judge pretty much every Dan I hear or see based on how Brian D'Arcy James makes me feel on that one line alone. None of them live up to it :/

[@derickyyy]

Garrett Gopen Thank you for pointing this out! So much heartbreak behind that one line. 1:35:35 for anyone who is wondering. Brian is fantastic in this role.

[@TigerPrawn_]

He has such a distinctive and emotive voice!

[@mikaylaallen7547]

Louis Hobson can hypnotize me with that singing voice any time he wants holy shit

[@timothyc5878]

+Mikayla Allen It's nice that someone finally gives him recognition

[@calliemyersbuchanan6458]

smooth as butter!!

[@kalipitaru7669]

I love how the actors who are leaving really give it their all and the audience is so understanding and sweet. God I love this production.

[@cathrynsalladin4095]

Jenn: there’ll be no more crying... not for meeee **sobbing**

[@matth3w2002]

Hot take: Brian is the best Dan. Just the way he acts so raw and real is just amazing.

[@boxlessthinking6787]

It kinda hurts me that the comment section only knows Brian from Shrek. Something Rotten? Wild Party? No...?

[@martinmarre9273]

Boxless Thinking looove the wild party!!

[@peoplediewhenising]

Boxless Thinking The Wild Party! Him and Idina were phenomenal. You're not alone on this haha

[@kagamineauror5949]

Boxless Thinking I know him from Something Rotten!

[@platodesired]

omg i know him from smash. he was debra messing's husband in the show

[@martinmarre9273]

platodesired wow I had no idea now I have to rewatch :P

[@mrjcb91]

Alice's voice is clearly not the strongest, but her acting and passion makes up for that. Its sensational. I ADORE "how could i ever forget" beautiful!

[@SoICanComment163]

mrjcb91 Her voice is actually remarkably strong. She always has a very unique vibrato and an almost broken quality to her voice, but it is in no way weak. The broken quality of her voice is really accentuated in N2N. Have you ever heard her in Side Show? It's fantastic!

[@mrjcb91]

+KissyLipRaptor Ive heard her sing loads, but in this it doesn't seem as strong. I know she is doing it to link to the character, it was a positive comment not a negative. I was also comparing her to her understudy who has a much stronger voice.

[@christiankovacs2829]

+changedforgood91 did you even read Kissy's comment? her voice is amazingly strong, regardless of what you think. It's such a tragedy that she isn't mainstream, her acting is always there. facial expressions, body language, and you can feel what her character feels just by listening to her voice. add the visual of her character? it's over.

[@nicolestewart4757]

same though hahaha

[@daMEGatron]

She’s really good but she was worn out with all the shows she did.

[@emoenbean406]

I can hear people crying in the audience and I'm like same

[@juliacyr2462]

I was never able to empathize with Dan's character and I honestly kind of hated him and resented him until I saw Brian's interpretation of him. Watching this cast made me see the show in a way I never did before.

[@bcbindle]

Partially I disagree.. Brian has a really great voice for the role but sings so matter of fact. I always appreciate the constant uncertainty in Dan’s interp and think he was great support for Diana rather than an equal singing partner. Love them both though and appreciate seeing different ways of the performance as this is one of my all time favorites and something that’s gotten me through the last four years

[@oddlyanzie3110]

"Do you know what it's like to die alive", the song hits me so hard :(

[@scythhr5034]

1:47:22 | Hey #3, You're welcome.

[@gabriellaboufaycal9669]

i think its a crime nobody is mentioning jennifer's amazing performance in this. i was already full on sobbing during the opening because of her.

[@AndreaHernandez-is7hi]

Hey #3/Perfect For You (Reprise) just left me on the floor crying, it was beautiful and moving

[@TheBlfan]

I am so glad that this is the first version I watched. Alice seems spot on acting AND vocally, everyone is just singing and acting great and putting their hearts into it maybe a bit more than "normal" (pun intended), as it's the last show for so many originals.

[@sjcohen4444]

Saw this show three times. First time was Off-Broadway. It blew me away but I knew it needed modification. They did away with a number I didn't like involving shock therapy(Feeling Electric). But they also did away with a scene I thought was important involving a manic episode (Costco). It would only be briefly mentioned in the final version. I saw it again when it opened on Broadway. By then Brian d'Arcy James was gone. So when he finally got to appear in it on Broadway I went again. There are only a few shows I've seen so many times. It never disappointed.

[@calliemyersbuchanan6458]

Could you explain more about that costco scene? I'm very intrigued

[@swaanm]

@@calliemyersbuchanan6458 I know this is an old comment but in case you’re still curious- the Costco scene is a musical number where Diana begins talking about how cool it is she can get so many things at the supermarket and quickly devolves into her listing off all the things she’s buying in a frantic shopping spree, ending with her trying to carry away a massive stack of boxes. You can find it on KZbin

[@OctavinaPlayer]

Sad that the show didn't won Best Musical at the Tonys. The material is amazing - it won a Pulitzer.

[@leannecoletterooney]

The “Leanne” that Alice refers to at 2:08:33 is literally 12 year old me. Greatest theatrical experience ever. 💜

[@TarynElaine97]

I never knew I needed to see Brian in this role. I’m crying every single time he sings

[@champagnebubblebath1745]

When Alice started sobbing in "There's a world", my heart actually killed me-

[@voxextremos22]

And when doctor madden reads the the medical report and says “damnit”

[@Karragh]

Jennifer looks like she's having a lot of trouble keeping it together from 1:59:14 on. It must be really hard to let go of something that's been such a huge part of your life.

[@free_siobhan]

Fitting, considering this is the show she's leaving

[@maexxy]

I was in the audience that night - thanks to much for uploading it

[@Alice-bu4iv]

This show is uncannily similar to how I grew up, and it's so wonderful to see I'm not alone in what I experienced as a child.

[@michaelallen5082]

Is it just that I'm so used to seeing him in Shrek, or does Brian seem to have a natural accent to his voice that makes him sound Scottish even in this show.

[@Athespian128]

It's just his voice! You can even kind of hear it in his Something Rotten performances

[@tinavanslette6960]

+Tyler Maxwell HAMILTON

[@nerissabodwell7064]

Michael Allen it's his midwestish accent. Almost Canadian sounding lol

[@AdaWins666]

I have absolutely no words- This is so beautiful and heartbreaking.

[@wyattmichaels4008]

This is one of my favorite musicals because it is powerful, full of emotion, and makes the characters feel real and give them life and makes the audience cry when they cry. And now I am crying because I’m writing this at the end of the show. 😭😭😭

[@alexmermadette6107]

You know what else had me sobbing? Alice Ripley's speech after the curtain call.

[@TheBlfan]

+Ingrid Mermadette why sobbing? she just pointed out people?

[@WinterSoldier0315]

I was lucky enough to win lottery tickets for this performance. What a night!

[@meganhausman1443]

I saw the show on Broadway the year it closed. Completely original cast with Kyle instead of Aaron. Got to see the cast afterwards as well. And I’m so glad I got to see this amazing show before it left us and I’m so glad you’ve shared this video. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Next To Normal.

[@spaceant0765]

It's only a minute and a half in and I'm already a mess when they're cheering for Jennifer

[@voxextremos22]

The thing I love about how could I ever forget is the line “Why would you want to remember the things that hurt you”. There is the disconnect Dan’s codependence and inability to want to grieve the loss of his child.mixed it’s Diana’s need to feel and properly s grieve at odds with her own mental illness. These are complicated characters this is why shows like this are so Necessary

[@madisonsiedschlag7586]

That part where he finally says “Gabe” made me cry....

[@MattNightingale]

Thank you so much. What a gift to be able to see this show in its entirety. Brilliant show, amazing performances. Alice Ripley: Wow.

[@kaileefaye4495]

The quiet sniffling in the background is exactly what I needed when watching this oh my god

[@smilesweetiepie]

this is brutal. I love how you can hear the audience crying towards the end >.

[@ddalgi6673]

do you hear that,, the collection of audible sobs during hey #3/perfect for you reprise,,,, cuz that's my mood right now.

[@francesmcginn5850]

Thank you I've been screeching for video of Brain performing I've Been (during the show) and it's more heart breaking than I expected.

[@soubrette87]

Love hearing the cries and sniffles!

[@CarolineATorge]

Thank you so for posting this. It's the best recording that I've been able to find. It's such a truthful depiction of what it's like to grow up in a family dealing with mental illness.

[@orestesandpylades]

"Maybe" is infinitely more heartbreaking here.

[@beccaswann6391]

I've never seen a performance when Henry cried during the scene at the dance... does anyone know if it was added or if it was just an emotional performance overall?

[@Raina92]

it was emotional because it was Jennifer's last show.

[@UselessTrivia]

I was fortunate enough to see the amazing Alice do this show twice, so her brilliant performance doesn't surprise me, but im kinda blown away by Mr. James. So, so textured and brilliant.

[@UnderratedSheet]

i love brian's performance. feels so much more emotional and empathetic

[@RandomPeaceGirlRocks]

Thank you for providing the video! I loved the audience, they had perfect reactions!

[@alyxsabina]

The end when Gabe is grabbing dan really send chills through my body, ahhh what an amazing show

[@srod0822]

Brian just blows me away :) love him!

[@shelleypiano]

Thank you for this wonderful video!

[@itsdune079]

"Mozart wrote poems about farts."

[@michaelawolfman9121]

Wow! Thanks Buck for making these vids pop up! I'm a huge musical theater nerd and these are perfect!

[@ToeIn2194]

Someone recommended this to me otherwise I never would have watched it. Good disability representation of bipolar, anxiety and depression, I don't know how medically accurate it is, as I'm not too familiar with these conditions, but regardless of actual medical accuracy it shows very good writing and that mental health is effected by many things. It also shows how grief can be mishandled and dismissed by others around a grieving person(s). A grief process for a parent is definitely not only 4 months. Great singing!

[@calliemyersbuchanan6458]

It also is a great representation of the hell the rest of the family goes through too. My mom was an alcoholic meth addict for alot of my childhood. She never made it to any of my shows or awards and when she did she would just wait outside (just like Diana recalls at 1:19:16). I never could have friends over because of how unpredictable she was. She never wanted to spend time with me and chose her dealer man friends over me. She was schizophrenic, dangerously underweight, and would wander off alone often. I eventually had to call 911 on her and she was taken to the hospital on a 5150 because she was having an episode on a neighbor's driveway. I loved her but god damn I HATED her!! So that line when Natalie says "For all those years I wished that you'd go away for good, half the time afraid that you really would..." breaks me every time!!🥺 So yeah it's accurate. And btw, she's been clean for ten years and she's my best friend in the whole world! We both love this show!!

[@hannahr1150]

The guitar behind her voice on “and you lied” is SO POWERFUL and it’s barely into the first song

[@meredithmitchell8921]

I’m checking this out for the first time after my voice teacher told me she’s good friends with Alice Edit: holy shit I’m sobbing and I love the pain

[@ajaxhopper9859]

That's an ungodly amount of ads for something you neither own nor wrote.

[@Pww642]

“So anyway I’m leavi-DO YOU WANT A FOOT ODOR SOLUTION”

[@joemacattack]

I miss this show 😍

[@Elphaba88]

Oh my god just saw this. :). Love it. I'm crying.

[@taliasajor2793]

Jen and Adam will always make me cry (':

[@SeaSparklesLP]

Alice Ripley has such a unique voice. I was thinking about it and I think it’s that she uses vibrato on more than just vowel sounds. Like singing “brother” you might expect to hear “brotheeeer” with a soft R while she sings “brotherrrrrr” with the hard R sound

[@shettywap]

Most deeeeeefinitely. What a unique broadway sounding voice, and particular enunciation in what she does.

[@linxMuppet]

Brian D'Arcy James rules...saw him in shrek, time stands still, and 3 times in N2N....dude is a stud

[@ivancalvomusic2490]

I love how different is the rythim in this concrete show! So different from the rest

[@ItWasRevealedToMeInMyDreams]

Just commenting on this before I watch, I saw a song pop up in my reccomendations and it hit hard so it made me want to obess over this musical for months because, i have bpd, not the same as bipolar but there's similarities and the psychosis symptoms i have, especially during grief. Man, oh, man someone pray for me because im already sobbing. I hope it is as good as the comments are hyping it up to me because im EXTREMELY picky with my film and theater.

[@Travis-Barth]

So how was the show? Did it live up to the hype for you?

[@thethreeeyedfish]

All of these videos are great, thanks for sharing!

[@Calmdownmars]

Those coming at Alice and Jennifer’s performance for being less than it usually is, forgot to realize this was their last show… and they’ve probably been performing this same show like 4 times a week for a good minute, they’re exhausted, theatre demands a lot of your soul, physicality and mind, especially when you’re playing characters in such an unfortunate situation.

[@Jameststein]

That perfect for you reprise though.

[@psychinteresting727]

Alice’s voice is so enchanting, super unique

[@RockerChicktv1]

I never knew Brian originated Dan off Broadway. I found this musical 3/4 years ago and I just recently found Brian through Something Rotten. I feel so dumb.

[@daniellealexanian4273]

Jenn Belair saaammme

[@madisonsiedschlag7586]

This musical makes me bawl my eyes out! I have bipolar II and I'm a suicide attempt survivor so this musical is hard but I love it!

[@markweinberg8116]

Saw this cast on Broadway and it was profoundly moving. My face started leaking uncontrollably around the end of act 1 and didn’t stop 😂😂😂😂😂

[@leilanihanaike]

I saw the touring cast in 2011 with Alice Ripley. It was amazing.

[@ardenmcr7974]

I haven’t cried this much since “Stay Alive (Reprise)”.

[@mymiracleislyrical]

The download link is now in the description under the video - click "show more." Let me know if you have any trouble.

[@haileighsimpson5883]

15:08 (ignore this. This is just where I left off. I've got an ISU to complete)

[@QuikVidGuy]

damn not leaving applause time after everything else is sadistic

[@samyu9382]

sHIT WHEN ADAM STARTS CRYING I START CRYING OH YGDOHD

[@henryalmoney2917]

after playing piano for 12 years, it’s kind of funny watching jennifer play the piano

[@sierramagallona]

As someone who sucks at piano, tell me why lol

[@luvs2laf94]

Hey #3/Perfect for You messed me up real bad

[@mrjcb91]

When Jenn tries to sneakily wipe her tear at 1:44:00

[@mymiracleislyrical]

In case anyone has been having trouble with this download, I've re-uploaded one compressed file that was found to be problematic and it should work now. Apologies for the inconvenience.

[@fredrickcarver4001]

Fuck i tried to get through hey #3. ugh.. Can't stop crying.

[@keiradickson2354]

i'm ugly crying on the floor

[@kelalogg]

hgfvhjfvbhytfgfd the sigh at 1:55:47 and all of the sniffles that come after it are such big moods for this situation

[@JayJasperLondon]

I was just gonna ask about like- Brian D and who played Dan first cos I've never seen him live (or the show for that matter) but I remember an older version of the piece with him in it and back then I remembered him from that tv show (Smash) and Titanic more recently- and I love his interpretation a lot 👍🏻

[@JayJasperLondon]

What I actually meant to say was: now that I've read the description bar it all makes sense time-wise lol 👐🏼

[@ChristineChoi92]

+JayJay Peters-Larsson Aaron Tveit is love♡

[@ChristineChoi92]

+JayJay Peters-Larsson Aaron Tveit is love♡

[@JayJasperLondon]

He sure is, did u see him live then?

[@ChristineChoi92]

+JayJay Peters-Larsson Sadly No...... I wish i could see him in live someday. i will@!

[@sierramagallona]

I LOVE YOU BRIAN DARCY JAMES

[@MLOB96]

Alice is super talented, but after seeing Jessica Phillips' performance as Diana, there's just no better one to me.

[@queenjaimewindsor8995]

She’s coming back to the broadway revival of n2n

[@jlyfan]

@@queenjaimewindsor8995 there is no broadway revival of n2n

[@JoshFreilich]

…yet.

[@sierramagallona]

Dan has the most beautiful melodies....

[@4somethings]

Question: In "How Could I Ever Forget", Diana states that Gabe was 8 months old. But, I'm pretty sure she said 18 months on the album. So, what's the truth?

[@jamieslater4958]

There's also the "He's been dead 16 years" in He's Not Here that they take liberties with. /shrug

[@3TinyQuestionmarks]

They changed it to imply that Natalie was born after Gabes death, as an attempt to replace him (which obviously didn't work out well for Diana).

[@kyliedaisey5749]

3TinyQuestionmarks well Natalie is only 16 right and he’s been dead 16 years and dies at 18 months so either way but whyyy

[@mymiracleislyrical]

Hey all, thanks for your patience as I've been working out storage space for the videos. I've decided to try making the download links public, so I've included a link in the description under the video. I'm also in the process of setting up links for the other videos. (You will not need any account to access these links.) I'm hoping that the server will be able to handle the demand, and that this will be more convenient for you guys. As always, feel free to message me with any questions.

[@stephanipeloquin4631]

You are a gift ♥️

[@aliceholmes7198]

I recently just fell in love with Next to Normal