A play that struck an emotion chord for Broadway viewers in 2009 is coming to West Orange by a new up-and-coming theater production called New Vision Players Inc., of Paramus.
The Pulitzer Prize winning rock musical “Next to Normal” is set to perform at the Luna Stage, 555 Valley Road, starting May 25 with two sets of casts for 10 performances. The box office can be reached at 973-395-5551, ext. 1.
“I want everything to be real and intimate,” said Michael Haber, the co-founder and president of the production company. “It’s going to be an emotional roller coaster of a show.”
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The six-person play centers on a mother, Diana, who is bi-polar and has obsessive disorder, and focuses on the touching torment her family members endure trying to work through her disease.
The audience will also view the play from a different perspective than what they are used to. Haber explains this is going to be the first time he will direct a play where the crowd is on three sides of the stage instead of the traditional stage.
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“It’s a little bit difficult for direction and acting,” Haber said. “But since it’s so emotion it will work.”
The two casts consist of: for Diana, the mother, Karen Marcolo and Cara Selick; for Natalie, the daughter, Alyssa Mcgraw and Morgan Assante; for the Father, Dan, Ben Simmons for all of the performances; for the son, Gabe, Justing Long and Kevin Hack; for Natalie’s boyfriend, Henry, John Lee and Anthony Crouchelli, and for the therapist, Dr. Madden, Corey Chichizola will take on the role for all the plays as well.
Luna Stage will put on “Next to Normal” tonight, May 31, and June 1 and 2 at 8 p.m., and June 2 and 3 at 2 p.m.
The new production company was created by Haber and Amanda Villafuerte who went to school together at the University of Delaware.
