"Knowing that the darkest sky will one day see the sun."
Some context, before anyone reads this. First off, I originally wrote this for my tumblr, where almost everyone I follow/follows me are Next to Normal fans. Second off, this is epic TL;DR about the fact that Next to Normal's closing tonight. Third off, the Feeling Electric post that I will hopefully one day write will be crossposted here.
I love Next to Normal. I mean really, truly, madly, deeply love Next to Normal. I’ve loved it since its days as Feeling Electric (which will one day get its own post) and I love it as it stands now. I don’t think I’ve ever been as heartbroken about show’s Broadway run closing as I am with this one.
I only got to see Next to Normal once during its run. That’s one of the many problems with living in Arizona, it’s not easy to just get on a train or a bus and go see a show on Broadway. My show was the 12/22/10 matinee and I saw it with my mom and my brother. It was amazing. Everything I hoped it would be. It was probably one of, if not the, best theater experiences I’ve ever had.
While I’m heartbroken that Next to Normal’s time on the Great White Way will be over tonight, this is one of the things I love about musical theater compared to tv shows and movies, both in a fandom and non-fandom way. It never really ends. There will still be the national tour and and international productions. There will be regional and eventually amateur productions. There might one day be a Broadway or Off-Broadway revival. There might one day be a movie.
And there will always be us, the fans.
True, one day our interest will wane somewhat (much as I hate to say it, but it will), and we’ll find other shows and other things that we find a similar love for. But this show will always have a fannish presence of some sort, whether it be us or another group of people who find it and fall as in love with it as we have. And there will always be the friendships that were forged by this show. This is me speaking from personal experience, sometimes the friends you make through fandom can be some of the best, long lasting friendships you will ever have.
So thank you to Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey for giving us Next to Normal in the first place. Thank you to everyone who has ever been involved in the show for bringing it to life. And most of all, thank you to everyone else who’s in this fandom, whether we’re close or not, for making this one of the greatest fannish experiences I have ever had and will hopefully continue having.
I love Next to Normal. I mean really, truly, madly, deeply love Next to Normal. I’ve loved it since its days as Feeling Electric (which will one day get its own post) and I love it as it stands now. I don’t think I’ve ever been as heartbroken about show’s Broadway run closing as I am with this one.
I only got to see Next to Normal once during its run. That’s one of the many problems with living in Arizona, it’s not easy to just get on a train or a bus and go see a show on Broadway. My show was the 12/22/10 matinee and I saw it with my mom and my brother. It was amazing. Everything I hoped it would be. It was probably one of, if not the, best theater experiences I’ve ever had.
While I’m heartbroken that Next to Normal’s time on the Great White Way will be over tonight, this is one of the things I love about musical theater compared to tv shows and movies, both in a fandom and non-fandom way. It never really ends. There will still be the national tour and and international productions. There will be regional and eventually amateur productions. There might one day be a Broadway or Off-Broadway revival. There might one day be a movie.
And there will always be us, the fans.
True, one day our interest will wane somewhat (much as I hate to say it, but it will), and we’ll find other shows and other things that we find a similar love for. But this show will always have a fannish presence of some sort, whether it be us or another group of people who find it and fall as in love with it as we have. And there will always be the friendships that were forged by this show. This is me speaking from personal experience, sometimes the friends you make through fandom can be some of the best, long lasting friendships you will ever have.
So thank you to Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey for giving us Next to Normal in the first place. Thank you to everyone who has ever been involved in the show for bringing it to life. And most of all, thank you to everyone else who’s in this fandom, whether we’re close or not, for making this one of the greatest fannish experiences I have ever had and will hopefully continue having.