Next to Normal has six characters: Diana Goodman, a suburban mother who has lived with bipolar disorder for 16 years; her husband, Dan; their daughter, Natalie; their son, Gabe; Natalie’s boyfriend, Henry; and Diana’s doctors, Dr. Fine and Dr. Madden, played by one actor. Each one is pulled into orbit around Diana’s illness and the loss at the center of the family.
The rock musical has music by Tom Kitt and book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. Directed by Michael Greif, it opened at Broadway’s Booth Theatre on April 15, 2009, and ran 733 regular performances until January 16, 2011 (Playbill). It won three Tonys: Best Original Score, Best Orchestrations, and Best Actress in a Musical for Alice Ripley as Diana (Playbill, Wikipedia), and in 2010 it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Yorkey has said the idea began with a news story about a woman receiving electroconvulsive therapy, and the show spent about ten years in development (Westport Country Playhouse study guide).
A note before you read: this guide discusses the show’s central twist, and the musical deals with bipolar disorder, grief, medication, electroconvulsive therapy and a suicide attempt. It is a drama about one family, not a medical guide. If you are struggling, please reach out to a local crisis line or a mental health professional.
| Character | Who they are | Key song(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Diana Goodman | Mother living with bipolar disorder | “I Miss the Mountains,” “You Don’t Know” |
| Dan Goodman | Her devoted, exhausted husband | “I Am the One,” “I’ve Been” |
| Natalie Goodman | Their 16-year-old daughter | “Superboy and the Invisible Girl” |
| Gabe Goodman | Their son, closest to Diana | “I’m Alive” |
| Henry | Natalie’s musician boyfriend | “Perfect for You” |
| Dr. Fine / Dr. Madden | Diana’s psychopharmacologist, then her psychiatrist | “My Psychopharmacologist and I,” “Make Up Your Mind / Catch Me I’m Falling” |
Song titles are from the licensed song list at Music Theatre International; character descriptions draw on the script’s character list as quoted in the Westport Country Playhouse and Alliance Theatre study guides.
Who is Diana Goodman?
Diana is the center of the show. On the surface she has the life she was supposed to want: an architect husband, a bright daughter, a house in the suburbs. Underneath, she has been battling bipolar disorder for 16 years (MTI), and her moods, anxieties and delusions trace back to a family tragedy from that same time (Alliance Theatre study guide). The script describes her as sharp, and the writing gives her the show’s best jokes as well as its deepest pain.
Over the evening she moves through doctors and treatments: a long list of medications, talk therapy and, eventually, electroconvulsive therapy (Alliance Theatre). Her signature song, “I Miss the Mountains,” is about what the medication takes away along with the symptoms: the highs, the intensity, the feeling of being fully alive. Later, “You Don’t Know” lets her tell Dan what living inside her own mind is actually like. What Diana wants is not to be “fixed” but to feel like herself, and the show treats that wish with real respect.
Who is Dan Goodman?
Dan is Diana’s husband, the steady one, who has spent years holding the household together. The script calls him genuine, constant and tired (Westport study guide). He wants nothing more than for his family to be normal, and that loyalty is also his blind spot: he tends to put keeping things together ahead of facing what actually happened (Alliance Theatre).
In “I Am the One,” Dan insists he has always been there for Diana. Then Gabe joins the song, and the same words take on a darker meaning (Westport study guide). “I’ve Been,” his Act One solo, shows what his devotion costs him. His arc is about learning that he has his own grief to deal with.
Who is Natalie Goodman?
Natalie is 16 and, as the script puts it, trying to be perfect, which is not going well (Westport study guide). She is a gifted pianist who throws herself into school because home feels out of control. Her big number, “Superboy and the Invisible Girl,” is about feeling invisible in her own family while her brother holds her mother’s attention (Alliance Theatre). As the story goes on, she pushes away the people who care about her most, especially Henry.
Who is Gabe Goodman?
Gabe is the son. At first he seems like a charming, rebellious teenager who is close to his mother and dismissive of everyone else, and his anthem “I’m Alive” is the most electric rock number in the score. As the show goes on, his place in the family comes into focus.
Spoiler: Gabe died as a baby, about 16 years before the story begins. The Gabe we see is the young man Diana imagines he would have become, and the family tragedy that shaped her illness is his death (Wikipedia; Alliance Theatre study guide). Seen that way, his clinginess is the hold that grief has on her: he is afraid that if she gets well, she will let him go (Alliance Theatre). It is one of the most striking ideas in any modern musical, and it is why the show rewards a second viewing.
Who is Henry?
Henry is Natalie’s classmate and boyfriend, 17, a musician, a romantic and, by his own cheerful admission, a stoner (Westport study guide). He is the show’s sweetest presence. In “Perfect for You,” he tells Natalie he will make himself perfect for her, and he keeps showing up for her no matter how hard she pushes him away (Alliance Theatre). Henry is a picture of what steady love can look like without trying to fix someone.
Who are Dr. Fine and Dr. Madden?
One actor plays both of Diana’s doctors, whom the script describes as assured and “a rock star” (Westport study guide). Dr. Fine is the psychopharmacologist who adjusts her medications in the comic patter song “My Psychopharmacologist and I.” Dr. Madden, her primary doctor, takes over her care with talk therapy and later recommends electroconvulsive therapy (Alliance Theatre). In Diana’s mind, Madden sometimes turns into an actual rock star, which is the show’s way of letting us see him as she does. The writers are careful not to make him a villain or a savior; he is a professional doing his best with imperfect tools.
Want to play these songs yourself? Tom Kitt’s score runs on piano and guitar, and songs like “I Miss the Mountains” grow out of simple chord patterns that build and build. Try Pianoforall.
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Why do the characters in Next to Normal hit so hard?
Because nobody is the villain. Diana is not “the crazy mother,” Dan is not a saint, the doctors are not monsters, and the show refuses easy cures. The score’s interlocking songs, where two or three characters sing past each other at once, put the audience inside a household where everyone loves each other and no one is quite getting through. The ending is honest rather than tidy, and it gives each character a different kind of hope.
If you connected with this family story, try our Dear Evan Hansen songs explained, another contemporary score about grief and being seen, or Fun Home characters explained. For a lighter look at a woman taking charge of her life, see our Waitress songs explained.
Sources: Playbill; The Pulitzer Prizes; Music Theatre International; Westport Country Playhouse study guide; Alliance Theatre study guide; Wikipedia (third check).
Frequently asked questions
Who is the main character in Next to Normal?
Diana Goodman, a suburban mother who has lived with bipolar disorder for 16 years. The story follows her treatments and how her illness affects her husband, Dan, and her daughter, Natalie.
Is Gabe real in Next to Normal?
Not in the present day. Gabe died as a baby, about 16 years before the story starts, and the teenager on stage is how Diana imagines him. The show reveals this gradually, which is why it is the musical’s best-known twist.
How many characters are in Next to Normal?
Six roles for six actors: Diana, Dan, Natalie, Gabe, Henry, and Dr. Fine/Dr. Madden, who are played by the same actor. There is no ensemble.
Who wrote Next to Normal?
Tom Kitt wrote the music and Brian Yorkey wrote the book and lyrics. The show won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three 2009 Tony Awards, including Best Original Score.
What songs does Diana sing in Next to Normal?
Diana is in most of the score. Her best-known solos are “I Miss the Mountains” and “You Don’t Know,” and she shares many other numbers, from the opening “Just Another Day” to “My Psychopharmacologist and I” with her doctor.
