The whole world is crazy, happiness is but an illusion, life equals pain, and we’re all teetering on the brink of a psychotic break. Cue the show tunes!

Next to Normal, now playing at the Curran Theatre, is just your average, everyday Tony Award-wining musical starring Bipolar Disorder — wait, what? Show tunes and psychological mood disorders? Exactly. Unlike such classic up-lifters as The Sound of Music where the songs transport you to magical, dreamy worlds of raindrops and roses, Next to Normal keeps you firmly planted in the harsh, realistic, Prozac state of the now. And just like manic-depression, the production suffers from extreme highs and lows.

Read my full review on SF STATION.