Next to Normal: great drama delivered by SISU student musical club 'All That Musical'

“I'm alive

I'm right behind you

You say forget,

But I remind you

You can try to hide,

You know that I will find you,

Cause if you won't grieve me.

You won't leave me behind.”

hen one of the main characters, ShenDaoling, sang the words out with great vigor, a hush fell over the audience. On the evening of April 6th, the ‘All That Musical’ musical club of Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) interpreted this famous Broadway musical Next to Normal to student audience in Songjiang Campus.

Next To Normal explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness. This musical also recognizes social issues such as losing a loved one, abuse of drugs, the life in the suburban areas, suicide and the practices of modern psychiatry.

ShenDaoling, a senior student of SISU put a lot of effort into arranging the musical show two years ago. “Every musical is prepared for about one year, and this took even more time for preparation.” The producer Sun Tianjiao said.

For the actors and producers who worked on the musical, the show gave a deep impression to the audience. Zhang Yan, who played daughter Natalie, said that they rehearsed for two whole night in pursuit of the visual effect of lights. “After working all-night, we are all under huge burden.” Zhan Yan said.

Zuo Zihan, who played Natalie’s boyfriend Henry, also has a vivid impression of rehearsal. “We started at three o’clock in the afternoon and finished at 4 o’clock in the morning”

Su Huilin, who played mother Diana in the musical, said the best achievement is her overcoming the performance barrier. “I’m quite introverted by nature. So I tend to curl up when I feel nervous. Thanks to the instructions of directors, my performance shows signs of a rise.” As to the team building, Su said that everyone needs consideration for each other. “I cherish everyone in the team. We all do our part and the whole team will function.”

As the winner of three 2009 TONY Awards including Best Musical Score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize, Next To Normal was also chosen as "one of the year's ten best shows" by critics around the country, including The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone and The New York Times.

As one of the earliest university musical clubs in China, ‘All That Musical’ has long been committed to publicity of musical in university. It successively performed many famous Broadway musical, such as Wicked, Spring Awakening, Rent, Avenue Q and Spelling Bee.

'All that Musical' and HBS [新电图] contributed to this report.