Next To Normal: The Road to Broadway - November, 2009

Published: Jan. 13, 2010, 1:57 p.m.

The creative team behind the hit musical Next To Normal -- Director Michael Greif, Producer David Stone and Tony Award winners Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (2009 for Best Score for Next to Normal) -- discuss the unique road the show took to Broadway beginning with its start at the BMI Workshop; the origin of the show's subject matter and the challenges of getting acceptance for it; the reasons behind a title change and what that represented for the creative process; why they took the unusual step of going from off-Broadway to out of town before Broadway; what influences the press and audiences had after the off-Broadway opening in their decision process; why some songs were dropped, others changed and the reasons behind the addition of new material; and 4 songs are performed in studio that illustrate the changes in the various stages of the production.