Birmingham Village Players tackle mental health in upcoming show

BIRMINGHAM — Hear rock, jazz and classical music in the Birmingham Village Player’s emotional production of “Next to Normal.” The show will run Oct. 25-Nov. 10.

Mental illness is one of the major themes of “Next to Normal.” The story revolves around Diana, a suburban mother who has bipolar disorder, and her family.

Patricia Rutkey plays Diana in the musical. She has performed with the Birmingham Village Players before, but it’s been 17 years. She said one of the best parts of the role was finding the realness of the character as she seeks to humanize her rather than to make her into a caricature.

“I think it is a really important message, because despite everything the world has gone through as it pertains to mental health, it still just isn’t really discussed openly and freely,” Rutkey said. “That is why I feel like this story and the message is just so important, because I feel like it is a way to tell this story and get a message regarding mental health and just how important it can be just to take care of yourself and take care of your people.”

Director Rodel Salazar said he was drawn to “Next to Normal” because of its relevance to modern life.

“It is deeply grounded in the intricate struggles of everyday life, and the show itself moved away from your traditional fantastical settings or sort of an escape from reality,” Salazar said.

He said he believes it is an important show because he has not seen many shows that put mental health at the forefront within its plot.

While “Next to Normal” is an emotional play, Salazar said they were careful “to bring forth some of the cleverness and humor in the script.” They provide some levity, since they do not  want to leave audiences crying from begin to end.

The set of the Village Players’ production was different from the set on Broadway when Salazar saw it in New York.

Salazar described the Broadway set as sleek, metallic and stoic.

However, in the Birmingham show, Salazar wanted to make the set reflect a suburban American home. Throughout the course of the show, the cleanliness of the home will fluctuate based on what is happening within the play. It will start off clean and will progressively become more cluttered until they pick up the pieces.

The costumes will also vary from what they wore on Broadway. Instead of everyone dressing up in suits like they did in New York, Salazar wanted the cast to wear clothes that would be worn by regular people living in the suburbs of Michigan.

The production will be shown at  8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at (248) 644-2075. Individual reserved tickets cost $30, which includes a ticketing fee. Flex packages are also available. For $250, people can receive 10 tickets redeemable for any combination of shows.