Musical theatre lovers now fall into two groups — those in Washington, Charlotte and Toronto, and all the rest. Those in the first group ought not listen to the original Broadway cast recording of the searingly emotional, surprisingly melodic rock musical Next to Normal. Instead, they should set aside an evening to go see the national tour while they have the chance over the next month. There will be plenty of time to listen to the Ghostlight Records two-disc original cast recording of this Helen Hayes, Tony and Pulitzer Award winner after you have experienced the emotional impact of some important plot developments without warning. [Read more...]