Caissie Levy Will Star in London Premiere of NEXT TO NORMAL
It’s taken more than a decade, but one of this century’s most beloved musicals is finally having its U.K. premiere. Broadway alum Caissie Levy, currently starring in Leopoldstadt on Broadway, will play Diana in a London staging of Next to Normal at the Donmar Warehouse. Performances will begin August 12 with an opening night set for August 22.
Having collaborated on Caroline, or Change in NYC, director Michael Longhurst reunites with Levy for the production. West End favorite Trevor Dion Nicholas (Hamilton, Aladdin) will play Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine, with further casting to be announced.
Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s Next to Normal is an intimate exploration of family and loss. At its heart is Diana Goodman, a suburban wife and mother living with bipolar disorder and haunted by her past. It won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three Tony Awards, including Best Original Score.
The production will feature musical supervision by Nigel Lilley, set and costume designs by Chloe Lamford, lighting design by Lee Curran, sound design by Tony Gayle, movement by Ann Yee, musical direction by Nick Barstow, and casting by Anna Cooper.
The 2023-2024 season will kick off Noël Coward’s Private Lives (April 7–May 27) with a cast including Stephen Mangan as Elyot, Rachael Stirling as Amanda, Laura Carmichael (best known as Lady Edith in Downton Abbey) as Sibyl, and Sargon Yelda as Victor, in a new production directed by Longhurst. This is followed by the world premiere of Jack Thorne’s When Winston Went to War with the Wireless (June 2–July 29), directed by Katy Rudd, about the BCC and the 1926 U.K. workers’ general strike.
Donmar is currently wrapping up its 2022-2023 season with a staging of Lillian Hellman’s Watch on the Rhine through February 4, ahead of the world premiere of Diana Nneka Atuona’s Trouble in Butetown, starting February 10.
In addition to today’s casting news, Longhurst announced he will step down as artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse when his contract ends in 2024. Meanwhile, Alessandra Davison and Adam Karim have joined as resident assistant directors for the company.
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