| Diana Goodman | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Gender |
Female |
|
Age |
somewhere between thirties or forties |
|
Family |
Dan Goodman (husband) |
|
Original Portrayer |
Alice Ripley |
|
Other Portrayers |
Marin Mazzie (Broadway) Jessica Phillips (Understudy, Broadway) |
Diana Goodman is a character in Next to Normal, originally played by Alice Ripley and by Marin Mazzie on Broadway.
Biography
Thirties or Forties. Sexy. sharp. Delusional bipolar depressive.
She is seen in act I talking to Gabe- however, when Dan walks in, she tells Gabe to leave. When asked who she was talking to, she replies that she was simply talking to herself. Later in the morning, she is seen making breakfast for her family, and then she ushers Gabe to leave. Then she begins to sing about her family (Just Another Day), and starts making sandwiches, and eventually becomes "carried away" and begins to make sandwiches on the floor.
She is then taken to Dr. Fine while Dan waits in the car. Thus begins "Who's Crazy?/My Psycopharmacologist and I" Where she states "He knows my deepest darkest secrets-And I know his name." She expresses that she doesn't feel like herself-she doesn't feel anything. She sings about her missing those feelings in "I Miss the Mountains" and is prompted by Gabe to get rid of her medicine. When Natalie brings home Henry to have a family dinner with them ("It's Gonna be Good") and then she brings out a birthday cake for Gabe, when Dan sings "He's Not Here." When Dan talks to her, she sings "You Don't Know", which talks about how Dan doesn't understand the pain she feels over her lost son. It switches abruptly to "I Am the One", where she is forced between her dead son and her husband. Later, she is taken to Dr. Madden, the "scary rock-star psychologist" and begins hypnosis sessions. She is prompted to walk down a hall, and open a door to find clarity. (Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling) She states that Dan and her were both undergrads in architecture. Gabe wasn't planned, but when he was born they decided to tie the knot. Diana starts her healing process by cleaning out Gabe's old room. ("I Dreamed a Dance") Later, she is driven to commit suicide by Gabe in "There's a World". Later, she wakes in the hospital to recieve ECT (electro-convulsive shock therapy). When she states she doesn't want to recieve this therapy ("Didn't I See This Movie"), but is eventually convinced by Dan ("A Light in the Dark") Once she decides on the ECT treatment, Act one ends.
Through the shock treatment, Diana loses nineteen years' worth of memory, which Dr. Madden states is perfectly normal with ECT. Diana doesn't see the hallucinations anymore, but knowledge is not shared about Gabe. She expresses her contempt with not remembering in Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling (reprise). When Dr. Madden mentions her son, she finally remembers. ("How Could I Ever Forget?") When asked how he died, Dan tells her that "the doctors missed something- they said that babies just cry." However, he refuses to tell Diana the name of their dead son. Diana asks why he stays with her, and begins the song ("Why Stay?/A Promise"). where Diana and Natalie ask Dan and Henry why they choose to stay with them, saying that "everyone would say he's better off free- and maybe so is she." Dan and Henry answer that it was because of a promise that they made to their counterparts. Later, when Gabe tries to approach Diana, she pushes him away. ("I'm Alive (reprise)") Diana then returns home to pack her stuff, and to tell Dan she is leaving ("So Anyway"). We don't know exactly what happened to her at the end, but it is likely she moved away and began the healing process.
Songs
Solos
I Miss The Mountains - Act 1
You Don't Know - Act 1
Didn't I See This Movie - Act 1
So Anyway - Act 2
Solos (In a duet)
I Dreamed A Dance - Act 1
A Light In The Dark - Act 1
Wish I Were Here - Act 2
You Don't Know (Reprise)- Act 2
Maybe (Next To Normal) - Act 2
Solos (In a group number)
Just Another Day (with Dan, Gabe and Natalie) - Act 1
Who's Crazy/My Psychopharmacologist and I (with Dan, Dr. Fine, [Gabe, Natalie and Henry on backup vocals]) - Act 1
I Am The One (with Dan and Gabe)- Act 1
Superboy and the Invisible Girl (with Gabe and Natalie)- Act 1
Make Up Your Mind/ Catch Me I'm Falling (with Dr. Madden, Natalie, Gabe, Dan and Henry) - Act 1