Shiela Valderrama and OJ Mariano deliver emotionally charged performances in ‘Next to Normal’

February 22, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Theater is at its most powerful when it transcends the stage, seeping into the hearts of its audience and leaving an indelible mark. It was precisely the case with “Next to Normal,” where Shiela Valderrama and OJ Mariano delivered emotionally charged performances that elevated the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical to breathtaking heights.

Shiela, portraying Diana Goodman, gave a performance that was nothing short of extraordinary. The role of Diana — a mother battling bipolar disorder while trying to keep her family intact — is one of the most demanding in modern musical theater, requiring an intense mix of vocal prowess, emotional depth, and psychological complexity.

Shiela delivered all this with stunning authenticity. Her interpretation of Diana was not just technically brilliant but deeply human. Every glance, every note, and every moment on stage was infused with raw internal struggle, making her portrayal both riveting and heartbreaking.

What made Shiela’s performance even more poignant was her personal experience as a mother. There was an added layer of authenticity to her portrayal — a depth of maternal instinct and understanding that heightened Diana’s love, loss and desperation.

In songs like I Miss the Mountains, where Diana longs for the intensity of her past emotions before medication dulled them, Shiela’s voice soared with a mixture of nostalgia and grief. It was impossible not to be swept away by her pain. And in You Don’t Know/I Am the One, her clashes with her husband were filled with frustration, exhaustion and a desperate plea to be understood.

OJ, as Dan Goodman, played the role of Diana’s steadfast yet struggling husband with remarkable depth. While Dan is often seen as the stabilizing force of the family, Mariano didn’t merely play him as a supportive spouse — he gave him layers of emotion, from quiet heartbreak to silent suffering. His portrayal of Dan was not just that of a man trying to hold his family together but also of someone quietly breaking apart under the weight of his wife’s illness.

In It’s Gonna Be Good, OJ’s hopeful yet slightly forced optimism set the tone for Dan’s internal conflict. And when he delivered A Light in the Dark, his voice was filled with such longing and resignation that it was impossible not to feel his pain. The chemistry between Shiela and OJ was undeniable, making their dynamic as a couple all the more gut-wrenching.

Beyond the performances, the music and lyrics of “Next to Normal” played a significant role in drawing the audience into the Goodmans’ fractured world. Tom Kitt’s score is a masterful blend of rock and contemporary Broadway, creating an emotional landscape that mirrors Diana’s turmoil. The music pulses with energy in some moments and then slows down to a whisper in others, perfectly complementing the story’s emotional highs and lows.

Brian Yorkey’s lyrics, meanwhile, are poetic and piercing. They articulate the pain of mental illness and family dysfunction in ways that feel both deeply personal and universally relatable.

Lines like “Give me pain if that’s real/ It’s the price we pay to feel” (from I Miss the Mountains) resonate with anyone who has ever struggled with the weight of medication, longing for the highs and lows that make them feel alive.

One of the most heartbreaking moments of the night was I Dreamed a Dance, a hauntingly beautiful number that blended dream and reality, love and loss. The way the lyrics and melody intertwined, paired with Shiela’s emotionally raw delivery, had many in the audience quietly wiping away tears. And Maybe (Next to Normal) offered a glimmer of hope — not of a perfect ending, but of a future where healing, however imperfect, was possible.

The production was masterfully directed by Toff de Venecia for Sandbox Theatricals, whose vision allowed the show’s emotional weight to hit with full force. His direction balanced the show’s intense themes with moments of warmth, making the characters feel authentic and deeply relatable.

Adding to the show’s brilliance was the musical direction of Ejay Yatco, who skillfully guided the cast through Tom’s intricate score. Ejay’s musical leadership ensured that every note carried the emotional depth needed to make the production as powerful as it was. The balance between rock-infused energy and delicate emotional moments was flawlessly executed, immersing the audience in the Goodmans’ world.

By the time the final song, Light, played, there was an undeniable shift in the theater. The audience had been taken through a rollercoaster of emotions — grief, love, frustration and hope. And that is the magic of “Next to Normal” — it doesn’t shy away from the pain of mental illness, nor does it offer easy resolutions. Instead, it presents life as it is: messy, heartbreaking, but still filled with love.

Thanks to the brilliant performances of Shiela and OJ, supported by Toff’s insightful direction and Ejay’s musical expertise, the production of “Next to Normal” was more than just a show. It was an experience. One that lingered long after the curtain fell.

“Next to Normal” runs until Feb. 23 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Black Box Theater, Circuit Makati.

For tickets, call Ticket2Me.