From the director of Rent comes the most talked about new show on Broadway, NEXT TO NORMAL, winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three 2009 Tony Awards including Best Score. Alice Ripley who received the 2009 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, will reprise her acclaimed performance in Chicago. Having been chosen as "one of the year's ten best" by major critics around the country, NEXT TO NORMAL is an emotional powerhouse of a musical with a thrilling contemporary score about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other. The New York Times calls NEXT TO NORMAL "a brave, breathtaking musical. A work of muscular grace and power. It is much more than a feel-good musical; it is a feel-everything musical." Rolling Stone raves, "It is the best musical of the season by a mile. It'll pin you to your seat."

Source: www.broadwayinchicago.com

Jeremy Kushnier plays the role of Dr. Fine/Dr. Madden in the show, who helps Alice Ripley's character with her problems and medications. The doctor plays a key role in this show, as the subject matter is about mental illness. Jeremy has played many great roles on Broadway including Ren in the Original Broadway Cast of Footloose, Roger in RENT, and appeared in the Original Canadian cast of The Who's Tommy. I recently spoke with him about how he feels playing such a key role in a great show.

Buzz:   What made you want to go into acting?

Jeremy: Well, when I was a kid, I used to just goof around a lot. I was lucky when I was growing up. There was a lot of opportunities for young kids for summer theater and regional theater and that kind of stuff. I just started doing it. It was just something to do. I played a lot of sports, and I was in the band, and in the choir, and it was just another thing to do.

Buzz:   How did you get started in Footloose?

Jeremy: I actually was living in Toronto. I'm Canadian originally. I got a phone call from my agent telling me if you could be in New York by tomorrow, you can audition for this new show. So I scrounged some money together, got on a 12 hour bus, auditioned, and got the job. It was a blast, because it was my first lead role in a brand new show. It was very exciting. I was very blessed.

Buzz: Now that you're in Next to Normal, what do you think people should take from the show after seeing it?

Jeremy: I think they're gonna take whatever they want. I think it's such an interesting piece. It definitely starts conversations about the mental illness, the treatments, people dealing with loss. It definitely is a conversation starter. And I think if doesn't anything but make people stop and think, I think it's great.

Buzz:   What was your favorite show you've ever done and why?

Jeremy: That's tough. Every show I have is a favorite for a reason. Footloose was probably my biggest favorites because it was my first big gig, as far as me moving to New York. I loved doing The Who's Tommy. It was my first big professional mega musical when I was living in Toronto with the Canadian company. Then I did RENT, which was also really special to me because I did that show off and on for over 8 years playing Roger.

Buzz:   What made you interested in Next to Normal?

Jeremy: I mean, first off, it's a job. It's really exciting to be involved in a Pulitzer prize winning piece that's brand new. And having such a small cast. The music is really phenomenal. I have been a big fan of Tom Kitt's for a long time. And there's so many reasons. Getting to work with Michael Greiff again. There are a lot more reasons than not to as far as getting together trying to get with the show. It's been a really cool experience.

Buzz:   What do you take from each role you perform, and how does it affect you as an actor?

Jeremy: Well, I think there's a piece you take with you, and there's a piece that you leave. I believe a little bit more than what I take with me, because with a show like this, it becomes too hard. You don't wanna carry around this stuff with you all the time. There's definitely something that stays with you after you do any of these kind of pieces. Shows like RENT and shows like this. It's hard, but you can take the hope from this.

Buzz:   What message do you take from this show personally?

Jeremy: I think there's a great message of hope. There's a great line in the show that's, “You don't have to be happy to be happy you're alive.” I think it's a pretty deep message, to realize how precious what we have is. Regardless of how glad we are in the moment. I think that's something important to remember.