Show Synopsis:
Diana waits up late for her son Gabe, who turns out to be a delusion, because he is dead, and her husband, Dan, and daughter, Natalie, realize how bad her breakdowns are but do not talk about it. Henry is interested in dating Natalie, but she is focused on getting into Yale and away from her family. Dan has trouble coping with Diana?s bipolar disorder while Natalie and Henry grow closer and Diana flushes her medication down the toilet. Henry goes to dinner at their house, but Diana believes it is Gabe?s birthday and embarrasses Natalie. Doctor Madden tries to get Diana to let Gabe go, which frustrates Natalie and Dan, and when she tries to clean out Gabe?s room, he ends up committing suicide because the delusion of him tells her to. Doctor Madden and Dan convince Diana to try ECT while Natalie begins to take drugs and go to clubs to let off steam. Diana loses nineteen years of her memory with the ECT, which upsets Natalie, who is actively avoiding Henry. Diana begins to slowly remember Gabe and then remembers the night that he died, reversing a lot of her treatment. Henry shows up ready to take Natalie to the spring dance, which she has refused to go to, and they start to reconcile, though Natalie is concerned that they will not work together. Doctor Madden wants Diana to do more ECT but she refuses and instead accepts that maybe her problems cannot be fixed. She opens up to Natalie, who goes to the dance to be with Henry and try to find some happiness. Diana says goodbye to Dan to go live with her parents, because they cannot have the happy marriage they had before Gabe?s death, although they have tried to. Natalie finds her father alone in their house and vows to help him start a new life together.

Character:
Natalie Goodman, a sixteen-year-old overachieving high school student who wants nothing more than to be rid of her less-than-normal home and parents; scared to love anyone else.

Song Context:
Diana tries to apologize to Natalie for embarrassing their family in front of Henry, but Natalie will simply not listen. She is too frustrated with how her mother sees her and constantly forces her delusions on the rest of the family, which has caused Natalie to have an abnormal childhood.

Fun Facts:
1) In an interview with Seventeen magazine, Jennifer Damiano, who was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance of Natalie, described the character as dealing with ?a lot of family neglect issues. They're all going through a hard time and Natalie is really struggling. She gets her first boyfriend and I think she fears becoming her mother at the same time.? 2) Next to Normal was the most recent musical awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, in 2010. 3) Emma Hunton played Natalie in the Los Angeles production of Next to Normal and described rehearsing the character in an interview with HappenToLikeNY.org: ?One of the things Michael and I talked about was the fact that I?m a very angsty person anyways, but I don?t play angst, I sort of play against type, which is very interesting for other people to watch if they know me. I feel very close to her in the fact that I understand that angst that is sort of bubbling beneath the surface that doesn?t necessarily need to be played as angst, but the need to be respected as a kid who is no longer a kid. And to be talked to like an adult."