April 16 (Bloomberg) -- The spirit haunting Broadway’s newest, and most brazen, musical is anything but blithe. His name is Gabe and if he were alive, he’d be 18 when “Next to Normal” begins. As it is, only his mother, Diana, can see him, and she’s nuts.

Not quirky, eccentric, Auntie Mame nuts. As played with naked intensity by Alice Ripley, Diana is burn down the house, slit her wrists, flush that cornucopia of psychotropic drugs down the toilet nuts.

“Most people who think they’re happy just haven’t thought about it enough,” Diana tells her shrink. “Most people who think they’re happy are actually just stupid.”

We’re not so sure she’s someone we want to spend a lot of time with, which is this unnerving show’s blessing as well as its curse.

When “Next to Normal” opened off-Broadway last season, many of us were left perplexed by composer Tom Kitt and librettist Brian Yorkey’s hard-driving score. Several memorable songs and scenes didn’t add up to a memorable show.

Rather than abandon his Broadway aspirations, “Wicked” producer David Stone made the extraordinary decision to send “Next to Normal” out of town to work out its kinks. A well- received run at Washington’s Arena Stage and $4 million later, “Next to Normal” has its Broadway opening with major rewrites and new songs replacing old ones.

Better Show

The result is a better show, though still one that’s easier to admire than love.

Diana is married to the long suffering Dan (J. Robert Spencer) and neglectful mother of 16-year-old Natalie (Jennifer Damiano). Natalie is smart enough to know that she was conceived in sorrow and that her mother’s heart will never be big enough for her as long as dead Gabe (Aaron Tveit) inhabits it.

The home in which the show mostly takes place is a nerve- shattering battleground. The saddest casualty is Natalie, an aspiring classical pianist who refers to herself as “the invisible girl.”

Superbly cast and staged by Michael Greif, “Next to Normal” is a distinctly modern musical. Lights frequently glare into the eyes of audience members. Mark Wendland’s skeletal, multitiered set features the black-and-white image of a house that resembles a newspaper photograph blown up so all the dots of ink turn it into a kind of Rorschach test.

That’s an apt description of the show itself. How you respond will depend a great deal on your tolerance for a musical in which love is fearlessly twisted beyond recognition.

At the Booth Theatre, 222 W. 45th St. Information: +1-212- 239-6200; http“//www.telecharge.com. Rating: ***

What the Stars Mean:
****       Excellent
***        Good
**         Average
*          Poor
(No stars) Worthless

(Jeremy Gerard is an editor for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this column: Jeremy Gerard in New York at jgerard2@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: April 15, 2009 22:30 EDT