Caleb Ross has a long relationship with Next To Normal
Actor continues his relationship with ‘Next to Normal’ at Second Chance Players
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com
Next to Normal isn’t your normal musical. This award-winning show isn’t the feel-good type with its story focusing on mental health, grief and addiction. But actor Caleb Ross is more than thrilled to be crossing paths with the show again.
“I have been in love with this show since middle school, and I just really stumbled onto it,” Ross said. “Now I’m just obsessed.”
The 24-year-old actor will play Gabe Goodman in Second Chance Players’ new show which opens this week. Next to Normal will run Oct. 17-26 at Frisco Discovery Center’s Black Box Theater.
The material is heavy stuff. But for Ross, it’s been about discovery.
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‘Next to Normal’
Directed by: Bill Shea
Book and lyrics by: Brian Yorkey
Music by: Tom Kitt.
Cast: Martin Guerra-West, Jim Lindsay, Efren Paredes, Mary Ridenour, Caroline Rivera, Caleb Ross
Stage Manager: Kelechi Imoh
Front of House: Ethan Kilgore
Music director/piano: Ben Barker
Bass: Scott Eckert
Guitar: Maristella Feustle
Wind Synth: Michael Dill
Cello: Jeff Harvick
Percussion: Randy Linberg
Runs through Oct. 26
Frisco Discovery Center Black Box
8004 Dallas North Tollway
SecondChancePlayers.org
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“First, I’ve really discovered how amazing this cast is,” he said. “We’ve had deep discussions about our characters, and there’s not a dry eye in rehearsal. I think we are really baring our souls for this.”
Ross says he has identified with his character, Gabe, in some aspects. But then maybe not in other areas. But, as he strips down the character of Gabe, he said he has found a dichotomy.
Caleb Ross with his castmates in Next To Normal
“He’s trying to be the best son even in his circumstances,” Ross said of Gabe. “But later in the show, he’s less of a character and more of an extension of his mother Diana. I have a very close relationship with my mother so I can relate to that.”
The part Ross hasn’t connected with makes the actor laugh a bit. “I tend to have some rather femme qualities,” he revealed. “We never address what Gabe is, but he’s always been portrayed as this frat bro, I guess. We’ve tried to stay true to the original, but [the director] Bill has been forgiving if a little bit of Caleb shows through.”
Next to Normal debuted in 2008 with books and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music written by Tom Kitt. The family drama centers on Diana, the matriarch who struggles with bipolar disorder which seems to get worse. The musical also looks at the ripple effects that has on her family. Themes from the show touch on depression, addiction, drug use and suicide.
Ross has been involved with theater since his teens, doing youth theater and then studying at Collin College toward his educational license for theater. He currently works in a middle school setting, and he sometimes sees students struggling in ways that reminds him of the show.
And when that happens, he tries to offer a safety zone.
“Most people talk about sports for getting involved, but I always suggest theater. It’s like tenfold from sports for making friends and building connections,” he said. “Plus, it teaches how to be a human with empathy and experience. I think it can prepare people for so many different things in life.”
Ross discovered Next to Normal in his teens, but he also recalled how he demanded his family, while on a trip to New York, go see Fun Home, a show based on the graphic novel by lesbian author Alison Bechdel.
“Seeing that story of a gay man who didn’t get to live his life, I swear, changed my life. Something about that trauma affected me,” he said of Fun Home.
But then, Next to Normal came back around to grab his attention. In 2021, he and his family opened the small company Renovation Theatre Co. The first show was, of course…
“We staged Next to Normal in response to some drama going on at a local theater school,” he said. “I had the privilege of directing it myself and was glad to do it. It was a pretty decent production, even with 18-year-olds in this incredibly intense and vocally difficult” show.
The payoff for Ross was that directing the show then has helped him with his role in this production.
“It’s given me an understanding I think more than ever to this show,” he said.
For tickets, visit SecondChancePlayers.org.