What I liked
I loved the live music. Brian Joseph is truly accomplished as a musician and songwriter. He masterfully narrates his experiences through his songs on guitars with various tunings, piano, even ukulele. I really appreciated how he navigated the audience through his personal yet universal experiences of joy, innocence, sadness, confusion and rage. Sometimes live music has the effect of making a show drag on, but in this show the music perfectly illustrated what words alone could not capture, providing a forward movement to the story, and a deepening of its meaning. Brian was also super engaging with the audience, and the use of the projections, photos and live camera action was very well done.
What I didn't like
Wondering if it would be possible to project the photos of the audience on the larger screen? That could immerse the audience even more. Thank you!
My overall impression
Normaler Than Everyone held so much meaning in just 70 minutes. Brian Joseph brought us to the core of what all human beings feel when they are forced to reckon with the limitedness of life, which ironically brings us to the awareness of the unlimitedness of its preciousness. I left this show reminded of the excellence of ordinary moments, and of how normal it is to experience extremes of existence. One of my favorite lines: “We’re all dying together…at least we have that!”
