Following a landmark 2025 season of sold-out, critically acclaimed hits including A Little Bawl of Pain, Ordinary Days, Be More Chill, and Do You Hear The People Sing? Musical Crowd Pleasers, Birmingham’s Old Joint Stock Theatre is preparing to raise the bar once again.
This Midlands gem, powered by just three theatre-makers—James Edge, Emily Susanne Lloyd, and Liam Alexandru—continues to champion daring contemporary musicals and spotlight bold, lesser-known works.
The journey through 2025 is far from over, with Bonnie & Clyde storming in this October, followed by a festive Christmas Double Bill of new writing: A Wonderful Knife: A Christmas Dundee and Pinocchio: A Christmas Tale.
Looking ahead to 2026, the Old Joint Stock has announced its first major production of the year: the regional premiere of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical Next to Normal.
With book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt, Next to Normal explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness. The musical won three Tony Awards in 2009, including Best Musical Score, and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Critics from The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times hailed it as one of the year’s ten best shows.
The story follows a seemingly typical American family—an architect father, a multitasking mother, and their bright, wise-cracking teens. But beneath the surface, the mother’s 16-year battle with bipolar disorder reveals a deeply moving and complex narrative.
James Edge, Artistic Director of the Old Joint Stock and Director of Next to Normal, said: “Next year marks the Old Joint Stock’s 20th anniversary as a theatre, and to celebrate, we’re planning our boldest and most exciting season yet. This year has already seen incredible ambition with Be More Chill and Bonnie & Clyde, but 2026 will undoubtedly be our most daring year so far. Next to Normal is a phenomenal show to take on, and I’ve long believed it belongs in an intimate setting and there aren’t many spaces more intimate than the Old Joint Stock. Following its recent, hugely successful London run, I’m thrilled to bring this brand-new, non-replica production to audiences here in the Midlands.”
Directed by James Edge, the creative team also includes Emily Susanne Lloyd as Associate Director and Producer, and Liam Alexandru as Marketing Director. Artwork is by Tom Mann of Ghostlight Studios, with digital media and content by Perro Loco Productions.
Next to Normal runs from 8th to 26th April 2026.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
