Central Square Theater

“Why let me go?” is a question no daughter should have to ask her mother. But young Nigerian Iniabasi Ekpeyong has arrived in the USA, where she was born, to reunite with her mother, Abasiama Ufot. After giving birth to Iniabasi 30 years ago, Abasiama let her then-husband return to Nigeria with their newborn. 

In “Next to Normal” at Central Square Theater, a picture-perfect Black family gets ready for their day. Mom makes lunch, dad prepares for his workday as an architect, and two clever teens assemble their school supplies. But the picture, and the audience’s understanding of it, begins to crack as Mom’s bipolar disorder seeps into their daily routines and emotions.