Next to Normal

An excellent example of a Horby element in the music of Next to Normal is the element of progression. There are three songs entitled "Hey" throughout the play. The first one is the beginning of Henry and Natalie's uncertain relationship. The second is Henry's attempting to rekindle their relationship, and the third is comprised of more uncertainty, but this time the unsureness is in their relationship's future.

Another element is choice. Nearly every song is in a different genre and key. This may sound chaotic in theory, but the play is about mental illness after all. Each situation is different, so each song's being different is most fitting as well as most effective.

Topdog/Underdog

The theatricals mirrors in Topdog/Underdog seemed unrelated at the beginning of the play, but by the end, it appears that both of them are united by control. The card game is a trick that is all in the hands of the dealer. Lincoln is the master of this illusion, so much so that he even makes Booth think that he learned Lincoln's moves. This relates to President Lincoln in real life. He ruled the country, so he had a lot of power in his hands. His power was then taken by Booth, when he was killed, both in the play and in reality.

Water By The Spoonful

Quiara Alegria Hudes creates different worlds in Water By The Spoonful. There is the real, physical world in which the characters live and the online world, where the characters frequently interact. In certain points in the play, we see these two worlds collide with one another.

The most remarkable example of these worlds coming together in my opinion is in scene seven. In this scene, we see Odessa, AKA "Haikumom" interacting with other characters in the real world for this first time. Online, she is a saint of sorts: all the addicts look to her as a solid rock on which to rely and for hope that the addiction can be overcome. In real life though, she curses quite often, contradicting the way she censors everyone else on the forum. We also learn that she abandoned her two daughters when they were ill, resulting in the death of one of them.

I feel that this scene reflects back to Yaz's lesson on dissonance. Odessa in reality is completely off key from the way she is on the internet. This scene completely throws the audience off from what they had been led to believe about "Haikumom" so far and changes the pace of the play.