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Book and Lyrics by Brian Yorkey, Music by Tom Kitt
Act 1
After the “Prelude (Light)”, the suburban mother, Diana Goodman, is waiting for her seventeen year old son, Gabe. Gabe is scolded over his curfew while Dan, the father, enters. Natalie, their overachieving daughter walks in with an overwhelming amount of homework. In the morning, (Just another Day) Diana begins making extravagant sandwiches.
Natalie begins to see refuge in a classroom with a classical piano (Everything Else). Her rehearsal is interrupted by Henry, who confesses to listening to her daily. It’s obvious that he likes her, but Natalie pushes him out and returns to the piano.
Diana is picking up her prescriptions from Doctor Fine, while Dan questions his state of mind in the car (Who’s Crazy/My Psychopharmacologist and I). Diana is diagnosed with bipolar depressive with delusional episodes. Diana has been unsuccessfully medicated for 16 years, but Doctor Fine continues to change her medicine because she doesn’t feel any different.
Natalie and Henry have grown closer while they practiced together. Natalie is at Henrys house when he prepares a bong, Henry struggles to love her because she declines smoking (Perfect for you). The song takes them to the Goodman’s house when they first kiss.
Diana sees the burgeoning love that triggers memories of highs and lows (I Miss the Mountains). Her sons encouraged her desire to feel again. This makes Diana flush all the medication down the toilet.
Dan (It’s gonna be good) invites Henry for dinner. It all goes well until Diana emerges with a cake and exclaims “It’s someone’s birthday!”
Dan goes to Diana and explains to her (He’s not Here). Gabe died 16 years ago. Natalie storms out upset, while Henry follows. Diana lashes out on Dan after she told him she flushed her medicine and offers to call Doctor Fine for more (You Don’t Know). Dan tries to calm her down (I am the One).
In Natalie’s room, she vents to Henry about her mother while he makes a pipe out of an apple. (Superboy and the Invisible Girl). After Diana enters, Natalie takes the pipe from Henry.
(I’m Alive)
Trying to cope, Natalie finds some of her mom’s pills. A few days later, Natalie sees her parents seats empty at her recital which sends her into emotional turmoil.
Doctor Madden uses hypnosis on Diana to root her trauma, after Diana agrees to let her son go. She goes home and gets rid of Gabe’s things (I Dreamed a Dance). (There’s a World).
Diana is in the hospital with self-inflicted razor wounds.
Doctor Madden tells Dan that ECT is the next step for Diana, because she is drug-resistant and imminently suicidal. (I’ve been)
Diana lashes out on Doctor Madden (Didn’t I See This Movie?) until Dan convinces her that this is her last hope (A Light in the Dark).
Act II
Diana begins her weeks of treatment, while Natalie begins to lose her discipline after experimenting with drugs and clubs (Wish I Were Here). When Diana gets home, the family realizes she has lost 19 years of memory (Song of Forgetting).
Henry (Hey#1) asks Natalie why she’s avoiding him and sobriety and to the Spring Formal.
Doctor Madden assures them that Diana’s memory loss may be psychogenic (Seconds and Years). Dan is forced to keep photos and keepsakes to help Diana recover. (Better than Before). Gabe’s music box appears but Dan quickly hides it leaving Diana puzzled. (Aftershocks).
(Hey#2) Natalie refuses again.
Diana goes back to Doctor Madden (You Don’t Know (Reprise)) by herself. Gabe’s death is the root of her trauma. Diana goes home and finds the music box before Dan could stop her (How Could I Ever Forget). Dan insists that they go back to Doctor Madden (It’s Gonna be Good (Reprise)). When Henry arrives to pick up Natalie, she witnesses Dan smashing her brother’s music box and runs into her room.