Joey Larimer, left, Rebecca K. Campbell, Zach Virden and Marin Alexis star in Camelot Theatre's production of "Next to Normal," on stage through April 21 in Talent.

“Next to Normal,” now playing at the Camelot Theatre in Talent, is a departure from the upbeat musicals (aside from “Cabaret”) and Spotlight performances the theater produced the last year or so.

It’s daring and complex. It meanders musically and lyrically through the lives of a family devastated by trauma, loss and a mother’s mental illness. It’s ironic, funny and bittersweet too.

The serious subject matter stands out in brilliant stanzas and verses that are dizzyingly defying, which require your time and attention — especially when Mom’s long-term memory gets knocked out by shock therapy. The show also reaches moments of musical genius, with lyrical and musical rhyming worthy of Sondheim.

This is a very adult story about a family in turmoil that takes off with its first notes and moves like a brakeless subway car, taking the lives of each individual family member (and us) along with it. With the book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt, it won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2010 and was nominated for 11 Tony awards (winning three).

After you adjust to its pace and witness its story, you’ll understand why.

“Normal” has a lot to say. It risks losing its impact however, with orchestral arrangements that are turned up way too high. With a musical that emphatically rides on its ability to get its lyrics across, we need to be able to understand what these family members are singing about, what they’re going through. An easily fixable problem one assumes could be and should be remedied right away.

More like an operetta, the music carries the characters, themes and mood along in this work. The story’s in the lyrics. Remember “Rent?” Then you’ve got the right idea.

“Next to Normal” opens with “Just Another Day,” a folk-style guitar lament, in which we discover this family’s day — or life — is anything but normal. The mom, Diana, is bipolar. We immediately know something is off when we see her uncanny way of fixing a meal (on the floor) and the family’s way of dealing with the dilemma.

There is a lot of musical layering in all 38 numbers, with the mother, son, father and daughter expressing their individual takes on myriad difficult situations — grief, lack of intimacy, fear of relationships — through refrains and reprises. And of course, every family has its secrets.

There’s some incredible musicianship with numbers backed by guitar, piano and violin, but as usual with Camelot musicals, the source remains a mystery. Wherever the music comes from, we have the very talented director, Alex Boyles, to thank for the orchestral arranging.

“Who’s Crazy/My Psychopharmacologist and I” sings Diana. It’s a great number. “I call it a lover’s game,” she continues. “He knows my deepest secrets; I know his name.” She then goes through a litany of side effects she’s experiencing from the medications, complaining that she doesn’t feel anything, to which the doctor pronounces her “stable.”

Another standout song is “I Miss the Mountains,” a beautiful folk-style ballad. Diana sings, “I miss the mountains; I miss the pain.” She just wants to feel again, the medications have rendered her incapable of experiencing life to its fullest. The moving Celtic-style interludes attest to it.

We discover the grief, loss and desires of each of the four family members. We find out Dan, the father (Zach Virden), has been a loving enabler. Joey Larimer as the adult son Gabe, is a furtive figure, present but not fully there (we later discover why). There’s the teen daughter, Natalie, played by Marin Alexis, longing for intimacy and normal relationships with her boyfriend and her father. Austin Kelly plays her unconditionally caring boyfriend.

Then there’s Diana, played by Rebecca K. Campbell, who can’t remember what event catapulted her into this madness, yet on some intuitive level there is a knowing. Rigo Jimenez, as the psychiatrist, is like a magician pulling out the next “remedy” to try and regulate Diana’s emotions, eventually achieving a modicum of success.

All the cast members have strong, solid, expressive voices. Virden had a bit of trouble, going flat on a number of phrases and notes, but with time he’ll improve. Sometimes some of the toughest singing involves picking up and carrying melodic lines tossed at you from other singers.

There’s minimal but interesting scaffolding as set design by Oliver Quant, violet, nuanced lighting by Evan Carbone, and simple, character-revealing clothing by Jason Kramer.

In this day and age, family mental health issues have become the norm, not the exception. Even with that, we don’t always understand the isolation and grief people experience, nor the time it takes to come to terms with these issues. This musical tome brings it into the light, with dignity and compassion.

Performances of “Next to Normal,” at the Camelot Theatre,101 Talent Ave., Talent, are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays, March 27-April 21. Tickets are $38. Tickets and information available at camelottheatre.org or 541-535-5250. Group and discounted season packages, as well as special rate performances, are available. The Box Office is open three hours before performances, or by appointment.