Alice Ripley/next to normal in Barcelona

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 2/15/22 at 2:41pm

Has anyone heard anything about this since it was announced back in October? I wonder if after all the drama with Ripley it’s been canceled…it was such a weird and shocking announcement though, I’m very curious.

Updated On: 2/15/22 at 02:41 PM

[binau]

Posted: 2/15/22 at 2:51pm

I haven’t. However, I am happy to give the goss if it goes ahead because I will certainly be attending. The whole thing seems so weird!!

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 2/15/22 at 2:53pm

I will be there as well. Let’s hope!

[binau]

Posted: 4/1/22 at 3:33am

Well it’s still on with Ripley. And Adam pascal as a pre recorded doctor?? Eagerly want to know dates. 

[binau]

Posted: 4/28/22 at 2:56pm

Tickets are so cheap, about $38! Going to go twice, can't wait! I saw Ripley near the end of the n2n tour back in 2011 (where she was in horrible voice). Curious to see what she is like in the role now. 

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 4/28/22 at 5:33pm

binau said: "Tickets are so cheap, about $38! Going to go twice, can't wait! I saw Ripley near the end of the n2n tour back in 2011 (where she was in horrible voice). Curious to see what she is like in the role now."

Tickets are cheap because it’s not a full production. It’s only 60 minutes long. 

[binau]

Posted: 4/28/22 at 5:39pm

Tell that to the producers of Six. 

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 4/28/22 at 6:34pm

binau said: "Tell that to the producers of Six."

Six is a full production.

[hewhoshallnotbenamed2]

Posted: 4/29/22 at 7:56am

binau said: "Tell that to the producers of Six."

Well, Six is 90 minutes, and is definitely a full production.

[binau]

Posted: 4/29/22 at 8:09am

My recollection of Six from the original west end production was about it is about 70 minutes and an almost static set with a few lights. Ok next to normal is 60 min (though maybe it’ll drag to 70) and also has a static (no) set but it has fancy lights (:p) and a Tony award winning star. 
 

Neither are what I’d describe as a full production, but I still perceive the value of this n2n production to be more than $38 for me. I think the real reason it’s cheap though because the venue can fit a lot of people and it’s Barcelona haha. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 4/29/22 at 9:56am

You guys are missing the key nuance here: 

There is no hard and fast rule about what length = a full production. It depends on the show, and depends on how it's done. Some shows are written/conceived to only run 1 hour, with minimal staging. Next to Normal was not. So it's possible for one show to be a full production while another is not, even if they're the same length, and have similar styles of staging.

HOWEVER, it seems like this production is being re-conceived by the director so that the abridged runtime and lack of production elements are incorporated into the directorial vision, to create an immerse sonic experiences with barebones visuals. Assuming the permission of the writers, this is a perfectly valid directorial approach. It's not the same as doing a 1-hour concert version at 54 Below. So in this case, yes even a truncated version of the show with barebones staging could still be considered a full production. 

The low price of the tickets could be some combination of: (1) regardless of what you call it, it was still cheap to put on and run due to the nature of the staging, and/or (2) this is in Europe, where I believe tickets tend to be cheaper. I'm not familiar with the arts situation in Spain, but I know in Europe it's more common to see government subsidies, and a general culture of lower ticket prices, partly a result of cheaper labor. Someone who's more familiar with the landscape in Spain specifically is welcome to correct me on that - it's just a guess based on my experiences in other European countries. 

[willrolandsframes]

Posted: 6/10/22 at 10:55am

Playbill released some production photos from Barcelona. Looks like it's still running through July 31st.

Link to photos

Has anyone gone to see this yet? Any reviews at all?

[OhBoy17]

Posted: 6/10/22 at 11:10am

Performances start July 6.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/10/22 at 2:40pm

Wild they'd release footage this early. Are they rehearing for the next month? 

[Rainbowhigh23]

Posted: 6/10/22 at 5:24pm

The video looks incredible.   Love the remix of Prelude - wouldn't be surprised to hear it at a club in Ibiza.  I do wonder if they'd consider a run here in NYC,  especially with immersive exhibits doing so well lately. Alice has got a great gig this summer - free tapas and bringing Diana Goodman back to life.  

[threetwoone]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 11:39am

I’ll be at the first performance tonight! Anyone else going?

Last saw Alice in the national tour of the show in 2011 I guess it was. Couldn’t miss this so grabbed a ticket and a flight to Barcelona as soon as they went on sale. 
 

Will report back for anyone who is interested!

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 11:52am

Please keep us posted. It's interesting that the description it says no props, but in the trailer there are props. This looks very cool. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 12:14pm

I wonder if this could come to New York.

[BJR]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 4:28pm

Yeah I think it looks cool. Regardless of run-time, that looks like a full production.

[threetwoone]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 4:50pm

Wow. Wow. Wow. What an experience! I really have nothing but positive things to say about this production. The orchestrations were really stunning. Alice’s tony performance is really exactly what it was in the original production, and her voice is in perfect shape. Her I miss the mountains sounded exactly like on the cast recording. It was so clean and crisp.

The truncated version of the show was a bit strange because I’m so familiar with the original, but it worked fine. If this ever had a life beyond Barcelona, I’d love them to find a runtime somewhere between this and the original. 

Some tech issues and missed cues, but it was their first performance of course. For that reason, I’ll refrain from commenting on the performances of the supporting cast. The standout to me was the actress playing Natalie, who was renamed to Natalia interestingly.

Something that I didn’t know I was missing from my life was a video cameo of Adam Pascal playing the rock start doctor on a FaceTime call. That was just so perfectly done.

This whole production could have easily gone a “cringe” route but the director steered it in the right direction. The audience went wild, and there were many tears to be seen.

If you’re a fan of Alice, or a fan of next to normal, this isn’t to be missed!

Any specific questions, ask away.

 

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 5:01pm

I would love  to see this. It's one of my big regrets to have missed seeing Alice in this.

[Rainbowhigh23]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 5:54pm

This would be amazing in NYC, could be the revival everyone is waiting for. 

[willrolandsframes]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 7:40pm

threetwoone said: "Wow. Wow. Wow. What an experience! I really have nothing but positive things to say about this production. The orchestrations were really stunning. Alice’s tony performance is really exactly what it was in the original production, and her voice is in perfect shape. Her I miss the mountains sounded exactly like on the cast recording. It was so clean and crisp.

The truncated version of the show was a bit strange because I’m so familiar with the original, but it worked fine. If this ever had a life beyond Barcelona, I’d love them to find a runtime somewhere between this and the original.

Some tech issues and missed cues, but it was their first performance of course. For that reason, I’ll refrain from commenting on the performances of the supporting cast. The standout to me was the actress playing Natalie, who was renamed to Natalia interestingly.

Something that I didn’t know I was missing from my life was a video cameo of Adam Pascal playing the rock start doctor on a FaceTime call. That was just so perfectly done.

This whole production could have easily gone a “cringe” route but the director steered it in the right direction. The audience went wild, and there were many tears to be seen.

If you’re a fan of Alice, or a fan of next to normal, this isn’t to be missed!

Any specific questions, ask away.

"

Were any songs or specific scenes cut? Curious to know how exactly they truncated Yorkey & Kitt’s work.

[threetwoone]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 8:49pm

Oh btw, there WERE props (birthday cake, music box, sandwiches, duffle bag in “So Anyway” etc.) so not sure where the “no props” thing came from.

From memory, most songs were severely shortened (Just Another Day, Perfect for You, Better than Before, A Light in the Dark), some were full or nearly full (I Miss the Mountains, I Am the One, I Am the One (reprise), Light), and some songs were cut completely (Everything Else, I’ve Been, Song of Forgetting, Why Stay/A Promise).

There were some book changes, mostly minor. For example, the music recital in “Make Up Your Mind / Catch Me I’m Falling” was cut, as were many spoken scene intros to songs (ie. “McGyver of pot” intro scene to “Superboy and the Invisible Girl&rdquo

So I’d say the majority of the cuts come from shortened and cut songs.

The show moved so quickly. Next to Normal already packs so much into such little time (med numbness, attempted suicide, ECT, memory loss) and so to have it all go by in half the runtime is a bit strange. But it still works. It’s like we enter Diana’s brain (imagine A LOT of neuron motifs) for a 60 min roller coaster ride.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 7/1/22 at 10:00pm

There are extended clips of I Miss The Mountains and Catch Me I’m Falling on YouTube. They are licensed clips and not bootleg.