Alice Ripley's replacement in N2N?- Page 2

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 2:54pm

I agree, but I think NEXT TO NORMAL could be an exception.

Murney has a great history with some of Tom Kitt's music, and (as has been mentioned) delivers a stunning rendition of "So Anyway." She totally has the right intense sensibility for the role too.

But, as I've said before, I still think Jessica Molaskey is as ideal a Diana as you'd be able to find.

Too bad the show won't run past Ripley.

Updated On: 8/13/09 at 02:54 PM

[mina3]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 3:03pm

I can't even express how much I would LOVE to see Julia replace Alice. The first time I saw the show at Second Stage, I actually wondered if Julia might have played the role if the run hadn't followed so closely after her run in Wicked. Obviously Alice was the right choice, but I still think Julia would be fantastic. It's all speculation at this point, of course, but I'll admit to holding out hope.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 3:15pm

I'd love it for Daphne Rubin-Vega to replace Ripley or at least to play the role regionally at some point.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 3:37pm

Personally, I'd love to see Pia Douwes play Diana.

[chenofan]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 3:46pm

Would love to see Pia as well!
also:
DRV
Sherie
Rachel York
Heather Headly - in a very different take on the role

As far as Julia goes,I am a fan, but about 60% of the time at WICKED she SHOULD have called out. When she was one she was brilliant but she struggled through a lot of the performances. Maybe all is better these days though, I have no idea.

[the_white_page]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 3:50pm

Not that it would ever happen... but Toni Collette would be brilliant.

[chenofan]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 3:54pm

She would be!! you might have to change some keys, but she would be amazing!

Posted: 8/13/09 at 3:55pm

Heather Headley is not a good choice, IMO.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 3:55pm

I've said it before, and I know she's busy, but I think Carolee Carmello could be excellent.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 3:58pm

"As far as Julia goes,I am a fan, but about 60% of the time at WICKED she SHOULD have called out. When she was one she was brilliant but she struggled through a lot of the performances. Maybe all is better these days though, I have no idea."

Julia has in fact acknowledged this. But Saved came after Wicked, didn't it? Was she showing any signs of vocal fatigue then?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 4:05pm

Julia has in fact acknowledged this. But Saved came after Wicked, didn't it? Was she showing any signs of vocal fatigue then?

Hard to say, as she had very little to do in Saved. Her one song was very simple and not at all difficult.

[lisaatje009]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 4:07pm

Okay, I don't really know why, but I freaked out when I saw a picture of Pia Douwes appearing in this topic. It's probably just because I love it when people on this board talk about Dutch performers. And It's funny, because from the moment this show opened on Broadway I have been thinking that when it ever comes to Holland (which is probably never going to happen, but I'll keep dreaming) Pia should play Diana. She would be great on Broadway too.. I just can;t believe that people are suggesting, not here but on other sites, that Stephanie J. Block should play this part. I mean, we need someone who can act! Stephanie doesn't really belong in that categorie.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 4:07pm

Matt - no she didn't, at all, but Saved was hardly a vocally demanding role for her.

Julia would absolutely be brilliant in this role. She is an actress and would break everyone's heart every night. Elphaba may not have been the role for her, but I have no doubt if she tried to tackle this role it would be stunning. Her voice is perfect for it and her acting would be out of this world.

Just my opinion.

EDIT: And her So Anyway is out of this world.

Updated On: 8/13/09 at 04:07 PM

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 4:34pm

I know that Julia is old enough to be the mother of two children like Diana is (...well, uh...) but she doesn't appear that way when she's onstage.

[Kelly2]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 4:35pm

I'd love to see Kaitlin Hopkins take it on. She'd be amazing.

Also, the idea of Orfeh is an interesting one. Her take on the role would be wildly different than Alice's, but definitely not in a bad way, IMO. She's a little young to play a mother of an 18 year old though. The vocals would be out of this world, far beyond what Ripley does with the score, absolutely.

Updated On: 8/13/09 at 04:35 PM

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 4:44pm

Isn't Orfeh in her late thirties?

Considering Diana got pregnant with Gabe when she was an undergrad, that puts her at almost the exact appropriate age (though I don't think she could be any more wrong for the role in terms of type or voice.)

Lisa Brescia would be terrific.

Updated On: 8/13/09 at 04:44 PM

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 4:48pm

I think it's more a matter of how old the actress looks.

[saveusmike]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 7:23pm

I love the show but I personally see the show ending with the original cast.
It doesnt strike me as a show that can run for years and years..

[Kelly2]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 7:40pm

You can speculate about her chronological age if you'd like, but the simple fact is she does not LOOK old enough to be the mother of Gabe and Natalie, given their ages.

I still think Kaitlin Hopkins would make a brilliant Diana, she has the voice that Alice is missing, she looks perfect for the role...

And in a hypothetical movie version of the show, Allison Janney would also be wonderful, though I will admit vocally she probably couldn't handle the score.

Updated On: 8/13/09 at 07:40 PM

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 7:43pm

"Lisa Brescia would be terrific"
YES!!! I actually saw her in WICKED on Broadway (Stephanie J. Block was out that night) and she was the only thing I liked about that show. She is a powerhouse performer that genuinely deserves to play a meaty role.

Updated On: 8/14/09 at 07:43 PM

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 7:44pm

I like the ideas of Sherie Rene Scott, Lisa Brescia, and Orfeh.

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 7:53pm

Sherie Rene Scott played Diania in a reading. There are clips of it on YouTube and she sounded quite good, but I don't think she'd ever step in as a replacement. I can not imagine Orfeh singing "Didn't I See This Movie?".

Updated On: 8/14/09 at 07:53 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 8:01pm

Sherie was the first ever Diana, in the Cutting Room Floor reading.

As much as I love her (and her version of the original "Didn't I See This Movie?" is fab), I don't feel she is right for the show as it is now.

[BwayBoundJoe]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 8:04pm

I just see Orfeh singing the line "YOU DON'T KNOW!" and somehow trying to riff it up. Idk.

[Parks]

Posted: 8/13/09 at 8:10pm

I'd LOVE to see Rachel York take on the role--whoever brought that up, random--but I like your thinking. I have yet to see Rachel York do anything less than brilliant on stage.