Alice and Emily - What a night!

I went last night to see the divine Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley in concert at Town Hall. Having seen 'Side Show' twice in it's limited run, and seeing them together in concert after the release of their 'Duets' cd, I was very excited. They certainly did not dissapoint...one minor quibble was I would have liked them to sing a bit more together...and songs I wanted to hear. For those interested, here was their set list:

Two's Company/Little Me - Emily/Alice
I'd Rather Wake Up By Myself - Emily
Cigarette Dream/Last Smoker in America - Alice
Sleepy Man - Emily
I Miss The Mountains - Alice
No One Is Alone - Emily
Every Day A Little Death - Emily/Alice
Broadway Baby - Alice
Sisters/Ohio - Alice/Emily
Trouble - Emily/Alice
Poor Unfortunate Souls - Emily
You Have To Be There - Alice (great song from 'Kristina')
Come Up and See Me Sometime - Emily
Past My Prime - Alice/Emily
Lazy Afternoon - Emily
She's Gone - Alice (cut from 'Side Show')
Who Will Love Me As I Am? - Emily/Alice
I Will Never Leave You - Alice/Emily

I probally should not mention this, but Emily wore THE most unflattering blouse during the first act I have ever seen!

Also, for those who missed it, the show was being recorded for cd release on Bruce Kimmel's new label Kriterland.

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Updated On: 10/22/06 at 09:39 AM

No, Alice sounded absolutely great last night.....

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I came up from DC to see this concert and was extremely excited. I have seen both Emily and Alice in other things but never together. Heck, I even bought a ticket to see "On the Record" (but of course, Emily left the show a few weeks after I bought it, but for probably a good reason). It was seriously the best concert I have ever seen- having seen many of my favorite performers take the stage in this kind of setting.

For the person who asked, no, Alice was mostly in fine voice- both while belting and singing legit. She was a little tired by the end ("She's Gone" was weaker than on the recording), but its not like her voice was shot. No one could touch her on her solo songs, and I loved the fact that she sang songs that have not been previously recorded (from Kristina, Little Fish etc). Emily, who has mostly been my "favorite" of the two, was also in great voice. I am particularly glad that since this concert will be recorded, I will have a better version of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" without just a piano accompanying her. Seriously, she owns that song and its a shame she most likely won't be performing the role on Broadway. I would even see it!

I also had a minor quibble on some of the song choices (would have liked more duets and have never really cared for "Its a Lazy Afternoon), but loved that fact that they closed with Side Show. I have seen that show, but not with them in it, so it was a special treat for me as the show has a special place in my heart. The audience went crazy and it was nice to be part of a audience which clearly knew and appreciated the performers.

In an era where virtually any broadway pop belter gets adored by a young fan base, it was great to see two performers who clearly love performing musical theatre, have acting skills and relate well to the message of the song instead of just screaming, and incredible technique. I hope to see both of them back on stage again in a show, but even if they don't, I am really glad I had the opportunity to see them perform.

I also saw Chorus Line and Grey Gardens on my trip, but this was easily the highlight.

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Updated On: 10/22/06 at 10:22 AM

Alice sounded pretty great to my ears. My favorite of her numbers was "I Miss The Mountains" from FEELING ELECTRIC.

And Emily both sings...and ACTS...the crap out of everything she touches. "No One Was Alone" was thrilling, and her Mae West tribute was a riot.

I'd love to see these two dolls host the Tonys.

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I loved after poor unfortunate soul, when Alice came out and went "Well, that was ****ing amazing!"

Hilarious!

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Benny Andersson has confirmed that Alice Ripley will play the role of Ulrika in the musical Kristina. The song she sang that night (if i interpreted the title right) is however sung by the main character Kristina.

I must sound so very, very stupid, but... they're sisters right?

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Laura, that's my arm... in your picture with Emily. Trying to hide from the onset of people.

Aw, shucks. That's what they all say!

I didn't notice much vocal difference after Alice's "Christina" - she, (like Emily) has great stage charisma and knows how to sell a song, which makes up for any vocal blips.

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So with this concert going on, does anyone know who played The Lady of the Lake on Saturday night?

Lauren Kennedy did. Marin Mazzie starts on October 31st!

The Alice/Emily concert wouldn't have affected who played The Lady of the Lake on Saturday evening...

Oh, luckily Emily showed up! She only seems to have absence problems in New York...she didn't miss a performance at the Kennedy Center MAME this summer! (and she was a fabulous Gooch)