Best times to catch Ripley (and not Pearl) in the N2N Tour- Page 2

[geaj]

Posted: 4/8/11 at 8:25pm

We're fourth row. Tell me what we'll miss, so I can look forward to it! LOL! I agree, sometimes too close is not so good.

[Broadway Bob*]

Posted: 4/8/11 at 10:49pm

Alice was NOT on this past Wednesday night (4/6) in Pittsburgh. It's the second time she's been out for me (so saw Jessica Phillips on Broadway and now Pear Sun on tour) and I'm starting to take it personally. (I also saw the breathtakingly amazing Marin Mazzie on Broadway!)

Just booked tickets to see it opening night in Cleveland and the following week's Thursday night performance is already part of my season subscription. So here's hoping!!!

[musical_ash_09]

Posted: 4/8/11 at 11:14pm

Good luck Broadway Bob! I'll let ya know if she performs Sunday.

[geaj]

Posted: 4/9/11 at 8:40pm

She performed at the matinee in Pittsburgh today. I'm glad I got to see her! Thanks everyone for the information last night!

[PurpleFanta]

Posted: 4/9/11 at 11:54pm

Apparently she's out tonight, so I'm glad you got to see her at the matinee geaj. How did she sound?

[massofmen]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 12:42am

do people not know how to sing anymore? Your voice shouldn't be "shredded" at the end of a run. Its a muscle like any other. If you use it correctly it will grow stronger not weaker if using it correctly.
I don't get this.

[Dave516]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 1:39am

Saw the show in Hartford last week. Show definitely was more personal on Broadway. It was still phenomenal, but the show worked better in a smaller house. The show was still fabulous. I was very impressed with all of the leads. It was great to see Alice in that role again...she still commanded that stage and gave a great performance, but I do have to agree with everybody else and say that she needs some serious vocal rest! I love Alice's voice, but she was pitchy to the point where it was painful at times. And I don't know if it is just the fatigue or if she does this now to "save" her voice, but it was very glottal and closed-sounding. I Hope that she gets the rest she needs because she does deliver a fantastic performance!

[geaj]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 3:47am

Purple, I'll agree with Musical... a little raspy, but I loved every min of it! That woman owns that role, and you could feel her love for it! I watched some Youtubes, and she definately sings a little different, but you can feel her love for the role. That did it for me! I feel that I got my money's worth!

[geaj]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 4:03am

I CAN spell...just not definite with LY on the end! LOL! By the way... a funny story... We were driving away, and our friend said, "Hey, there's Gabe" We stopped at the light, and he asked us for directions to Station Square. He signed gladly! We were so starstruck that we didn't even offer him a ride!

[rorschach37]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 5:35pm

I'm hoping to catch the show when it hits DC. Think she'll perform on closing night?

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 10:47pm

I was 3rd row orchestra pit on Saturday night in Pittsburgh, so you can imagine I was a but disappointed to see Pearl's name on the understudy board, but I was quickly impressed by her!

I absolutely love Asa Somers in the role of Dan, too. To me, he's just somehow more real and believable than Bobby Spencer was.

I look forward to seeing Alice in Cleveland!

[Idinster87]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 11:24pm

I'm going to see Alice in both Cleveland and Chicago! Also, Alice will be performing a solo concert in Chicago on May 2 at Stage 773. There's a video contest about it now on BWW. I think it's the only one she's doing on this tour and I haven't seen her since her Joe's Pub days so I can't wait!!

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 11:30pm

I have no idea why she is doing concerts when she is not showing up to every show. Kind of ridiculous.

[musical_ash_09]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 11:38pm

Tonight was the last show in Pittsburgh and Pearl was on. I was taken by her performance! Her voice was such a change from Alice's. Although I prefer Ripley's portrayal of the part. Pearl Had a couple moments where her lines were mixed up but nothing that could really be noticed by somebody seeing the show for the first time. I actually prefered her voice to Ripley's. It was so clean and precise.

I was sitting front row and dead center. AMAZING! It just gave such a bigger impact. I could actually see the tears falling off of Emma's cheeks. And actually seeing Asa Somers cry tore me up. The cast was rocking it tonight. The emotions that were showing on the stage could be felt to the very back of the house. I even saw my mom tearing up a bit. Having the chance to see the Show in the front Mez and then two days later in the very front row really gave an awesome view to the show. I would have loved to see Ripley perform the role up close but I'm just as happy with Pearl.

Asa and Emma were still the two big standouts to me. Their emotions and acting really went above and beyond anything I've seen in a while.

Overall both performances were spectacular. It's been a while since I have walked out of a show and had that little rush of energy because I know I have just witnessed something amazing and emotionally charged.

I just want to see it again!

[Eos]

Posted: 4/11/11 at 12:18am

I'm glad to hear your report, musical_ash. The show starts here in St. Louis Tuesday (in the HUGE but beautiful Fox Theatre) and I had a feeling she would miss the last evening show in Pittsburgh. It'll be here from the 12th til the 24th, and there's a good deal of press about the show, so I figured the best time to catch Alice would be on opening night. I'm actually seeing it 3 times while it's here (I love the show...) but wanted to make sure I saw Alice. I'm sure I'll see Pearl too, though. Looking forward to a different take on it.

[aliceripleysnumber1]

Posted: 4/11/11 at 9:20am

Eos, I'm pumped for the St. Louis run as well. I saw Alice perform the role on broadway twice, but my boyfriend has never seen her, so I really hope she is on when we see the show on Wednesday here in STL. I'm glad to hear that Pearl does well in the role, too - but there's nothing like seeing Ripley as Diana. We can only see this show once while it's here, so I'm actually really nervous about her not being in. . .

[binau]

Posted: 4/11/11 at 11:40am

I am insane. Booked tickets to all 4 weekend shows in Charlotte, NC - flights, and hotels. I figure Ripley will perform at least one weekend show (otherwise, 50% attendance is quite poor). So excited, though.

[aliceripleysnumber1]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 1:55pm

Well, we saw the show last night, and Pearl Sun was in for Ripley. I was so disappointed to see the cast board when I walked in the theater. We had 2nd row seats, and I was pumped about seeing Ripley's fierceness again. Let me tell you, Pearl Sun was pretty darn fierce herself! I think she has really put her own spin on this role, and she pulls it off! She's no Alice Ripley, of course - - but I still thoroughly enjoyed myself. The only thing that I really missed was seeing Alice's manic episodes of anger. When Pearl got angry, it lacked the feel of.."damn, this bitch is MAD" And you didn't feel her pain quite as much. Alice BECOMES Diana on stage...and Pearl acts like Diana on stage..she acts it well, but yeah...that's the best way I can describe it.

We had the understudy (Jason Watson) for Dan, too, but he was fantastic as well! Seeing him get all teary-eyed during "You Don't Know/I am the One" was heartbreaking, indeed! Great singing voice, and good acting chops!

Emma Hunton as Natalie was superb, also. I actually think I like her take on the role better than Damiano. You can tell that she really puts her heart and soul into portraying her, and she KNOWS how she wants you to perceive Natalie. I enjoyed her playfulness/sarcastic glances and actions over Damiano's plain angst. She shows Natalie as multi-layered. Loved her.

Curt was ok as Gabe. I found him annoying me at times, and I didn't feel that from Aaron or Kyle Dean. And Preston and Jeremy were fine as Henry and the doctors, respectfully. I wasn't blown away by them, but they did a good job. Jeremy messed up a few lines here and there, I noticed, which kind of surprised me.

Overall, it was fantastic. Seeing it again next Thursday before it leaves St. Louis, and I hope that Alice is back in. :)

[musical_ash_09]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 2:00pm

We had the understudy (Jason Watson) for Dan, too, but he was fantastic as well

I really hope you get to see Asa play Dan. It was a knockout performance for me both times I saw him.

As for Ripley's attendance When I was waiting for the doors to open for the last performance in Pittsburgh I heard a few of the ushers talking and according to the Ripley missed quite a bit. Then I also heard an audience member had tried three times to see her in Pittsburgh to no luck.

Updated On: 4/14/11 at 02:00 PM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 2:07pm

I think, by this point, you should probably consider yourself lucky if you didn't see Ripley, and I say this as someone who has always been a fan. I saw the show on Tuesday night and yes, she was in it, but that's about all I can say positively about her. Her voice sounded terrible, and her phrasing is full of weird affectations that I'm not sure are due to straining for the notes or if it's a character choice. Her performance itself was rather subdued all around. The rest of the cast was decent, although I thought Asa Somers started veering into overacting towards the end of the second act.

[grandpianoalex]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 2:10pm

I suggest seeing Saturday Matinées. Ripley says those are her favorite shows of the week. I'm seeing the matinée this Saturday and Ripley said she will "most def" be in.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 2:10pm

And Preston and Jeremy were fine as Henry and the doctors, respectfully. I wasn't blown away by them, but they did a good job. Jeremy messed up a few lines here and there, I noticed, which kind of surprised me.

I loved Jeremy in both this and Jersey Boys, but if you'd ever seen him in the latter, you'd know that going to a performance where he said all the lines in the script correctly, and in the right order, was kind of a special occasion.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 2:18pm

She's getting decent reviews on the road, so I guess I'm in the minority, but I felt like I was at a different show on Tuesday than most of the reviews I've read.

[steven22]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 2:40pm

I love Alice as Diana (saw her on broadway 6 times) BUT towards the middle to end of her broadway run, her voice was shot completely. Bring in Marin Mazzie to the tour. She is unbelievable as Diana. Literally, will blow your mind. Not a huge fan of Jason Daniely (her husband) as Dan.

[aliceripleysnumber1]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 3:41pm

Phyllis...I am really on the fence about seeing Alice on the tour at this point. And that's saying a lot from me. I've been a huge fan of Alice's for over 10 years, and after seeing her on broadway twice - and being blown away, I was so excited to see her again on the tour. But, I haven't heard too many good things about her...and that makes me really sad. I'm afraid that she is doing permanent damage to her vocals after performing this role for the past 3 years. On one hand, I'd love to see her simply because she acts the S**t out of this role, but if her vocals are as bad as everyone is saying they are, maybe it's best for the audience to see Pearl perform it. It almost pains me to say that!

LizzieCurry, I remember seeing Jeremy in Aida back in 2002, and LOVED him. I definitely know how talented he is. And he was good in this, too...but the role itself doesn't leave too much to shine in. I loved his rock star stuff. :)