Ripley's out of Next to Normal tonight- Page 3

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/9/09 at 11:50pm

I'm sure she went balls to the wall in her couple of performances leading up to the Tonys performance, and then on the telecast, so maybe that took it's toll? I would imagine after two full days of resting and sleeping in she should be fine. at least there's no matinee tomm for her.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/9/09 at 11:55pm

Three words: Donna Murphy redux.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:01am

Shush. Donna Murphy is AMAZING!

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:01am

Two words: Carrie Fisher

[Kicks8567]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:02am

I have to disagree with all the negative comments regarding Jessica's performance. While she played Diana very differently than Alice, I thought she did an excellent job and sang the role beautifully.

[heo1128]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:04am

How old is Phillips? I'd say easily 28 or 29...way too young looking for Diana. That coupled with Kyle Dean Massey's manly looks, and things got a little awkward.

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:06am

28-18=10

Doesn't seem right.
Updated On: 6/10/09 at 12:06 AM

[HBBrock]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:08am

Does anyone have any idea if Ripley will be back tomorrow night? We have tickets and I would be VERY disappointed if she wasn't.

[heo1128]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:15am

One hugely positive thing about tonight was the audience. I was afraid the audience be bitter about not seeing Alice, but everyone really cheered Phillips on. Whether or not you care for her performance, you have to admit that's GOT to be a lot of pressure, making your Broadway debut, the night after the woman you're covering wins the Tony.

[Sondheim_Geek]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:28am

Just got back from the show...full review tomorrow, but...

I thought Jessica Phillips was terrific. She played the role different than Ripley...but it wasn't a bad thing...at all. Please keep in mind that I am an ARDENT Ripley supporter; largely the reason why I had planned to go tonight, and I really enjoyed Jessica's performance. I was loving her from "Just Another Day." I found it eerie how similar the two looked back to when Ripley had the long hair at 2ST. Jessica was much more subtle and subdued that Ripley and much less manic and exaggerated. The score was sang exactly as written and she was always pitch perfect, however I do miss how Alice always stood out on top of the harmonies. Phillip's made a few acting choices that were a bit different, but none came across as glaring, just different interpretations.

She did what every good understudy does: She plays the role her own, not mimicking what her lead does, yet keeping the essence of that interpretation that has become expected and defines the role. Honestly, I would love to see her become the matinee Diana, if that ever were to happen.

In regards to Kyle Dean Massey, he started a bit rough. Some of his harmonies in Who's Crazy were off, but by I'm Alive he was clearly much more comfortable in the role and it showed. His age shows a bit more than Aaron's did onstage.

After the show and at the stage door, Phillips was greeted by screaming and thunderous applause. She stated that the decision for her to go on was made by THE CREATIVE TEAM as she had rehearsed almost exclusively with Kyle and they thought that it would be best for the two of them to go on together, rather than throwing Ripley in there. So, for the record, Ripley didn't "call out."

The show started a bit later than usual and was only about half full at 7:00. By the time the show started (a bit after 7:15), the orchestra (where I was) was 90% full.

Please don't let a few naysayers give Phillips a bad reputation as Alice's understudy. With another performance or two under her belt, she will be a great, albeit younger, Diana Goodman.

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:29am

its seems that the only one who thought Phillips was bad was Adamgreer.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:33am

Don't fricking shush me, RippedMan.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:33am

If David Stone purposely put Phillips on tonight, then he must not care about the financial well-being of his show, considering how much money he lost tonight.

That makes ZERO Sense.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:33am

She stated that the decision for her to go on was made by THE CREATIVE TEAM as she had rehearsed almost exclusively with Kyle and they thought that it would be best for the two of them to go on together, rather than throwing Ripley in there. So, for the record, Ripley didn't "call out."


- So they risked losing a lot of money tonight just so Kyle could have a smooth start with whom he rehearsed with? Does that make sense?

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:34am

I'm sorry, but I HIGHLY doubt that they would make Alice miss her first show after winning a Tony. That just sounds ridiculous. Other people said they heard directly from David Stone and Jessica Phillips that Alice has an upper respiratory infection. Regardless of how Jessica's performance was, I imagine it was very tough for her because she knew that nobody wanted to see her. I hope Alice recovers very soon.

[heo1128]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:38am

"If David Stone purposely put Phillips on tonight, then he must not care about the financial well-being of his show, considering how much money he lost tonight.

That makes ZERO Sense."

Agreed. That scenario sounds incredibly suspicious to me, though I'm not sure why Phillips would lie to you.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:41am

Namo beat me to it: Donna Murphy.

Tsk, tsk, tsk, Alice.

Updated On: 6/10/09 at 12:41 AM

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:42am

oh yeah, missing one show really makes her donna murphy, you're just as much of a twat as foster is adgal.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:44am

Do you think it's a contract renegotiation ploy? That's a rumor I heard. I mean, that's a rumor I started.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:51am

Oh shush Namo.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:52am

...edited just because it isn't worth it to acknowledge Zoneace's assinine statement.

Updated On: 6/10/09 at 12:52 AM

[Sondheim_Geek]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:58am

I don't think that Phillips meant it exclusively like that, maybe I could have been clearer. It seemed as more of a sum of the issues. I heard her say this to another individual about fifteen feet away.


*edited for spelling* Updated On: 6/10/09 at 12:58 AM

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:02am

Maybe this decision was made by the creative team, and, upon seeing the amount of people trying to get refunds, Stone got upset. I obviously don't knkow...just a conjecture.

[heo1128]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:05am

Did anyone else think that Jennifer Damiano gave a particularly...agitated performance? She seemed more pissed off than usual haha.

[Sondheim_Geek]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:05am

The line for refunds was long, but the theater did seem pretty full from the orchestra once the show started at almost 7:20.