Ripley's out of Next to Normal tonight- Page 4

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:07am

ALICE RIPLEY IS TEARING US APART!

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:08am

What would JFK say?

[FindingNamo]

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

That, frankly, is what makes this all so hilarious.

[NYadgal]

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

I'M. NOT. LAUGHING!

[luvtheEmcee]

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

I am!

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:12am

...but, I'm just a twat, so, what do I know?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:12am

I mean, is it really going to matter in a hundred years that Alice had a respiratory infection and missed the performance? That the Weisslers wouldn't let Donna Murphy talk about being sick during Wonderful Town? That Christina Applegate wore a funny boot? That Zoneace is a hemorrhoid on the butthole of humanity?

No, none of this will matter and we have Alice to remind us of this.

And as Elton "Not an egomaniac and not in it for the money AT ALL" John once sang, "All the young girls love Alice, tender young Alice they say...."

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:13am

NOTHING.

LESS than nothing.

Obviously.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:16am

If these gals are Theater Women Awesome Totally (TWATs), then I want to be one too!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:17am

I deem you honorary.

Even though I have not been called a twat.

Yet. (A synonym, though, many times!)

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:17am

We will wear ribbons to show our solidarity!

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:18am

You were called a bigot, though, Em.

We stand shoulder to shoulder!

Updated On: 6/10/09 at 01:18 AM

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:22am

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:22am

I miss those days.

[MusicInMyMind11]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 2:09am

So, I was also at the performance tonight. I was looking around the boards just to see if anyone knew what happened to Alice, and I can't help but add my opinion of the show.

First of all, I came up to NYC for my 'senior week'. Next to Normal was the FIRST show on my mind, and I convinced my friend to go by showing her all the youtube vids/reviews. We watched the Tony's together on sunday, and when Alice Ripley won, I was BEYOND excited to go.

I was walking around the city today, just counting down the minutes until I saw the show (yes, I was very excited), when I got a text saying tat Alice Ripley was not going to be on. I ran over to the theatre, and could almost immediately tell that she wasn't on because of just the mad house that was the box office. It was ridiculous! People were SCREAMING at the manager for refunds, demanding to know why she wasn't on. I was tempted to get a refund and just come back tommorow, but I talked to an usher who said that she had seen a quick glimpse of Phillip's rehearsal today, and said that she was very, very good.

I decided to chance it, and came back at 7. My friend and I had front row mezz tickets. I had totally forgotten in all the Alice Ripley hubbub that Kyle Dean Massey was on, and that made me a little happier. The house was about 80% full I'd have to say, but I'm sure it would have been WAY more full if everyone hadn't refunded (the line was HORRIBLE)

The show started about 20 minutes late, but the opening sequence was great. I know that not having seen Alice Ripley's performance, I can't compare the two, but I really did like Jessica Phillips. She gave a really playful edge to Diana, which, just from what I had known from the CD, fit well. From what I've seen on YouTube and listened to and such, I know that that wasn't Alice's style, but that's one of the reasons live theatre is live theatre - everyone brings their own take to a role. Really, Phillips did well, and I doubt that she will bring the show down.
Besides, if the show stays on for a while (which I hope and think it will!) Ripley is not always going to be in the role - someone new's going to be there. People need to get used to that idea.

Now, Kyle Dean Massey. He was good! He started off a little shaky in the beginning, but he really picked it up in I'm Alive. Also, my friend and I were AMAZED at how hot he was. He was very comfortable in the role I'd have to say - my friend didn't know that he was a new guy until after, he was just that comfortable and fluid. Of course, like any person's first night, there were a few tiny mistakes, but again, that's what makes live theatre live theatre.

So, overall the performance was good. It was nothing like the small trainwreck that I thought it was going to be because Alice Ripley was out. I'd go see Jessica Phillips again!

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 2:18am

People were SCREAMING at the manager for refunds, demanding to know why she wasn't on.

I know it's the policy to refund when actors billed above the title are out, but I wouldn't if they were literally screaming. don't be a db, people.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 2:22am

I didn't see anyone SCREAMING at anyone else for refunds. Or demanding to know why she wasn't on.

The people I saw seemed clearly annoyed she wasn't in it (I mean, a lot of the people there tonight were her fans coming to cheer her on after her win...and of course fans of the show) but either waited for a refund on the line or took their seats.

It's not like there were riots erupting in the Booth Theater because Alice Ripley wasn't on...

[MusicInMyMind11]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 2:24am

Honestly, I didn't mean that like riots. I was generalizing the fact that people were very, very angry (at least from what I saw).

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 2:28am

Really? Hmm...I didn't see anyone too visibly upset.

[MusicInMyMind11]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 2:30am

I did. especially when I went in to double check that Ripley wasn't on at about 4:15-4:30. This one lady was getting really angry with the manager. Later, I saw another woman getting pretty angry also.

I'm not trying to fight you on this, I promise! It's just what I saw. You may have seen something totally different.
Updated On: 6/10/09 at 02:30 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 5:40am

Angry is just silly. Disappointed is not.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 5:47am

I was in the middle of all the crowd by the time it was closer to showtime (say 6:30 or so) people were calm, but there was a lot of confusion as a) there was a computer glitch that shut down the goings on for about 5-10 minutes (which is why the show started late, so many people were picking up tickets), and b) then people were on the line to refund or exchange until the house manager and another man finally came out and said the line was only to pick up tickets. Those of us who wanted to refund or exchange were put in another waiting zone.

After that point, the only real thing that was causing upsestness was the box office workers flat out refusal to do straight exchanges even after the house manager told them to. They kept saying stuff like "this way you'll get all your service charges back, the other way you wouldn't." So...I would LOSE money just flat-out exchanging my ticket? Not if I got a ticket for the same price-zone. Their logic made no sense. The house manager was amazingly gracious and is working at least with me (I don't know if anyone else had the same issue with them and that. But she is working with me when I repurchase my ticket because she had told them at least TWICE that after the show started they would be EITHER refunding or flat-out exchanging depending on what we wanted to do.)

Let me add that until last night I had never had a problem with any of the Booth box office workers. But the smugness of the men working last night was uncalled for. The one who started the whole mess by saying that he would refund the ticket first, then we would purchase another one ~ which prompted the house manager to put the two of us in there outside so she could talk to them and tell them to do flat exchanges ~ was particularly snarky when the other one AGAIN went the refund route, basically saying "I told you so." Completely uncalled for.

So to further explain... I was *disappointed* that Alice was out. I was *angry* at the box office workers refusing to do what they had been told (flat out exchanges). Though should that statement about the absence that was issued at the stage door prove to be true, *angry* may overtake *disappointed* on that front. I gotta be honest about that.

Updated On: 6/10/09 at 05:47 AM

[TJ2]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 6:21am

I was there last night too and want to add some thoughts. I went it wanting to like Jessica and realizing it was probably really tough for her to go on last night (when so many were there to see Alice). Unfortunately, I was incredibly disappointed. Her voice, though very good, is not right for the role. She sang the score almost in a pop/top 40 kind of way. Her acting made it seem like she thought the whole thing was a joke, but then occasionally she had these angry outbursts. It was odd. At times, it made me cringe.

Despite my thoughts about how she played the role, I was glad to see the audience was incredibly supportive and positive.

[kate86]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 7:00am

she just took a day of vocal rest and will be back tonight.
(according to her facebook)

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 7:24am

There's more DRAH-MAH in this thread than there is onstage at the Booth.