Ripley Departs NORMAL on Bway July 18; Leads Nat'l Tour This Fall

Alice Ripley, who received the 2009 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Next to Normal, will play her final Broadway performance on Sunday, July 18 at 7:30p.m. Ms. Ripley will reprise her acclaimed performance in the musical's entire 36-week multi-city North American tour, launching November 23 with a six-week engagement at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, followed by confirmed engagements in San Diego, Seattle, Des Moines, Providence, Hartford, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, St. Paul, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Washington, DC, and more cities to be announced in the near future.

Alice Ripley's portrayal of Diana Goodman, a woman crippled by mental illness, received unanimous critical acclaim when the show opened on Broadway in April 2009. Ben Brantley of The New York Times called her portrayal "the musical performance of the season" and Joe Dziemianowicz of the New York Daily News called it "a towering performance that leaves you tongue-tied for superlatives." Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press raved, "Alice Ripley is giving one of those fearless performances that is astonishing in its theatrical intensity and vocal commitment" and Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called Alice Ripley "simply magnificent. Ripley doesn't just occupy the stage - she owns it." In addition to the Tony Award, Ms. Ripley earned the Helen Hayes Award as well as Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations.

Ms. Ripley's numerous other Broadway credits include Side Show (Drama Desk, Tony Award nominations), The Rocky Horror Show, James Joyce's The Dead, Sunset Boulevard, The Who's Tommy. She also appeared on Broadway and on national tour in Les Misérables. Off-Broadway/regional theatre: Next to Normal, Five Flights, James Joyce's The Dead, The Vagina Monologues, Tell Me on a Sunday (Helen Hayes nomination), Shakespeare in Hollywood (Helen Hayes nomination), Company (Helen Hayes nomination). With her band RIPLEY, Alice has written and produced the albums Everything's Fine, Ripley EP and Outtasite.

Brian D'Arcy James, who recently returned to Next to Normal for a limited engagement, will also give his final Broadway performance on July 18.

Next to Normal has had a surprising and highly unlikely route to Broadway. The musical originally opened at Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre on February 13, 2008. Producer David Stone, who had been guiding the musical since 2005, took the unexpected step of bringing the show to Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage where it was significantly reworked, and then back to New York and to Broadway, where it opened to rave reviews on April 15, 2009. This unusual trajectory from a New York Off-Broadway premiere to an out-of-town regional theatre engagement and then back to New York is unprecedented.

Next to Normal was chosen as "one of the year's ten best" by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Time Out New York, New York Daily News, The Bergen Record, and NY1 - more than any other musical from that season.

Winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three 2009 Tony Awards - Best Score, Best Actress in a Musical, and Best Orchestrations - Next to Normal features music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, and direction by Michael Greif. The creative team also includes Mark Wendland (set design), Jeff Mahshie (costume design), Kevin Adams (lighting design), and Brian Ronan (sound design). Musical staging is by Sergio Trujillo and musical direction by Charlie Alterman. Orchestrations are by Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt and vocal arrangements by AnnMarie Milazzo.

In addition to Ms. Ripley and Mr. James, the musical features Kyle Dean Massey, Tony Award nominee Jennifer Damiano, Adam Chanler-Berat, and Louis Hobson.

Next to Normal is produced by David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, and Second Stage Theatre.

SCHEDULE AND PRICING

Next to Normal is performed at the Booth Theatre (222 West 45th street) on the following schedule: Monday at 8pm, Tuesday at 7pm, Thursday at 8pm, Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 3pm & 7:30pm. Tickets, priced $26.50 - $121.50, are available at www.Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.