NEXT TO NORMAL Tour, With Alice Ripley, To Play PPAC March 22-27, 2011

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. Ms. Ripley will reprise her acclaimed performance in the musical's 36-week multi-city North American tour, which arrives at the Providence Performing Arts Center from March 22 - 27, 2011.

"Alice is one of the main reasons I wanted to bring the show to Broadway. Her performance has proved to be the stuff of Broadway legend," said producer David Stone. "We will miss her in the New York company, but I am thrilled she will be headlining the national tour and that audiences across the country will be able to see a true Broadway star giving a Tony-winning performance in their hometown."

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 said, "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, and 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), and Company (Helen Hayes nomination). With her band RIPLEY, Alice has written and produced the albums Everything's Fine, Ripley EP, and Outtasite.

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.

NEXT TO NORMAL is produced by David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, and Second Stage Theatre.

NEXT TO NORMAL is part of PPAC's 2010/2011 Broadway Series. New Broadway Series Subscribers can reserve their place now with just a $99.00 deposit. If you are interested in becoming a subscriber, contact Sharon Corcoran in Direct Response at (401) 574-3136, Monday through Friday, 9A to 5P, or the PPAC Box Office at (401) 421-ARTS (2787). Please note that Summer Box Office Hours begin Monday, June 7 and are Monday through Thursday, 10A to 3P.

Discounted admission is available for groups of 20 or more; for more information, contact Group Sales Coordinator Paul Hiatt at phiatt@ppacri.org or (401) 574-3162.

Additional Information
For more information on the tour & Broadway production visit www.NextToNormal.com or www.ppacri.org

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