Chances of Seeing Alice Ripley Opening Night in Cleveland?

[flyinghighwithwicked]

Posted: 6/5/11 at 11:07am

I have tickets to the Opening Night of N2N in Cleveland, and I have heard that Ripley's attendance is less than stellar. I know she is Originally from Cleveland, and that it is opening night, coming off a 2 week break, but what experiences have you all had on opening nights of N2N's tour? Is there a good chance she will be on?

[On the road...]

Posted: 6/5/11 at 11:57am

I think your chances are very good. Everyone in that town knows she's from there and everyone wants to see her. She did a convocation at Kent State University back in the fall before the tour went out and she said she wouldn't miss a performance in Cleveland. Whether she holds to that or not remains to be seen, but she knows that perhaps more so than other cities, Cleveland REALLY wants to see her.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 6/5/11 at 1:30pm

I'd also bet her attendance will be particularly good during the Cleveland run, but I'd say you're especially safe on opening night.

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 6/5/11 at 6:18pm

I'll be there opening night in Cleveland and I think it's safe to say this is one of the tour performances we're practically GUARANTEED to see Alice in. Cleveland has been making a HUGE, huge deal out of this show coming to town, especially with Alice in it, so unless something is seriously wrong, she'll be in that night.

"It's gonna be good!!" (Couldn't resist, sorry )

[flyinghighwithwicked]

Posted: 6/5/11 at 6:38pm

Thanks! Yeah, that's what I thought :)

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/5/11 at 7:08pm

I'm sure her friends, family, former classmates and mentors will be horrified at the state of her voice, especially if she does the entire Cleveland run.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 6/5/11 at 7:17pm

I would say she'll probably make it through at least the whole first week. There's a solid chance I'll be there opening night as well, but I hope that I'm able to see Pearl another day.

[steven22]

Posted: 6/5/11 at 8:25pm

Love me some Ripley BUT...bring in Marin!

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 6/11/11 at 1:52pm

A friend just told me that Pearl is on for today's matinee in Cleveland. So much for not missing a performance. I'll be there tomorrow afternoon, and I'm anticipating probably seeing Pearl.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/11/11 at 2:05pm

Yeah, I was gonna say people who are convinced Ripley's not gonna miss a show on ANY leg of the tour, hometown or not, are living in a fantasy world.

[jadcre1]

Posted: 6/11/11 at 6:53pm

I was at the matinee today, Pearl was on for Alice and was wonderful. Pearl has a really beautiful voice, and while she isn't as good an actress that Alice is she is more than adequate in the role. The show was amazing and although I looked forward to seeing Alice, she wasn't immensely missed.

[flyinghighwithwicked]

Posted: 6/11/11 at 9:43pm

Saw the show, I actually loved Alice. Saw her in NYC last year, and I think she is still wonderful in the role.

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 6/20/11 at 1:37am

Just got back from the final day of the tour in Cleveland.

I saw the show in Pittsburgh in April, as well as opening night in Cleveland on June 7th, and I must admit, I was shocked at the state Alice's voice was in. I finally understood what people were talking about.

HOWEVER! I don't know what the heck has happened to her over the past two weeks in Cleveland, but she suddenly sounds MUCH, MUCH better!!

It's a HUGE, very noticeable (and I must say, quite remarkable) improvement. The keys are still a bit lower, but she's not struggling anymore. She's hitting the high notes again with ease. Her voice is also clearer.

The rest of the cast were in top form today, as well. I saw both the matinee and the evening show, and all vocals/performances were at the same energy and quality level both times. Great day!

[binau]

Posted: 6/20/11 at 1:40am

Well, she just had two weeks off...

(edit: wait, you said she was bad at the start of Cleveland?? argh)


Well that's interesting and good to hear..I hope she maintains this for rest of the run.

Updated On: 6/20/11 at 01:40 AM

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 6/20/11 at 1:55am

I saw her twice during the Cleveland run: a week ago, Sunday's matinee (after she'd had both Saturday performances off) and then again Friday night. At Sunday's performance, I could tell that her voice was very weak, but it was okay at the beginning of the show. However, as it progressed, you could hear the strain creeping in. But then, on Friday, I finally had the worst reports confirmed. She could barely be understood, and you could tell the whole show was a struggle vocally. The people I was with both times commented on how distracting this was. Her performance on Broadway, which I saw two years ago, the week after the Tonys, remains one of the very finest I've ever seen, but things have really changed in those two years. However, her acting is still incredible, and she really owns this role. Too bad the vocals are becoming a bit too demanding for her in this vocal state.

[binau]

Posted: 6/20/11 at 2:00am

bwayfan7000, do you happen to know her schedule (i.e. which shows she missed) for the entire run?

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 6/20/11 at 2:06am

Not the entire run, but I know at least a handful for a fact:

Alice was for sure IN:

1st Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Sunday-both performances

2nd Friday
Saturday-both performances
Sunday-both performances

Alice was for sure OUT:

1st Saturday-both performances

So I guess the only ones I'm not sure about were Tuesday through Thursday of the second week. Though, with the shape her voice was in on the second Friday, I'd assume she was in all those performances. If this is true, she only missed two performances (both on the 1st Saturday). Not bad, considering her track record, but I'd be willing to bet her voice is absolutely shredded after this run.

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 6/20/11 at 8:50am

"I'd be willing to bet her voice is absolutely shredded after this run."

No, actually it's quite the opposite. She's in really great shape! And I'm not some delusional Alice fanboi saying this. I was VERY impressed!

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/28/11 at 9:09pm

So I broke down and got tickets for N2N in Toronto hoping to see Ripley again. Im going with a friend and we are hitting a Weds matinee during the second week. Im hoping Riley goes balls out and does all the shows since it is the last stop of the tour. Then again she might just shine it on. We shall see.

There's a ton of amazing seats available for all shows, so I wonder how well it is selling.

[WalkinglnSpace]

Posted: 6/28/11 at 9:47pm

I'm also seeing a Wednesday matinee of N2N in Toronto! On July 27th. I noticed when getting tickets there were so many seats still available, which really surprised me! I really hope I see Alice, I'm worried with it being a matinee. But I guess we shall see!

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 10:53am

N2N opened last night at the Kennedy Center in DC. Alice was in and she was great. Her voice seemed very different from song to song, depending on where Diana was emotionally and mentally.

I saw the show with two friends, one who knew nothing about it other than that it was about a family, one who knew the plot but hadn't heard the score. Each of us were blown away.

[BroadwayShowTime]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 1:56pm

Yeah, when Alice takes a few performances off she seems to be in better form. She just recently had plenty of rest while in Philly (a Saturday evening, both performances on a Sunday and the typical travel day Monday) I believe you guys should be fine at Weds matinee. She has stated it herself that she enjoys doing matinee performances.

I did find myself asking the question what happens if Alice is out and Pearl is on, but gets injured.. what happens then?

I guess it doesnt matter much now, now that the tour is almost complete..

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 2:59pm

I do honestly feel bad for people who show up wanting to see Alice (especially us theatre geeks)and didn't get her. I got to see her three times on Broadway, but my friend never has and he adores her.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 3:00pm

I went down to Philadelphia to see the tour, and saw the show twice, fully expecting to get Pearl at least once. I ended up with Alice both times (and she was wonderful). I appear to have gotten extremely lucky.

[Simon4]

Posted: 6/30/11 at 11:48pm

Ripley's voice was in terrible shape tonight. She was passable for most of Act I, though clearly struggling, but by the end of Act I and throughout Act II, her voice had severely deteriorated. It took on a ragged and distinctly unattractive quality that proved immensely distracting, making me acutely aware that it was a tired Alice Ripley onstage rather than Diana Goodman.

And, unfortunately, her singing detracted from the overall dynamism of a performance which I greatly admired on Broadway. I heard someone say after the show: "She won a Tony for this?" Disappointing.

Updated On: 7/1/11 at 11:48 PM