Support Women Artists Sunday: Alice Ripley

Alice Ripley is one of my favorite singers of all time. I got the chance to see Next to Normal this past summer, and the entire show was insanely incredible - from the way they handled the topic of mental illness, to the score, to Ripley's performance -- I was so impressed. Oh, yeah, and I'm in love with Aaron Tveit who is also in N2N, but that is only an aside because Ripley is the show. So, this Sunday, it's all about Alice.

Born of five children San Leandro, California, Ripley grew up in the Cleveland, Ohio area. Ripley made her Broadway debut in The Who's Tommy in 1993. Additional Broadway roles include Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard (1994), Bathsheba in King David (1997), Violet Hilton in Side Show (1997), Fantine in Les Misérables (1998), Molly Ivors in James Joyce's The Dead (2000), and Janet in The Rocky Horror Show (2000). Ripley's performance as one half of a pair of Siamese twins in Side Show (1997) earned her critical acclaim and a Tony Award nomination shared with co-star Emily Skinner, making them the first women to be co-nominated. It was only the second time in Tony history that two performers were co-nominated as a team for the same award. Ripley was also nominated for a Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Actress in a Musical. Ripley began writing songs in 1991 and her band RIPLEY formed in 2003. RIPLEY is a self produced trio with Ripley on guitar and vocals. She won a 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Diana in Next to Normal.

- Thank you Wikipedia

I Miss the Mountains (Next to Normal)

You Don't Know and You Don't Know (Next to Normal)

For kicks, Alice's acceptance speech for winning the Leading Actress Tony

Alice Ripley (Next to Normal) on iTunes: