Alice Ripley

{{Infobox person

| name = Alice Ripley

| image = Alice-Ripley 12.png

| caption = Ripley in 2009

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|12|14}}

| birth_place = California, U.S.

| alma_mater = Kent State University (BFA)

| occupation = {{Hlist|Actor|singer-songwriter|mixed media artist}}

| years_active =

| awards = 2009 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical
2009 Helen Hayes Award for Best Actress in a Musical
Best Actress in a Feature Film for SUGAR! at the Glendale International Film Festival, 2016

}}

Alice Ripley (born December 14, 1963)"California Birth Index, 1905–1995," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V21R-1TH: November 27, 2014), Alice H Ripley, December 14, 1963; citing Alameda, California, United States, Department of Health Services, Vital Statistics Department, Sacramento.{{cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/2011/03/27/a-cathartic-breakdown-role-for-alice-ripley/|title=A Cathartic Breakdown Role For Alice Ripley|date=March 27, 2011|first=Frank|last=Rizzo|work=The Hartford Courant|quote=Ripley, 47}} is an American actress, singer, songwriter and mixed media artist. She is known, in particular, for her various roles on Broadway in musicals, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal (2009 Tony Award, Best Actress in a Musical) and Side Show. She most recently played three roles in the short-lived Broadway musical, American Psycho.Hetrick, Adam. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/alice-ripley-and-jennifer-damiano-reunite-in-broadway-slasher-musical-american-psycho-370797 "Alice Ripley and Jennifer Damiano Reunite in Broadway Slasher Musical American Psycho"] Playbill.com, November 9, 2015. Alice Ripley has released albums with her band, RIPLEY, including the single, "Beautiful Eyes", released in February 2012.Gans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/160176-Beautiful-Eyes-New-Single-From-Tony-Winner-Alice-Ripley-Now-Available-on-iTunes "'Beautiful Eyes,' New Single From Tony Winner Alice Ripley, Now Available on iTunes"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140719185349/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/160176-Beautiful-Eyes-New-Single-From-Tony-Winner-Alice-Ripley-Now-Available-on-iTunes |date=July 19, 2014 }} Playbill.com, February 28, 2012 She also performs as a solo artist,Gans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/191296-Alice-Ripley-Will-Return-to-54-Below-With-All-New-Program-Musical-Theatre-Project-In-the-Works "Alice Ripley Will Return to 54 Below With All-New Program; Musical Theatre Project In the Works"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521221227/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/191296-Alice-Ripley-Will-Return-to-54-Below-With-All-New-Program-Musical-Theatre-Project-In-the-Works |date=May 21, 2014 }} Playbill.com, May 19, 2014 while in February 2011 she released Alice Ripley Daily Practice, Volume 1, a stripped-down collection of acoustic rock covers.Hetrick, Adam. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/147705-Alice-Ripleys-Acoustic-Album-Daily-Practice-Hits-Stores-Feb-15 "Ripley's Acoustic Album Daily Practice Hits Stores Feb. 15"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217022624/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/147705-Alice-Ripleys-Acoustic-Album-Daily-Practice-Hits-Stores-Feb-15 |date=February 17, 2011 }}, Playbill.com, February 15, 2011.

Early life

Ripley was born in California and graduated from West Carrollton High School outside of Dayton, Ohio.{{cite news|last=Batz|first=Bob|title=Gone Broadway – West Carrollton grad shares sunset boulevard stage with Glenn Close in hit musical|newspaper=Dayton Daily News|date=January 15, 1995|page=1C}}

Career

=Early work=

Ripley attended DePauw University, where she majored in Vocal Performance, before transferring to Kent State University where she received a BFA in Musical Theatre in 1985 and was a member of the Delta Gamma sorority.{{cite web |url=http://www.kent.edu/theatredance/alice-ripley-0 |title=Alice Ripley |publisher=Kent State University |access-date=February 10, 2016}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/tony-winner-alice-ripley-chats-with-playbilledu-about-road-to-broadway-and--329731 |title=Tony Winner Alice Ripley Chats with PlaybillEDU About Road to Broadway and Shares Tips for Success |date=September 12, 2013 |website=Playbill.com |publisher=Playbill Inc. |last=Viagas |first=Robert}} While at University, Ripley performed in a number of stage productions, while her first paid acting job was at the Red Barn Summer Theatre in Frankfort, Indiana.[http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/lilly/mss/index.php?p=saltz Listed] in the papers of Barry Saltzman at the Lilly Library, Indian University, Bloomington, (accessed December 31, 2014). Following college, she was active in community theatre in San Diego, California, and subsequently received her Actor's Equity card at the La Jolla Playhouse through a production of Silent Edward, a musical written by Des McAnuff, who was Artistic Director of the La Jolla Playhouse at the time and who would later direct Ripley in her Broadway debut in The Who's Tommy.{{Cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-may-15-gd-summertheater15-story.html |title=Theater |date=May 15, 2008 |website=Los Angeles Times |last=McNulty |first=Charles}}

=Broadway=

In her 1993 debut, Ripley played a Local Lass and the Specialist's Assistant in the original cast of The Who's Tommy; she also understudied the role of Mrs. Walker. Broadway roles that followed were 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), Janet Weiss in The Rocky Horror Show (2000), one of The Sweethearts in Dreamgirls, the concert (2001), and Diana Goodman in Next to Normal (2009). With the exception of Les Misérables, Ripley was part of the original cast of these productions.Internet Broadway Database. [http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=57847 "Alice Ripley, performer"], IBDB.com, March 25, 2015

Ripley's performance as conjoined twin Violet Hilton in Side Show earned her and her co-star Emily Skinner critical acclaim, a cult following, and a shared 1998 Tony Award nomination, making them the first to be co-nominated in a musical.{{cite web |title=Tony Awards Archives – Facts & Trivia |url=http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/archive/dyk/index.html |year=1998 |access-date=September 3, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030609195106/http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/archive/dyk/index.html |archive-date=June 9, 2003 }} She was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.

From March 27, 2009 to July 18, 2010 at the Booth Theatre, Ripley starred in the Pulitzer Prize-winningHetrick, Adam. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/138657-Next-to-Normal-Wins-2010-Pulitzer-Prize-for-Drama "Next to Normal Wins 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100415203508/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/138657-Next-to-Normal-Wins-2010-Pulitzer-Prize-for-Drama |date=April 15, 2010 }} Playbill.com, April 12, 2010. Next to Normal, a performance which earned her the 2009 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/theater/theaterspecial/05tonyslist.html?_r=1 "2009 Tony Award Winners"], nytimes.com, May 5, 2009; accessed December 13, 2014.

In 2016, Ripley appeared in the Broadway musical, American Psycho, playing the mother of the main character, Patrick Bateman, as well as the roles of Mrs. Wolfe and Svetlana.

=Off-Broadway=

Ripley's 2008 performance in Next to Normal (Second Stage Theatre) earned her Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle award nominations. Additional Off-Broadway roles include Nelly Bly in Cather County (1993, Playwrights Horizons), Daisy Mae in Li'l Abner (1998, New York City Center), various characters in The Vagina Monologues (2002, Westside Theatre), Olivia in Five Flights (2004, Rattlestick Theater), Marsha in Wild Animals You Should KnowGans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/156951-DIVA-TALK-Catching-Up-with-Tony-Winner-and-Wild-Animals-You-Should-Know-Star-Alice-Ripley/all "Catching Up with Wild Animals You Should Know Star Alice Ripley"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111208055052/http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/156951-DIVA-TALK-Catching-Up-with-Tony-Winner-and-Wild-Animals-You-Should-Know-Star-Alice-Ripley/all |date=December 8, 2011 }} Playbill.com, November 25, 2011. (2011, MCC/Lucille Lortel Theater), Mary Todd Lincoln, Lewis Payne, and other roles in A Civil War ChristmasIsherwood, Charles. [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/05/theater/reviews/a-civil-war-christmas-by-paula-vogel-set-at-white-house.html?pagewanted=all "Lincolns in Wartime Hope for a Midnight Clear, ‘A Civil War Christmas,’ by Paula Vogel, Set at White House"] nytimes.com, December 4, 2012. (2012, NYTW), and Sook Faulk in A Christmas Memory.Irish Repertory. [http://www.irishrep.org/christmasmemory.html "Alice Ripley Will Star in A Christmas Memory Off Broadway"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216170743/http://www.irishrep.org/christmasmemory.html |date=February 16, 2015 }}, irishrep.org, October 15, 2014.

=Regional theatre=

Ripley's regional credits include Clybourne Park at the Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven, as Bev/Kathy in May 2013;Levitt, Hayley. [https://www.theatermania.com/new-haven-theater/news/clybourne-park-starring-tony-award-winner-alice-ri_65165.html " 'Clybourne Park' Starring Tony Award Winner Alice Ripley Opens Tonight at Long Wharf Theatre"] theatermania.com, May 15, 2013 Next to Normal at Arena Stage (Helen Hayes Award, Best Actress in a Musical, non-resident production), Little Shop of Horrors, Tell Me On A Sunday (Helen Hayes nomination), Company (Helen Hayes nomination), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,{{cite web |last1=Ehren |first1=Christine |title=Gentlemen Prefer Ripley in Blondes Reprise! March 5-17 |url=https://playbill.com/article/gentlemen-prefer-ripley-in-blondes-reprise-march-5-17-com-104269 |website=Playbill.com |publisher=Playbill |access-date=3 February 2025}} Show Boat, Shakespeare in Hollywood (Helen Hayes nomination), The Baker's Wife, Sweeney Todd, Carousel, Sunset Boulevard (as Norma), Into the Woods, and Carrie.{{cite web |last1=Mancuso |first1=Christina |title=Photo Flash: Alice Ripley, Kendra Kassebaum, Keaton Whittaker and More Announced in CARRIE: THE MUSICAL |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo-Flash-Alice-Ripley-Kendra-Kassebaum-Keaton-Whittaker-and-More-Announced-in-CARRIE-THE-MUSICAL-20130612 |website=BroadwayWorld.com |publisher=Wisdom Digital Media |access-date=3 February 2025}}

=National tours=

On tour, Ripley played Fantine in Les Misérables (1993–94). She reprised her role as Diana in Next to Normal, the U.S. Tour (November 23, 2010 – July 30, 2011).[http://nexttonormal.com/news "National tour: News and Reviews"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603050050/http://www.nexttonormal.com/news |date=June 3, 2012 }} nexttonormal.com, November 30, 2011.

=Film=

Ripley's films include The Adulterer (2000), Temptation (2004), Isn't It Delicious (2013), Sing Along (2013), The Way I Remember It (2015), Bear With Us (2016), SUGAR! (2016), and Muckland (2015).

=Television=

Ripley appeared in an episode of Girlboss, a new Netflix half-hour comedy which premiered in April 2017.Official Website for Alice Ripley. [http://www.aliceripley.com/ "Alice Ripley"], October 9, 2016 She previously guest-starred on Blue Bloods and Royal Pains, and played herself in the series finale of the TV comedy, 30 Rock.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}

Controversies

In 2010, Ripley used a homophobic slur in a Facebook post. Many within the theater community found it insensitive, while some came to her defense. Ripley soon apologized for her words.{{cite web | url=https://www.towleroad.com/2010/06/broadway-actress-alice-ripley-angers-fans-with-fag-slur/ | title=Broadway Actress Alice Ripley Angers Fans with 'Fag' Slur - Towleroad Gay News | date=June 8, 2010 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.queerty.com/the-gays-protesting-next-to-normals-alice-ripley-fag-usage-are-overreacting-20100608 | title=The Gays Protesting Next to Normal's Alice Ripley 'Fag' Usage Are Overreacting | date=June 8, 2010 }}

In 2021, allegations became public that Ripley had engaged in inappropriate relationships with underage fans, including engaging in sexual conversations, leading some to describe the behaviour as grooming. Four individuals claimed publicly that Ripley abused her position of power over them.{{Cite web |date=2021-08-19 |title=4 Accusers Speak Out About How Broadway Star Alice Ripley ‘Traumatized’ Her Young Fans |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/4-accusers-speak-out-about-how-broadway-star-alice-ripley-traumatized-her-young-fans/ |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=The Daily Beast |language=en}}{{Cite news |title=Broadway star Alice Ripley accused of ‘grooming’ young fans |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/news/alice-ripley-grooming-allegations-b1905646.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20221204100715/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/news/alice-ripley-grooming-allegations-b1905646.html |archive-date=2022-12-04 |access-date=2025-05-22 |work=The Independent |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last=Dickson |first=Ej |date=2021-09-03 |title=The Problem With How We Talk About Grooming |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/what-is-grooming-sexual-abuse-1199141/ |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Spencer |first=Christian |date=2021-08-20 |title=Accusations mount against Tony Award-winning Broadway actress |url=https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/arts-culture/568779-accusations-mount-against-tony-award-winning/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20211209125131/https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/arts-culture/568779-accusations-mount-against-tony-award-winning |archive-date=2021-12-09 |access-date=2025-05-22 |work=TheHill |language=en}} One individual alleged that Ripley kissed her without consent after she turned 18.{{Cite web |date=2021-08-19 |title=4 Accusers Speak Out About How Broadway Star Alice Ripley ‘Traumatized’ Her Young Fans |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/4-accusers-speak-out-about-how-broadway-star-alice-ripley-traumatized-her-young-fans/ |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=The Daily Beast |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Dickson |first=Ej |date=2021-09-03 |title=The Problem With How We Talk About Grooming |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/what-is-grooming-sexual-abuse-1199141/ |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} Ripley has denied the allegations.{{Cite web |last=Cox |first=Lauren |date=2021-08-17 |title=Exclusive {{!}} Broadway star Alice Ripley denies TikToker's grooming claims |url=https://pagesix.com/2021/08/17/broadway-star-alice-ripley-denies-tiktokers-grooming-claims/ |access-date=2025-05-22 |language=en-US}}