Fenwick vs. Felicity
Students earn scholarships
Minster vs. Southeastern
Home > Blogs > Arts and Entertainment > Archives > 2009 > June > 07 > Entry
Ripley wins Tony Award
The new musical “Billy Elliott” was the night’s big winner, but the 63rd annual Tony Awards ceremony at Radio City Music Hall in New York was a wonderland for West Carrollton’s Alice RIpley.
She won Broadway’s highest honor as best leading actress in a musical for the show “Next to Normal,” in which she plays a wife and mother undergoing a nervous breakdown. The show and Ripley’s performance have been widely praised.
It was the first Tony and the second nomination for Ripley, 45, who was born in San Leandro, Calif., but grew up one of 11 children in West Carrollton, where she graduated from high school. She earned her BFA at Kent State University.
Her first Tony nomination was in 1998 for the musical “Side Show,” in which she played a siamese twin with co-nominee Emily Skinner. She made her Broadway debut in 1992 in “The Who’s Tommy,” going on to play featured roles in “Les Miserables,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “James Joyce’s The Dead” and “Rocky Horror Show.”
She is also a singer and songwriter with her own group, Ripley. She is married to the drummer Shannon Ford.
She was up against major competition — Oakwood native and four-time Emmy Award winner Allison Janney, past Tony Award winners Stockard Channing and Sutton Foster, and “West Side Story” revival star Josefina Scaglione.
RIpley performed in a number from”Next to Normal” during the live Tonys broadcast on CBS TV, which was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. She accepted her award from presenter David Hyde Pierce and quoted John F. Kennedy about the importance of art during a brief, but fierce speech in which she also said she was “stunned and honored.” Several members of her immediate family were in the audience.
Janney, a candidate in 1998 for best actress in a play, was nominated for her Broadway musical debut in Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.”
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: Awards, Theater
Comments
By Vern Walbrook
June 7, 2009 11:05 PM | Link to this
Is it just me? Or did anyone else think that acceptance speech was a little - no, wait - a lot over the top.
By Joan Eisenstodt
June 7, 2009 11:10 PM | Link to this
Didn’t know she was from the Dayton area. Saw her in the DC Arena Stage production and she - and the other cast members - were outstanding. WOW!
By Mike
June 7, 2009 11:31 PM | Link to this
I realize this is breaking news, but to have a typo in the lead, one that makes the story factually wrong, is just sloppy.
By Pete
June 8, 2009 7:47 AM | Link to this
We saw her in Rocky Horror Show a few years ago and will be seeing her in Next To Normal in two weeks. She’s very good. Dayton should be very proud!
By Pete
June 8, 2009 7:47 AM | Link to this
We saw her in Rocky Horror Show a few years ago and will be seeing her in Next To Normal in two weeks. She’s very good. Dayton should be very proud!
By Bobbi
June 8, 2009 8:24 AM | Link to this
When I saw the snippet of her Next to Normal performance on the Tony’s last night, I remarked that if she didn’t win a Tony, something was very wrong. The raw emotion in that performance was very deserving of a Tony award. Mike, if you have never made a mistake in your life, you can point out a typo but since I am sure you have, just ignore what you consider sloppy. People are human.
By shannon mcfarlin
June 8, 2009 11:31 AM | Link to this
I agree about her acceptance speech—I thought it was overly dramatic and embarrassing.
By Claudia
June 8, 2009 12:07 PM | Link to this
Did you watch lst night? DAD
By Russia
April 1, 2010 5:47 AM | Link to this
Hey very nice blog!! Man .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds also…
By seo lace
May 1, 2010 10:58 PM | Link to this
I am havnig a difficult time readign your site in SeMnakey 9.3, just figured I would let you know!