Alice Ripley

Side Show Tony nominee Alice Ripley, one of the most exciting singing actresses of her generation, was a college student when she first heard Stephen Schwartz's soaring ballad "Meadowlark." "My friend Jeff Ward came up to me," Ripley told me by phone last week, "and handed me this cassette and said, 'Okay, you have to listen to this, and you have to learn 'Meadowlark' because it's going to be the song to sing!"

Credit Ward with a good ear, as the then little-known song would become a cabaret and concert staple, recorded by the likes of Betty Buckley, Sarah Brightman, Liz Callaway, Susan Egan and, of course, Patti LuPone, who starred as Genevieve during the show's ill-fated trip to Broadway and who later recorded the song on The Baker's Wife's original cast recording.

Ripley's connection with The Baker's Wife, which is currently playing New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse through May 15, spans nearly a decade. The multitalented performer, last on Broadway in The Rocky Horror Show, took part in two workshops of the piece, which has been performed in London's West End and, more recently, at Goodspeed. The second workshop, directed by Tony winner Joe Mantello, featured Matt Bogart as Dominique and Hal Linden as the Baker. "That was the first time I stood at the piano with Stephen Schwartz playing 'Meadowlark,'" explains Ripley, "and I thought I was going to pass out. I was so blissed out — I was in heaven. I could have died right [there]," she adds with a laugh, "and I could really [have said], 'I like the way I died. I was singing 'Meadowlark,' and Stephen Schwartz was playing the piano.'"

In addition to the aforementioned "Meadowlark," Ripley is also a fan of the entire score, which includes the melodic "Gifts of Love" and the beautifully moving "Where Is the Warmth?" "I love that one!" exclaims Ripley. "It's like caramel. Because the key is kind of low, it gets to all these great parts of the voice that lots of music doesn't get to. . . What I'm finding with this score, when I do well with it, when I hit a mark, is it's because I'm not doing anything. It's because I'm really giving over to what's written and totally trusting that it's all there because it really is. I just adore [Stephen Schwartz]. I was always a big fan of Pippin and Godspell, even before I heard 'Meadowlark.' He writes from his heart."

The Paper Mill Baker's Wife company, under the direction of Gordon Greenberg, also features Lenny Wolpe as the Baker with Dance of the Vampires' Max von Essen as Dominique. "Oh my God, I love Max von Essen," Ripley says. "I didn't know what it was going to be like [working with him] because I never met him before; we just hadn't crossed paths. I think that he's really found his role with Dominique. I think he's totally delicious. Our whole cast is so wonderful. It feels like a real ensemble. It reminds me of the experience I had doing The Dead — every character is really important to the story."

It's been an especially busy time for Ripley, who was invited to take part in two of the recent birthday salutes to Stephen Sondheim: Wall to Wall Sondheim and Children and Art. About the former, Ripley says, "I was so honored to be asked to participate. Hanging out [at Symphony Space] was great because it was like a little reunion. I saw a bunch of people I hadn't seen in a long time, including my friend Emily Skinner and people like Jason Danieley and Melissa Errico — all those people that you don't really see that much, so that was kind of fun." And, about the latter, she says, "Monday night at the New Amsterdam was really exciting, too. And, I got a thank you note from Sondheim." Although the contents of the note are personal, she admits, "I still can't believe I got a thank you note from Stephen Sondheim!"

And, it's not just Sondheim who is a fan: Ripley has also made a name for herself with D.C. audiences, having appeared in the Kennedy Center's productions of Sondheim's Company — she drew raves from critics for her performance as the confused-bride-to-be Amy and her powerful rendition of the tongue-twisting "Getting Married Today" — and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tell Me On a Sunday as well as the Arena Stage mounting of Ken Ludwig's Shakespeare in Hollywood. "I love D.C.," says Ripley. "I love working there. I worked at the Arena, which was a really great experience. And both times I worked at the Kennedy Center I loved it." About performing in the one-woman song cycle Tell Me On a Sunday, Ripley says, "I think that's my favorite Andrew Lloyd Webber piece. The score is just beautiful. Just being the only one out there the whole time was an incredible experience. I learned a lot about myself as an actor. I'd get out there and I'd hear the music and I'd start singing, and I'd think to myself, 'All these people are sitting in the audience staring at me . . . Oh my God, I'm the only one out here! I'm responsible for creating this whole thing.' I just wanted to run offstage and say, 'I can't do this! What am I doing?' Then I would say to myself, 'Pretend you're Emma — you just got off the plane,' and I'd talk myself into it. Then you go into this trance, and then 70 minutes later you come offstage and it's over. I really loved doing that one-woman show."

There's also another Lloyd Webber show that Ripley would be perfectly suited for should the on-again-off-again revival ever happen, Evita: The musical requires a terrific singer (capable of belting high Es and even a few Fs), an actress who can span the range of emotions and one who can dance her way to Buenos Aires. Ripley, too, hopes she'll get the chance to someday play the part that made theatre stars out of Elaine Paige (in London) and Patti LuPone (in New York). "You know, I always used to say that by the time they're ready to revive this, it's going to be perfect for me. I'm going to be the perfect age, but you can only do so much, and then somebody else has [to hire] you. I've been singing it forever. I sing it in my dreams. Tim Rice is my favorite lyric writer that Andrew Lloyd Webber has worked with. He's so smart and charming, and it comes through in his writing." Ripley also reveals, "In my iPod, I recently edited out a whole bunch of stuff, and one of the things I kept on there was Evita. The music is, without question, spectacular." Continued...