Alice Ripley To Lead SUNSET BOULEVARD At North Shore Music Theatre

Alice Ripley will star as Norma Desmond in North Shore Music Theatre's upcoming production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Masterwork, SUNSET BOULEVARD, playing for two-weeks only from Tuesday, September 24 thru Sunday, October 6, 2019. Casting is ongoing and a full cast and creative team will be announced at a later date.

"I could not be any more excited to announce the casting of Alice Ripley as Norma Desmond in our upcoming production of Sunset Boulevard," said Bill Hanney, NSMT owner and producer. "Alice is one of the most talented Broadway stars working today and will light up the stage with her unique take on the iconic character. As a fan of the show myself, there is a great nostalgic and full-circle feeling to having the original Broadway Betty Schaefer return to the show 25 years later, only this time to play Norma Desmond. This performance in our intimate theatre-in-the-round is going to be a tour de force that is not to be missed."

Alice Ripley earned critical acclaim and won the Best Actress in a Musical Tony and Helen Hayes awards for her work as Diana in the Pulitzer Prize-winning rock opera, Next to Normal. Ripley received Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for her work as conjoined twin Violet Hilton in the cult hit, Side Show. As part of the original Broadway casts, Ripley created the roles of Mrs. Bateman/Mrs. Wolfe in American Psycho, Janet in The Rocky Horror Show, Molly Ivors in James Joyce's The Dead, Bathsheba in King David, Betty Schaefer in the original Broadway Sunset Boulevard, and the Specialist's Assistant in The Who's Tommy. Ripley also had a long stay at the Imperial Theatre as Fantine in the original Les Misérables. Alice has just finished starring in the one-woman off-Broadway play Pink Unicorn with Out of the Box Theatrics.

Alice can be seen playing Kathleen, Sophia's mother, on the 2017 Netflix half-hour comedy, "#GIRLBOSS." Other television work includes "Blue Bloods," "Royal Pains," "30 Rock," and "Hee Haw." She most recently filmed the film 2nd Civil War which will premiere later this year at the TriBeCa film festival.

Ripley stars in the award-winning indie musical movie, Sugar!, which played the 2016 festival circuit and recently gained distribution. Other film work includes Bear with Us, The Way I Remember It (starring Christine Ebersole), Muckland, Sing Along, Isn't It Delicious, and The Adulterer.

Ripley is also an accomplished musician and has written and produced her own music. Recordings include "Daily Practice: Vol 1," "Outtasite," "RIPLEY EP," and "Everything's Fine," as well as numerous Broadway cast and compilation albums.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tony Award-winning masterwork SUNSET BOULEVARD is the story of dreams and desire in the early days of Hollywood! In her mansion on Sunset Boulevard, faded, silent-screen goddess, Norma Desmond, lives in a fantasy world. Impoverished screenwriter, Joe Gillis, stumbles into her reclusive domain and is persuaded to work on her film script that she believes will put her back in front of the cameras. He is seduced by her and her luxurious lifestyle. Entrapped in a claustrophobic existence, his love for another woman leads him to try and break free of Norma's web, but with dramatic consequences.

Tickets for SUNSET BOULEVARD tickets are priced starting from $61 - $88. Performances are September 24 thru October 6, Tue - Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri & Sat at 8 pm, matinees Wed, Sat and Sun at 2 pm. For tickets and information call (978) 232-7200, visit www.nsmt.org, or visit the box office at 62 Dunham Rd., Beverly, MA.