Next to Normal Star Alice Ripley Surrounds Herself with Treasured Totems

Broadway fan favorite Alice Ripley gives her all (and then some) eight times a week as manic-depressive mom Diana in the acclaimed musical Next to Normal. The 2009 Best Actress Tony winner undergoes a remarkable emotional transformation on the Booth Theatre stage, then retreats to a dressing room filled with items that have personal meaning. Welcoming Broadway.com before an evening performance, Ripley perched on her oversized exercise ball as she singled out five special items.

Photo by Jenny Anderson for Broadway.com



"My Mickey Mouse ears were given to me by a dear friend. They remind me of how I need to be silly."



"This book is a compilation of quotes from the Beatles. It’s a nice presence in the room. I like to carry it around—it’s good exercise, because it’s so big!"



"This is my own ‘next to normal’ family. People say, ‘Where are your parents?’ My dad was out of the picture and my mom was taking the picture."



"My dragon is like a totem. When it’s on the shelf, it looks like it’s ready to sweep down and take something. I like that."



"I keep my Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite Leading Actress in a Broadway Musical here. It means a lot to me."