'Next to Normal' - Bryant Park 2009 - I Miss the Mountains - Jessica Phillips

[RayquazaGirl]

Vocally, she completely blows Alice out the water.

[mrsuke]

I saw Jessica as the understudy on Broadway and she was fantastic!! I couldn't imagine that there could be someone who could be better! So, when I was going to hear Alice Ripley tonight in Pittsburgh, I was so excited! Wow, what a disappointment. She sang FLAT all night! It was awful. I imagine she was going hoarse, but even if she was- where was her ear? I wanted to slash MY wrists. Why they wouldn't put the understudy in was beyond me. I could not enjoy the show because of this.

[lotusfae]

@mrsuke I just experienced this last night with Alice in Minneapolis. She was so flat during practically the entire show! It was almost embarrassing for me, it made it hard to enjoy the songs. I was practically mouthing the words with her and straining my throat silently trying to will her on pitch. I was hoping it was just last night, but apparently this has happened before. I have the sense she strains her voice too much and makes herself hoarse quite often, because I know she *can* be on key.

[bookgirlword]

@lotusfae I got to see it the last night they performed at the Ordway in St. Paul and Pearl Sun performed for Alice--I was glad, since i heard she had been struggling with her voice. Pearl Sun was perfect--I thought she was emotional, inspiring, and was pitch-on. Wish you would've seen her too! Wasn't Asa Somers great as Dan though? :)

[lotusfae]

@bookgirlword I've heard Pearl Sun was an amazing understudy... SO jealous! And yes, Asa Somers was incredible!

[michaelroberts2]

Jessica is a better singin

[MONSTERXOXOLOVE]

I don't like her interpretation as much as Alice's.

[KCSROXX]

SOOOO much better than alice ripley

[Solsen581]

I like the Way Jessica sings this song(: The emotion is clear. ANd her Alice, and Marin are really good at putting the emotions into a song while singing so beautifully. Love them all

[ThatWasntChickenProd]

She seems much younger than Alice...both in her looks and her voice. She has a very young sound. I'm not sure if it totally suits the part...but maybe I'm just so used to hearing Alice do it.

[ZachHopeful]

She is pretty amazing vocally, but she doesn't have that psychotic Diana feel that Alice Ripley pulls off so well. Still, this is damn fine.

[jetset59]

Why does Jessica Phillips always go to press events for N2N. Like this and Joe's Pub?

[ProspectBroadway]

I love what Jessica brings to the role. I like how she has her own distinct style, but she pays tribute to Alice in certain parts. The audio in this video makes it sound like she has a lisp haha.

[isnay2003]

That's hot stuff! She opens her mouth wide though when she says life, makes it sound like "Leeife"

Lovingly annoying.

[dragonlp86]

@isnay2003 I think some of that is the recording/mic. I was lucky enough to see her as Diana, and she sounded perfect.

[danaheidrick]

I wish i didnt live in a small town! I would go see any show i could! Life sucks haha...

[dewdillon118]

Not a fan.

[pandaajh]

saw her in the show. LOVED it!

[AdrienneC83]

I agree! I'm so glad I got a chance to love Jessica like so many people love Alice in the role. Even though, of course, she was younger... I still thought she was truly amazing!! I even liked her better in "Didn't I see this movie?" and "You don't know"

[DevinAcapella88]

I just saw Jessica Saturday and before the show was quite sad to miss out on Alice Ripley but from the moment Jessica set foot on stage, I loved her. Her voice is very different from Alice's, but it's clear that the director's wanted to keep Alice's physicality on stage in Jessica and she did a phenomenal job. I had the wonderful opportunity of falling in love with another great performer Saturday!

[starpiggy777]

just so you all of you know, this is a concert version of this song... most of the audience probably doesnt know the show, so if she were to go all out in this performance, they would just be confused. so, its hard to judge people based off of the way they perform in bryant park.

[MrRobanthony]

I saw her perform last week.. Problem is, she doesn't have the intensity of Alice.. but that's ok.. most people at intermission near me were commenting that she looks too young to be a mom to jennifer damiano.. and it's true.. that was hard to wrap your head around when watching her. She looks 32 on stage.. it's just strange.. you see her as a youth, and not a mom who has lived a life..

[Elphaba88]

i saw her and i thing she is great! :-)

And i love Alice Ripley

[timeslip325]

man, i am so glad i got to see Alice both times i attended Next To Normal.

[WhoaItsJonathan]

Why? Jessica is amazing.

[timeslip325]

well, i know this is a concert, but she just doesnt sound as good as Alice - perhaps live on stage she has more emotion...

and, i just dont care for her voice.

[pauldcco]

I saw her on 3/19 and I was extremely disappointed that I wasn't going to be seeing Alice Ripley, but she was so amazing that I wasn't disappointed anymore.

[iou50bucks]

Jessica is great, but Alice's version is so much more real. It's not really an experience wher you look back and are like, yeah those were good days... It's more like thinking my life sucks and I miss actually being able to feel, I don't want to deal with this anymore... trust me on this one--- I've been through it.

[jezzebelle2000]

Gorgeous version. I like that Jessica is so different from Alice...watching a carbon copy performance would be boring. And this song is very "folk" rock,,,John Denver sounding (if that makes sense), so it works.

The are like comparing apples and oranges, in terms of voices and performances.

[HPSJ85]

i think that jessica is fantastic, but alice... i cried when she sang this song, jessica though is amazing!!!!!

[Improvnewsie35]

I love em both. I think she's got a great voice and I like her acting a lot in Superboy and the Invisible Girl

but I still love Alice Ripley. I mean there is a reason she won a tony. One could argue Jessica has a better voice but Alice has the whole Diana combo.

[x3kelly]

Incredible. A near perfect choice for an understudy. She said it herself that it's hard being an understudy for a performer like Alice Ripley, but she does a fantastic job.

[hoyas1390]

i saw her and she was INCREDIBLE!!! her voice to me sounds like a combination of alice and idina

[kaleelee2309]

@hoyas1390 so true i hear exactly what you're talking about.

[theatregirl456]

@hoyas1390 exactly what i was thinking... more idina though

[Akaichou123]

I know I'm in the vast minority here, but I prefer Jessica to Alice Ripley, myself. Jessica has a beautiful voice and I just saw her play Diana beautifully--whereas I find Ripley's voice so grating that it renders this song nearly unlistenable. This version, however--it's gorgeous.

[samanthatirrell]

I like the intensity and roughness to Alice's voice, which is good for the part of Diana. I see where you are coming from and Jessica has a beautiful voice.

[liliekinz]

@Akaichou123 THANK YOU!

everyone says that Alice is way better, but I prefer Jessica! Alice is still amazing with her acting, but I love Jessica's vocals!

[yelanates]

She's got a great voice, and her rendition of this song is just so different from Alice Ripley's that it's hard to compare.

Alice's is more like "Where I am now sucks. Hard", and Jessica's is more like "I remember way back when things were good..."

Also, no crazy eyes. =P

[runnyc33]

@yelanates I LOVE your explanation... because it's so true. I LOVE both versions... and I think they're both very true to the character at different times in Diana's life, so it's good.

[katayyyx]

she has a really good voice but she does seem young for the role

[gaoqiao101]

she is good... but she does seem a little young

[TDELH713]

Dudes, give them both props. This understudy adds alot of affect and less rawness, but it is something different. Sounds a bit like Lauren Kennedy.

[lovelylittlelindsey]

i'm pretty sure the casting directors knew what they wanted from "diana" better than anyone on here... so if they gave her the understudy for the role, there was a reason... because shes GOOD.

[broadwaybabyx16]

well, shes no alice ripley, but she certainly doesnt get the credit she deserves. she has a beautiful voice.

[WishingOnIyWounds]

Love her rendition... I would love to see her in the role!

[overthemoooon83]

I like her voice...but does she make "I Miss the Mountains" sound like a country song to anyone else? Or is it just me?

[bjh2114]

I Miss the Mountains kinda IS a country song, lol. Just listen to the twangy guitar.

[jjjjjjjjj123123123]

As has been said many times before: She's got a great voice, but she's in the wrong role. I WANTS ME SUM RIPLEY. :D

[ActorBoi718]

And why does she look like she's 25? I'm not saying she can't sing or anything, but her voice is all wrong for the role. There's absolutely no passion, nothing lurking beneath the surface. What were they thinking when they cast her? Just her age alone should have prevented her from getting the role. She looks like Natalie's sister!

[simpleandstupidshow1]

i completely agree! she should NOT be diana. thank god its Alice Ripley right now. She fits the part WAY better.

[ActorBoi718]

thank you simpleandstupidshow1! At least somebody has sense here. I'm sure you will get a thumbs down like my last two comments got, but whatever. It's a Jessica love thread apparently. She is talented, fine, but in NO WAY the right person for the role of Diana. How can you understand the deep meaning of the show and watch Jessica perform and say "oh yeah, she's right for it." It's just all around the wrong role for her... go ahead, give me another thumbs down. Alice won the Tony for a reason.

[simpleandstupidshow1]

you're exactly right. Alice deserved the Tony, and i hope that when i go see the show on the 25th that alice isnt sick or something because i couldn't imagine the part of Diana without her. Does anyone know how old this woman is?? she looks WAYYY too young to be Diana.

[GotTheActingBug]

Have you seen both of them perform? I have, and they are EQUALLY good in the role. So unless you have seen BOTH of them perform live, dont bash either one of them, ok?

[imetcarmencusack]

I think that Alice and Jessica bring such different things to the role. I think that Jessica is a stronger vocalist, even though Alice is great, and I think Alice's acting is stronger, even though Jessicas is great.

[imetcarmencusack]

@iou50bucks I saw Alice, and she gave a PHENOMENAL performance Vocally. what I meant to say is Jessica has better pitch than Alice. and That is a fact. Alice only went flat like twice when I saw her, but She does it more often than Jessica. But I like Alice as Diana better

[KateMcGowan5]

She is so awesome and so beautiful! I saw her on Monday and the show was brillant! I believed everything.

On the next day I saw Alice and I was really disappointed. Jessica is so natural and real. Alice is a little bit overacting, I think... I'd loved to see Jessica again...

[natalieandsteph]

I saw her instead of Alice, and I thoroughly prefer her performance to Alice's. She brings a lightheartedness to the role that really, really worked. Don't knock her just because she's an understudy.

[TheHeatherEra]

She's so so so very different from Alice that you can't even compare them.

She's absolutely awesome though in her own right and does a great job with this song.

[elphiegreen]

i love her voice!!!!!!! i wish she had more clips or something

[extraordinaryXX]

does she have a lisp ?

[snazzyemms]

I think it's just the video quality.

[HPSJ85]

i think she did just another day better

[AnnaleeRyan]

she has a great voice, but her performance just seems to lack the power and emotion that Alice brings

[Puppies140]

She's ok, but she's DEFINITELY NO ALICE RIPLEY!!!!!!!!!

[KateMcGowan5]

You're right! Jessica is much better than Alice :)

[ActorBoi718]

Seriously Kate McGowan? Is that a joke? Cause it must be a joke.

[KateMcGowan5]

no, absolutely! This woman is just amazing. Did you join a show with her? Or did you just see these videos on youtube? She is much better on stage than in these videos,....

[paxinterra2]

Anybody know how old she is?

[goodenoughh]

I think everyone is forgetting this out of context.

[Runninfool1202]

I also saw this live with Alice Ripley. I do prefer an older Diana, but i think with a younger Diana it changes the dynamic of the show with the mother daughter interaction. I bet it is super great still. Anyway, if you read this Jessica good job.

[randomprincess919]

She's an amazing singer, but I just don't see her as Diana. I think she's a bit too young to play Diana, too. I don't think she's as good or better than Alice Ripley. But maybe they just have different ways of playing Diana.

[beeryce6]

I feel like Jessica's version seemed too young, too immature to be believable as a mother figure. This is portrayed not only in her appearance, but in the little runs she does on some of the notes as well.

[Haryloli]

after seeing alice on stage it doesn't really compare.

[G4Rat]

No one can compare to that amazing performance she gives. I really like Jessica though.

[matthewmaclellan]

the only thing i wish is that they wouldn't lay on their r's so hard. firrrrrrrrrrre.

yearrrs tearrrrrs.

thanks for posting, it was nice to hear the understudy. very careful singing. :)

[MitchConnelly]

Holy crap, she's good! I saw the show two weeks ago with a full cast, so i didnt see any understudies but i think she is as good as Alice Ripley but in a somewhat different way. J. Robert Spencer rules!!! (just thought i'd throw that out there)

[caterrachel]

I'm kind of in love with this video. Jessica and Alice's portrayals of Diana are polar opposites (no pun intended)- I really want to see Jessica live to see what she does with the character.

[BroadwayGirl24]

my goodness she looks so young. How old is she?

[angelxschunard]

She's a great singer but I just don't believe her.

[thelfiveyears]

i LOVE her ornamentation and vibrato.

[musicislovex0]

she doesnt have a lisp, its just the sound system thats picking up the s's weird

[Robos89]

She doesn't have a lisp! I was there and don't remember hear having one...trust me, I'm one to easily get annoyed by a singer with a lisp. Haha, but it must be just the sound!

[BroadwayBabeify]

i like both her's and alice's versions of this song. the only thing i dislike about jessica's is that she is trying too hard to sound like alice, like the certain riffs alice does are also done by jessica. I am not saying she did bad, because believe me, she is definately amazing and awesome! Its just that she kinda needs to add her own effect to the song. I hope she takes over whenever (i hope not soon) alice leaves.

[2QT2BST]

i think most of those riffs are written into the music in fact. i have 4 different versions of this song from workshops prior to NTN when it was called feeling electric and from second stage and stuff and i am fairly certain those riffs are written in. She sounds phenomenal

[angelxschunard]

Well, she's an understudy. Understudy's aren't supposed to give their show, they're supposed to give the person they're understudying's show.

[rachel869]

I have that shirt :)

.. and good job, Jessica.

I don't like your lisp , though.

[hagridzpal]

I love her voice, however, she is very young.

But she's still FANTASTIC

[Littlekt331]

did Alice leave already?

[mpd4165]

This is probably during the few days that Alice was out due to illness.

[loveya718]

No. Alice is still going strong. If you're asking why she wasn't at Bryant Park, it is probably b/c she couldn't spare her voice this Thursday morning before a show.

[WhappyStick]

She's good, but she's clearly fighting a lisp... awk...

[timmetzner]

i love me some alice ripley, but this was a gorgeous and welcome re-interpretation of the song. i was thoroughly pleased :)

[SpeakOut26]

Great!

I mean difinitly different from RIpley... but not necessarily a bad different

[BertCCRI]

Beautifully done. Jessica's very personal, distinctive delivery of a song we've heard and admired Alice do live and/or recorded proves once again that there is no shortage of talent working in the theatre today.

[MusicalOne09]

Oh my gosh..she has such a beautiful voice!

[veronicaandtaylor]

She is so amazing live! I saw her last saturday.

[julialovesupreme]

She was fantastic :D I met you there! I was the one sitting behind you all "Are you Carl?" (:

[glitzdealer1]

forget my last comment. I think it is the sound system or the camera it was recorded on as they all have this "s" problem. Sorry Jessica for casting dispersions on your diction.

[glitzdealer1]

why has no-one mentioned the awful sibilent "s" sound.? Apart from that, just terrific.

[x3kelly]

Beautiful. Flawless. Moving. Not enough words to describe!

[matineeidol2591]

I got to see her perform the role on Saturday nite (August 1st). Words cant describe how stellar she was.

[thankyougravityx]

she sounds amazing!!

[som4tang26]

wow. as much as i love alice, i hope i get to see jessica perform live one day.

[reifdance]

she sounds utterly fantastic here! go Jessica!

[begreenandMOO]

I LOVE HER!!!!

[HelloMuchBetter13]

Thank you so much for posting this!

[elphiegreen]

woot!