Alice Ripley

“The road's a tough life, but I said 'yes,' because as a kid growing up in Ohio, I never had a chance to see a Tony-winning actress in a role she won the Tony for.”

“With a lot of contemporary musicals, the songs are like a calling card: the action stops for them.”

“Teachers want to teach you theory, and that's fine, but when it comes to rock and roll, you only need three chords. There's something comforting about that.”

“You've got to chop back the performance like a rose bush. That's when it's beautiful.”

“There is genuine healing in a beautifully crafted musical theatre song, like Stephen Sondheim's 'Losing My Mind,' or a pop music gem like Joni Mitchell's 'Help Me.'”

“I was always a big fan of 'Pippin' and 'Godspell,' even before I heard 'Meadowlark.'”

“I just think Brian d'Arcy James is a dream come true. I've known of him ever since I saw him in 'Titanic,' and I fell crazy in love with him at that moment.”

“I've always looked to that play, 'Virginia Woolf,' for a cue - as far as any cue I might need as an actor for inspiration or as a writer.”

“Writing is the place where I can do it all and get away with it. You can't do that in the theatre.”

“My mother is always the most vulnerable person in any room, and so I definitely have that part of her inside me.”

“My favourite roller coaster is the Millennium Force at Cedar Point in Ohio.”

“I come from the Midwest, from the suburbs - growing up hanging out at the mall and looking at the corn fields across the street. I kind of was embarrassed by it for a long time. Then I decided, 'Hey, if everyone else can embrace their homeland and where they're from, I can do the same!'”

“Sometimes you're the only one who thinks you have a good idea.”

“I love having a basement.”

“I'm like a prize fighter. When I'm not on stage, every action that I take has to be focused on my next performance.”

“I had to go off by myself to try and discover what my talent really was.”

“When the decades pass and you're working in this business, the audiences get older with you. That's the nice part about it. They're so supportive and so loving.”

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

“Now, I come from a long line of narcissists. And I also have no kids - by choice - but I understand not being a mother and the pain that comes from that.”

“Making music has saved my life.”