Spring has sprung, as there are new melodies on the wind. Amanda Ribnick, the viral sensation behind TikTok's Gilmore Girls: The Musical, stopped by the Playbill office to preview material from three of her new musicals, ranging from the vibrantly new end-of-life yet coming-of-age web series Underground, to the classically inspired The Queen of Carthage, which takes its cue from Virgil's The Aeneid.
Centering on queer characters with an abstractly magical aesthetic, Ribnick's work often toes the line between comfortingly accessible and intriguingly layered.
Her first two songs, "Headline" and "Send Me Back", are both from Underground: A New Musical Web Series. Following the seemingly perfect girl-next-door Phoebe (Ribnick), her stoney lawyer Jean (Kate Reilly in "Headline", Allegra Rosa in "Send Me Back"), and Jean's snarky assistant Robin (Greta Hicks), the audience is dropped next to Phoebe in purgatory as she struggles to earn her spot in heaven.
The third song, "Runt", is the titular track from Ribnick's newest original musical. Centering on the magnetically mysterious Cleo (Ribnick) as she digs up an unmarked grave, she stumbles into more than she expected.
And finally, the fourth song is from Ribnick's upcoming adaptation of Virgil's The Aeneid, named The Queen of Carthage. Titled "Perfect Storm", the song is performed by the classic lovers Dido and Aeneas (Luciana Ragolia and Yash Ramanujam) as they take refuge in a cave during a tumultuous storm.
Ribnick is a composer, lyricist, and actor, whose work has received the Knight New Work award. She is a proud alumna of the University of Miami’s BFA Musical Theatre program and received minors in Music Theory and Composition as well as Music Business and Entertainment Industries.
Ribnick and the other vocalists were joined in the Playbill studio by pianist Sydney Suemi Miyao on the Sing For Hope piano, and guitarist Matthew Tufaro.
Sing for Hope harnesses the power of the arts to create a better world. Our creative programs bring hope, healing, and connection to millions of people in hospitals, schools, care facilities, refugee camps, transit hubs, and community spaces worldwide. A non-profit organization founded in New York City in response to the events of 9/11, Sing for Hope partners with hundreds of community-based organizations, mobilizes thousands of artists in creative service, and produces artist-created Sing for Hope Pianos across the US and around the world. The official Cultural Partner of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Sing for Hope champions art for all because we believe the arts have an unmatched capacity to uplift, unite, and heal. Learn more at SingForHope.org.
