From Meet John Doe, to Little Mermaid to [title of show].
Critics and audiences were wowed by her scintillating Helen Hayes Award winning performance as Anne Mitchell in last year’s Ford’s Theatre’s production of Meet John Doe, and now Heidi Blickenstaff is starring in [title of show] at the Lyceum Theatre in New York City, where she sat down with one of her biggest fans – Joel Markowitz – to schmooze about [title of show]‘s journey to Broadway.
“It’s a simple story about 2 guys with a dream and 2 girls who help them get it.”
Heidi tells us how the dream was kept alive while the cast – creators Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen, and actress Susan Blackwell and Heidi worked on other projects in the theatre after [title of show]‘s successful and award winning Off-Broadway run in 2006 at the Vineyard Theatre,, before finally getting the call to bring the show to the Lyceum Theatre on the Big White Way.
In between playing “inanimate objects and mammals,” Heidi burned up the Fords Theatre’s stage as the reporter from hell. “I was so excited to sink my teeth into it… I knew her very well… I loved her, even though there was a lot not to like about her.” Listen as Heidi talks about why the song “I Hope You Can See This” was so emotional for her to sing.
After Meet John Doe, Heidi tried to make a splash in The Little Mermaid, understudying the role of Ursula – the “Cruella de Vila” of the underworld, but never went on for the Merman of the sea – Sherie Rene Scott.” That broad’s got chops. She is an old school belter. I kept expecting her to wear out…” But, no luck.” Heidi swam away from the mermaids and the fins to return to [title of show].
And now, she gets to play herself on Broadway, in a show where “a lot of people connect to the story and they feel they are seeing something in their lives that they want to do.”
Listen here.
Related: Meet John Doe review and podcast with John Doe creators Andrew Gerle and Eddie Sugarman
I loved {title of show] and I loved this interview. I hope your readers will make the trip to NYC to see it. Heidi is fabulous!
Great interview Joel. I saw Heidi in Meet John Doe more times than I care to admit, and also saw her at the first preview of [tos]. Loved the show as a musical theatre geek and Heidi was excellent in it.
Thanks for the article. Heidi deserving in the main because the talent is just superb. It is good to have her recognized. When Broadway revives “I DO, I DO” she should play the Mary Martin role and Ed Watts ditto Robert Preston.
I also loved the show and I know that people who are not musical theatre nuts may not get all the inside jokes, but will still have a great time. I am a big fan of Heidi’s, and I had a blast recording this interview. She is bubbly and talented and it comes through on this podcast.
I saw “[title of show]” Sunday night of opening weekend. Oddly enough, the night before I saw “The Little Mermaid” with family and Sherie Rene Scott was out as Ursula. I kept thinking about how it would have been to see Heidi in the role!
Anyway, the show is very enjoyable and Heidi is wonderful in it. Her warm personality and great voice really charm the audience. Even if you don’t get all of the Broadway in-jokes, the show is very clever and funny and, at 90 minutes (no intermission), moves well. Maybe there’s a little too much “what if what we are saying is in the show” early on and the late plot conflicts seem a little contrived, but the sell-out audience laughed heartily and often before giving the performers a well-deserved standing ovation. Best gimmick: phone mail messages from real Broadway stars used at some scene changes.
Great interview, Joel. . . I love Heidi! She is so talented and such a classy, lovely lady. Heidi alone would be worth the trek to NY to hear/see, but how is the show itself? I didn’t catch the off-Broadway run back in the day, but read lots of good press on it. I do hope to get up that way to catch it.