Heidi Blickenstaff

Heidi Blickenstaff (born December 28, 1971) is an American actress based in New York City best known for playing a version of herself in the musical [title of show] during its Off-Broadway and Broadway runs, as well as for originating the role of Bea in the 2015 musical Something Rotten!. She co-starred with Cozi Zuehlsdorff in the Disney Channel musical version of Freaky Friday which was broadcast on August 10, 2018.

Heidi Blickenstaff
Born (1971-12-28) December 28, 1971
Fresno, California
Alma materDuke University
OccupationActress, singer
Years active1996–present
Spouse(s)
Nicholas Rohlfing
(
m. 2015)

Personal life

Blickenstaff grew up in Fresno, California, and got her start in musical theater at the Good Company Players, where her roles included "Annie" in the musical of the same name.[1] She is a graduate of Roosevelt High School in Fresno, Calif., and Duke University.[2]

Her father, Dale Blickenstaff, is the former District Attorney of Fresno County.[1] In 2015, she married Nicholas Rohlfing.[3]

Career

Blickenstaff is a Broadway performer who gained widespread notice for her work in [title of show] after some years of working in understudy, supporting and ensemble roles.[4] The musical documents its own creation by Broadway fans Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell, who want to enter the New York Musical Theatre Festival and struggle to complete the show in three and a half weeks with their two actress friends. The actors are also the writers and characters of the musical. Blickenstaff has said her character in [title of show], a struggling actor also named "Heidi," is a "concentrated version" of her actual personality.[5]

She also has credited her experience in [title of show] with easing her chronic stage fright, a form of self-doubt immortalized in one of the show's songs, "Die Vampire Die." "I also have a stage fright vampire," she told TheaterMania.com in 2006, during [title of show]'s extended off-Broadway run at the Vineyard Theatre. "Certainly, [title of show] has been great medicine, because we talk about that stuff."[6]

Other work

Blickenstaff's other Broadway credits include The Full Monty on Broadway (as Susan Hershey) and The Little Mermaid (as Carlotta/Ensemble and u/s for Ursula).

In 2006, she starred in the musical Meet John Doe at the Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., winning a Helen Hayes Award for her performance.[7]

Of Blickenstaff's performance in the musical—an adaptation of the 1941 Frank Capra film of the same name—Peter Marks wrote in the Washington Post: "She's a dynamite successor to the movie's Barbara Stanwyck: It's a star performance, in fact. There's an effortless kind of kick to Blickenstaff's readings of Ann's sharp-elbowed lines. And she can sing, to boot."[8]

Blickenstaff's other regional credits include roles in The Girl in the Frame at the Goodspeed Opera House, Bat Boy: The Musical at Theatreworks in Palo Alto, Calif., and Prairie at New York Stage and Film.

She has also worked in touring productions of The Full Monty, Jekyll & Hyde (as the understudy for the role of Lucy Harris), Steel Pier, Dreamgirls and The Who's Tommy.[2] It was during the Tommy tour that Blickenstaff met her future [title of show] co-star (and the musical's co-creator/composer) Jeff Bowen.[5]

She has appeared in a television commercials for Nationwide Insurance and Foster Grant.[9]

She replaced Sherie Rene Scott as Ursula in the Broadway production of The Little Mermaid on January 27, 2009 and stayed with the show till April 5, 2009.[10] She was succeeded by Faith Prince.

She replaced Carolee Carmello as Alice Beineke in The Addams Family on March 8, 2011.[11]

Blickenstaff was a member of the original cast of the review First You Dream: The Music of Kander and Ebb, which premiered at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia in 2009,[12] and then again in the revival that played at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in June 2012.[13]

In July 2013, Blickenstaff played the role of Diana in Next to Normal at the Weston Playhouse in Weston, Vermont.[14][15]

In April 2014 she played Cleo in the City Center Encores! staging of The Most Happy Fella with Laura Benanti and Cheyenne Jackson.[16]

Blickenstaff played the role of Jane/Bonnie in the world premiere of Dog and Pony at The Old Globe Theatre from May–July, 2014 with Nicole Parker, Beth Leavel, Jon Patrick Walker, and Eric William Morris. Dog and Pony has a book by Rick Elice, music and lyrics by Michael Patrick Walker, and was directed by Roger Rees.[17]

From November 2014-January 2015, Blickenstaff played the role of Emily Hobbs in Paper Mill Playhouse's production of Elf: The Musical.[18]

Blickenstaff returned to Broadway in March 2015, playing the role of Bea in Something Rotten!, alongside Christian Borle and Brian d'Arcy James.[19]

In the fall of 2017, Blickenstaff filmed the new Disney Channel musical version of "Freaky Friday," as the mother whose personality "swaps" with her daughter played by Cozi Zuehlsdorff. The film was broadcast on Disney Channel in August 2018.[20]

Blickenstaff can be heard on the cast recordings of [title of show], Now. Here. This., Meet John Doe, The Little Mermaid, and Something Rotten!. She can also be heard on "Sweet Bye and Bye," featuring the music of Vernon Duke; "Jerome Kern: The Land Where the Good Songs Go"; Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond's "Out of Our Heads"; "Keys: The Music of Scott Alan"; and Georgia Stitt's "My Lifelong Love."[21]

Theatre
Year Show Role Notes
1996 The Who's Tommy Ensemble National tour; left in 1997
1997 Dreamgirls Ensemble National tour; left in 1998
1998 Steel Pier Dora Foster National tour; left in 1999
1999 Jekyll & Hyde Ensemble/Lucy Harris (u/s) National tour; left in 2000
2000 The Full Monty Susan Hershey/Vicky Nichols (u/s) National tour; left in 2001
2002 The Full Monty Susan Hershey/Vicky Nichols (u/s) Broadway; closed in 2002
2003 Bat Boy: The Musical Theatreworks, Jul. 19 - Aug. 10, 2003
Prairie New York Fringe Festival
2004 [title of show] Stacia New York Musical Theatre Festival, Sep. 2004
2005 The Girl in the Frame Goodspeed Opera House
[title of show] Heidi Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
Heidi off-off-Broadway; Sep. 2005
2006 [title of show] off-Broadway; Feb. 26 - Oct. 1, 2006
Meet John Doe Ann Mitchell Ford's Theatre
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Dogette Broadway concert
2007 The Little Mermaid Carlotta/Ursula (u/s) Broadway; Nov. 3, 2007 - Apr. 21, 2008
2008 [title of show] Heidi Broadway; Jul. 17 - Oct. 8, 2008
2009 The Little Mermaid Ursula Broadway; Jan. 27 - Apr. 6, 2009
First You Dream: The Music of Kander and Ebb Performer Signature Theatre
2011 The Addams Family Alice Beineke Broadway; Mar. 7 - Dec. 31, 2011
2012 First You Dream: The Music of Kander and Ebb Performer Kennedy Center
Now. Here. This. Heidi off-Broadway; Mar. 7 - Apr. 28, 2012
2013 Next to Normal Diana Weston Playhouse Theatre Company
2014 The Most Happy Fella Cleo Encores!, Apr. 2014
Dog and Pony Jane/Bonnie Old Globe Theatre, May - July 2014 (world premiere)
Elf Emily Hobbs Paper Mill Playhouse, Nov. 2014 - Jan. 2015
2015 Something Rotten! Bea Bottom Broadway; Apr. 22, 2015 - July 16, 2016
2016 Freaky Friday Katherine Blake Signature Theatre; Oct. 4 - Nov. 20, 2016
2017 La Jolla Playhouse

Filmography
Film roles
Year Title Role Notes
2009 The Rebound Morning Mom
2013 Sing Along Ms. Kelly short
2015 First You Dream: The Music of Kander and Ebb Performer TV film
2018 Freaky Friday Katherine Blake Disney Channel TV film
Television roles
Year Title Role Notes
2004 Hope & Faith Woman 1 episode
2008 The 53rd Drama Desk Awards Host TV special
2014 Submissions Only Diana Rioux 1 episode
2015 Renaissance Woman: Backstage at Something Rotten! with Heidi Blickenstaff Self 8 episodes

Discography
Year Title Notes
2006 [title of show] (Original cast recording) On fourteen tracks
2008 The Little Mermaid (Original Broadway cast recording) Mainly background singing
2012 Now. Here. This. (Original cast recording) On fourteen tracks
2015 Something Rotten! (Original Broadway cast recording) On four tracks
2017 Freaky Friday (musical) (Original Cast recording) On 13 tracks

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Work Result
2006 Helen Hayes Award Best Actress in a Musical Meet John Doe Won
Obie Award Special Citations [title of show] Won
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
2009 Broadway.com Audience Award Favorite Ensemble Cast Won
Favorite Featured Actress in a Musical Nominated
Favorite Diva Performance Nominated
Favorite Breakthrough Performance (Female) Nominated
Favorite Replacement (Female) The Little Mermaid Nominated
2015 Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Something Rotten! Nominated
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References
  1. Munro, Donald. Best of show: Theater veteran and Fresno native stars in a musical about a musical, The Fresno Bee, 10 April 2008. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
  2. title of show: The Players, titleofshow.com. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  3. She found her right hand man accessed 4/27/2015
  4. Isherwood, Charles. Puttin’ on the Put-On, With Tunes, 18 July 2008. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
  5. Gans, Andrews. DIVA TALK: Chatting with title of show's Heidi Blickenstaff Plus Heights and Pacific on CD, Playbill, 11 July 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  6. Portantiere, Michael. Show Girls, TheaterMania.com, 19 July 2006. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
  7. Lipton, Brian Scott. Blickenstaff, Irwin, Jones, Kudisch, Ruhl, et al. Win Helen Hayes Awards, TheaterMania.com, 29 April 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  8. Marks, Peter. 'John Doe' Makes for Some Names to Remember, The Washington Post, 27 March 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  9. "Foster Grant Readers TV Commercial, 'Menu' Featuring Brooke Shields". iSpot.tv. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  10. "Heidi Blickenstaff to Replace Scott as 'Ursula' in 'THE LITTLE MERMAID' in 2009 broadwayworld.com
  11. Healy, Patrick.Roger Rees to Replace Nathan Lane in ‘The Addams Family’"New York Times, October 28, 2010
  12. "Signature Theatre First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb - ShowBizRadio". Washingtondc.showbizradio.net. 2009-09-15. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
  13. http://www.kennedy-center.org/events/?event=TMTSG
  14. Next to Normal vermont.broadwayworld.com
  15. "Review" chestertelegraph.org
  16. nycitycenter.org
  17. Dog and Pony Archived 2014-12-12 at the Wayback Machine theoldglobe.org
  18. "Press Release" papermill.org
  19. Hetrick, Adam. " 'Something Rotten!' Puts a Shakespearean Twist On Broadway Musical Comedy, Starting Tonight" playbill.com, March 23, 2015
  20. "Disney Channel's Freaky Friday Movie Musical, Starring Heidi Blickenstaff, Premieres August 10 - Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  21. Recordings amazon.com
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