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Monday, January 16, 2023
Thank You, Five: Backstage On Tour with Jagged Little Pill’s Heidi Blickenstaff
Playbill: On her first proper tour in 20 years, Broadway favorite Heidi Blickenstaff is excited for adventure. In reprising the role of Mary Jane Healy, the matriarch of the Alanis Morissette jukebox musical Jagged Little Pill, Blickenstaff possesses the job of leading lady both on and off stage.
2 comments:
Jordan Pincus
said...
I love Heidi Blickenstaff - she’s such an incredible performer and I’ve had the chance to see her multiple times on Broadway. I have unfortunately not seen Jagged, but I’ve watched most of it and I know that it deals with some REAL topics and has many heavy, difficult moments. That can’t be easy to perform every night while also on the road. And that’s not just for Heidi - the whole cast must give those kinds of performances, and it makes sense why Heidi wants to be there to take care of the younger performers. It’s not a secret that a bonded company makes for a far better show. I think there’s also something very substantive about having a cast with a wide age range, and especially one that happens to be playing a family. That energy ideally infuses the group, and really allows them to lean on each other. I would imagine that Heidi embraces that sort of parental instinct as a) a mother herself, b) playing a mother, and c) has a natural mentor-like role within the group.
Admittedly, I don’t know anything about Jagged Little Pill, other than what I read in this article, which was really quite interesting and makes me want to listen to the show. I appreciate the anecdote about being a team while working on a production: “We are stronger together. Yes, I can sing a solo in a spotlight, but being a theatre actor can be so strange and isolating. The idea that we are actually an ensemble, telling this story together, is so much more comforting to me than doing this alone.” This is a true testament to how collaborative and team-oriented a production is, especially a touring one. Heidi Blickenstaff talks about her personal experience in this article, and it is truly enlightening as she talks about what she does to stay strong in her role and in a touring company.
2 comments:
I love Heidi Blickenstaff - she’s such an incredible performer and I’ve had the chance to see her multiple times on Broadway. I have unfortunately not seen Jagged, but I’ve watched most of it and I know that it deals with some REAL topics and has many heavy, difficult moments. That can’t be easy to perform every night while also on the road. And that’s not just for Heidi - the whole cast must give those kinds of performances, and it makes sense why Heidi wants to be there to take care of the younger performers. It’s not a secret that a bonded company makes for a far better show. I think there’s also something very substantive about having a cast with a wide age range, and especially one that happens to be playing a family. That energy ideally infuses the group, and really allows them to lean on each other. I would imagine that Heidi embraces that sort of parental instinct as a) a mother herself, b) playing a mother, and c) has a natural mentor-like role within the group.
Admittedly, I don’t know anything about Jagged Little Pill, other than what I read in this article, which was really quite interesting and makes me want to listen to the show. I appreciate the anecdote about being a team while working on a production: “We are stronger together. Yes, I can sing a solo in a spotlight, but being a theatre actor can be so strange and isolating. The idea that we are actually an ensemble, telling this story together, is so much more comforting to me than doing this alone.” This is a true testament to how collaborative and team-oriented a production is, especially a touring one. Heidi Blickenstaff talks about her personal experience in this article, and it is truly enlightening as she talks about what she does to stay strong in her role and in a touring company.
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