BWW Blog: Meet Steve Blanchard of the Old Globe's HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS - Blessed with Baby

HOLD-BWW-Blog-Meet-Steve-Blanchard-of-the-Old-Globes-GRINCH-20010101

Hey y'all. Greetings from sunny San Diego. And thanks to BroadwayWorld for letting me ramble for a few weeks. I'm here at The Old Globe, which by the way is a FANTASTIC place to work! For all the actors out there who've not had a chance to come here, RUN, don't walk! The folks here are very sweet and the theater is so well run and efficient. It's actor utopia. My wife, Meredith Inglesby, and I came out here last year to do Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and fell in love with the place. Meredith played Reno Who and I was the grumpy green thing. So I guess we didn't stink it up too bad 'cause they asked us back this year. The only change being Mere was a little pregnant and would probably drop the little "Who" on opening night. So she's sittin' this one out, and I am proud to announce that little Victoria Warren Blanchard popped out on Nov. 30! Mere was so amazing!

Rehearsals were awesome. I say that because our director, James Vásquez (very cool dude), was so patient with me and all my ad-libs and on-the-spot rewriting of the play. But we tried new stuff-some was awful and some things incredibly adequate. So we'll go with that. I am a big Boris Karloff fan, so I wanted to make it a sort of tribute to him for narrating the cartoon. But some days I'm a green pirate/cowboy/Elvis/Arnold/Scotsman/Bette Davis/Robert Goulet fur ball!

Our opening was on Nov. 24 and I was very glad I got to be there. This year is the 15th anniversary of The Grinch here at The Globe and we are off and running. Randall Dodge went on while I was away this past weekend to be with Mommy and baby, and he was stellar. Thank you, Randall! I came back this past Sunday for three shows and three naps in between. Now I'll see if Daddy can do 11-12 shows a week with little sleep. My 13-year-old daughter was born when I took over as the Beast in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. Walking the floor with baby at 4 a.m. makes for a nice Beasty/Grinchy performance!

Well, we'll blog soon. Who invented that word anyway, "blog?" It sounds like the Grinch's response to the "Whos." Blog....

Leave Comments

5 DAYS TO GO - VOTING IS OPEN - CLICK HERE TO VOTE NOW!

LIVE UPDATE:

KINKY BOOTS vs. MATILDA for Best Musical and More...

Steve Blanchard - (Broadway) Made his Broadway debut in the 1984 short lived revival of The Three Musketeers. He then played Lancelot to Robert Goulet's Arthur in Camelot, and Fred in A Christmas Carol starring Ben Vereen. For over 11 years he starred in Beauty & the Beast as both Gaston and for the last 8 years of the run, the Beast. (Nat'l Tours) In 1981, he played the title role in Hans Christian Andersen across the U.S. and in 1987 as an understudy, Steve went on opening night in Los Angeles to tremendous acclaim as Miles Gloriosus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum starring Mickey Rooney. He then spent over 2 years as the Phantom in Ken Hill's original version of Phantom of The Opera, then two years with Mr. Goulet in Camelot. He has co-starred as Pa with Melissa Gilbert as Ma in the original cast of Little House on the Prairie and toured throughout Japan in West Side Story. (Off-Broadway) Steve created the role of the Creature in Frankenstein, and the title role in Johnny Guitar. He also appeared as the father in An Oak Tree, and John Flask in Moby Dick. (Regional) In 2011 & 2012, Steve starred as the Grinch in How The Grinch Stole Christmas at the Old Globe in San Diego, and with Ms. Gilbert, he co-starred at Minnesota's Guthrie Theatre in Little House on the Prairie. In addition to creating the role of Phoebus in the Hunchback drama Esmeralda at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and creating the role of Nanki-poo in the swing/jazz Hot Mikado at D.C.'s Fords Theatre, He has also starred as Julian Marsh opposite Loretta Swit in 42nd St. at Houston's Theatre Under the Stars, and as Lt. Cable with Robert Goulet in South Pacific at Atlanta's Theatre of The Stars. (TV) Steve has been featured in episodes of Third Watch, Law and Order, Ed, Cupid, Police Story, Sunset Beat, The Guiding Light, One Life to Live, Another World, and Rapmaster Ronnie for HBO. (Recordings) Steve can be heard on original cast recordings of Frankenstein, Johnny Guitar, Sundown, and his own CD, Northbound Train. Visit steveblanchard.net

Past Articles by This Author: