Heidi Blickenstaff and Emma Hunton to Reprise Mother-Daughter Roles When FREAKY FRIDAY Hits Cleveland; Show Extended!

The body-swapping duo in Cleveland Play House's (CPH) musical production of Disney's Freaky Friday will be played by Heidi Blickenstaff (Broadway's Something Rotten!) and Emma Hunton (Broadway's Spring Awakening).

Blickenstaff and Hunton will reprise their roles as Katherine Blake (mother) and Ellie Blake (daughter) from La Jolla Playhouse's production, which launched a three-theatre co-production that will move to Cleveland Play House and conclude with a run at Houston's Alley Theatre.

Based on the novel Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers and the Walt Disney motion pictures, and made famous by the 1976 movie starring Jodie Foster, and subsequent remake in 2003 starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, Freaky Friday tells the story of a mother and her teenage daughter who magically swap bodies for 24 hours.

Directed by Christopher Ashley (La Jolla Playhouse Artistic Director), with a book by Bridget Carpenter (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood), and music and lyrics by Tony-winning collaborators Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal, If/Then) Freaky Friday will run in the Allen Theatre from April 15 - May 20.

Due to audience demand, Cleveland Play House will be extending the run of Freaky Friday (originally set to close on May 14) through May 20. In addition to closing out CPH's season, Freaky Friday is also the anchor piece of their 2017 New Ground Theatre Festival, which showcases new work. The full lineup of NGTF shows will be announced in early March, 2017.

Additional casting announcements will be made at a later date.

Freaky Friday - All FREE Public Events:

Behind-the-Scenes: All For One! One For All! Monday, April 17 from 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. An "ensemble" can be a well put-together outfit, a musical quartet, or any type of team working as one. In Disney's Freaky Friday, our acting ensemble includes some amazing "triple threat" (acting, singing and dancing) talent. Meet members of the cast of this new musical based on the hit books and Disney films as they discuss what it's like to work, live, and travel together as a family of artists and the process of developing new material for the stage. All together now...one, and two, ...

TalkBacks Sunday, April 23 from 4:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 25 from 9:30 p.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday, April 30 from 4:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. Stay after the show to continue the conversation our plays start! TalkBacks offer the chance to interact with the cast and CPH Artistic Staff in an open and lively Q&A about the play and the questions it raises.

Pre-Show Conversations begin 45 minutes prior to the start of each performance.

Freaky Friday will take place in the Allen Theatre from April 15 - May 20. Tickets range in price from $25-$100 each. To order single tickets please call 216-241-6000 or visit clevelandplayhouse.com. Groups of 10+ save up to 40% off single ticket prices; call 216-400-7027.

ABOUT THE CAST:

Heidi Blickenstaff (Katherine) Ms. Blickenstaff appeared on Broadway in Something Rotten! (Bea Bottom, Outer Critics nomination), [title of show] (original creative team and cast), The Addams Family (Alice Beineke), Disney's The Little Mermaid (Ursula) and The Full Monty. Other New York credits include The Most Happy Fella (Cleo) at City Center's Encores! and Now. Here. This. and [title of show] at The Vineyard Theatre. Her regional credits include Next to Normal (Diana) at Weston Playhouse, Elf (Emily Hobbs) at Paper Mill Playhouse, Dog and Pony (Jane/Bonnie) at The Old Globe, First You Dream: The Music of Kander and Ebb at The Kennedy Center and Meet John Doe (Ann Mitchell, Helen Hayes Award) at Ford's Theatre. TV credits: PBS: First You Dream: The Music of Kander and Ebb. Education: Duke University.

Emma Hunton (Ellie) Ms. Hunton's Broadway credits include Spring Awakening and Next to Normal. She appeared Off-Broadway in RENT and in the national tours of Wicked, Next to Normal and LES MISERABLES. Her regional credits include Cruel Intentions, The Big Lebowski and Clueless at Rockwell.

Christopher Ashley (Director) has served as Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse since October, 2007. During his tenure, he has helmed The Playhouse's productions of Hollywood, Come From Away, Chasing the Song, His Girl Friday, Glengarry Glen Ross, A Dram of Drummhicit, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Restoration, Xanadu and Memphis, which won four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical. He also spearheaded The Playhouse's Without Walls (WoW) series and the Resident Theatre program. Prior to joining The Playhouse, he directed the Broadway productions of Xanadu (Drama Desk nomination), All Shook Up and The Rocky Horror Show (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations), as well as the Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration productions of Sweeney Todd and Merrily We Roll Along. Other New York credits include: Blown Sideways Through Life, Jeffrey (Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards), The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Valhalla, Regrets Only, Wonder of the World, Communicating Doors, Bunny Bunny, The Night Hank Williams Died and Fires in the Mirror (Lucille Lortel Award), among others. Mr. Ashley also directed the feature films Jeffrey and Lucky Stiff, as well as the American Playhouse production of Blown Sideways Through Life for PBS. Mr. Ashley is the recipient of the Princess Grace Award, the Drama League Director Fellowship and an NEA/TCG Director Fellowship.

Cleveland Play House, recipient of the 2015 Regional Theatre Tony Award® and founded in 1915, is America's first professional regional theatre. Throughout its rich history, CPH has remained dedicated to its mission to inspire, stimulate, and entertain diverse audiences in Northeast Ohio by producing plays and theatre education programs of the highest professional standards. CPH has produced more than 100 world and/or American premieres, and over its long history more than 12 million people have attended over 1,600 productions. Today, Cleveland Play House celebrates the beginning of its second century of service while performing in three state-of-the art venues at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland.

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Cleveland Play House with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. We also thank the residents of Cuyahoga County for supporting Cleveland Play House through Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.

Photo Credit: Margot Schulman