Interview: Lianne Marie Dobbs Celebrates Neurodiversity in THE WINDMILLS OF MY MIND ... FOR DUSTY SPRINGFIELD at Green Room 42

Lianne Marie Dobbs is bringing a new show celebrating neurodiversity by way of some Dusty Springfield tunes to the Green Room 42. THE WINDMILLS OF MY MIND... FOR DUSTY SPRINGFIELD plays on Saturday February 17th at 9:30 pm at the Green Room 42. I spoke to Dobbs about the upcoming show and the way she's embraced her ADHD.

RK: Can you tell me a little about your show?

LMD: “The Windmills of My Mind… For Dusty Springfield” is a playful exploration of the musical tastes of Dusty Springfield, the ‘blue-eyed soul singer’ of the 20th century, and a celebration of the tricks (or ‘brain hacks’ as I call them) that she and I both use to harness a creative mind that often wants to spin off its axis! 

Dusty Springfield rose to fame in the 1960s, and in reading news articles about her, I caught a pattern in her behavior… habits she wisely figured out that would calm her [anxiety]. Things like needing her cat on her lap, excusing herself from a stressful rehearsal to sit in a dark stairwell and breathe for a few minutes, actions that were considered sheer LUNACY back then. I was so proud of her! I would read nasty comments about her and I thought “I have to build a show that celebrates her brave [self-care] choices - which are now taught!” (Thank goodness!) Performance anxiety is SO REAL, and getting wildly distracted is also very real. And when you discover certain tools - your capacity to create is sky high.

RK: What drew you to Dusty Springfield’s work, initially?

LMD: Several years ago, Lisa Peterson (recently the director for Broadway’s “Goodnight, Oscar”) was directing/ developing “Out in the Street” about the Shangri-Las at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley - one of my favorite regional theaters - and I was asked to play Dusty Springfield in their annual New Works Festival.  They felt strongly that I would be a good fit for Dusty’s energy, poise and music. So, prior to arriving in California for the project I went down a delightful rabbit hole that went well beyond her biggest pop singles (like “Wishin’ & Hopin’”, “I Only Wanna Be With You”, and “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me”). Dusty was a strong influence on the very young Shangri-Las, especially as female singer with strong producing ideas. Her musical tastes were so eclectic - and after watching hours upon hours of interviews I grew to love her.

RK: What drew you to talking about ADHD?

LMD: I’m one of those energetic people with several half-filled notebooks of projects and dreams that go unfinished. Oh, I’m not lazy - I’m the ultimate multi-tasker! I once was a hyper-aware waitress at a high-volume restaurant who made great tips because I remembered everything.  But, put me in a quiet room with lots of ideas and my mind spins so fast that it accomplishes nothing. 

 

RK: In your show you talk about ADHD and ‘brain hacks’. Can you give us an example of a “brain hack” that works for you….?

LMD: I’ve always loved a noisy café to help me focus on writing and memorizing, but there are so many tasks that can’t get done at your local café. I’ve had a tendency to postpone household to-do’s in fear that they will take too long - like laundry and taxes!  Now, I have a colorful old-fashioned dial timer that flashes when it goes off. And if I think a task is going to take too long, I set my timer for 23 minutes (I love odd numbers) and dare myself to get a SINGLE task done before the lights flash. The dopamine from the challenge of racing an old-fashioned timer is REAL.

 

RK: Do you have anything else in your year that you are excited about?

LMD: I recently had a nice role on Season 2 of The Gilded Age on HBO MAX, and I’m keeping all my fingers crossed that the storyline will continue and I will return next season! On February 20th, you will also see me on the newest episode of F.B.I. Other than television appearances, I'm looking forward to bringing my award-winning show of Broadway leading men’s songs and sassy standards  “Why CAN’T A Woman…?” to Chelsea Table & Stage in NYC (May 11th) and Hey Nonny in Chicago (May 16th). It will be Mother’s Day week and a fabulous time to celebrate ALL the hats that women wear and the female authors that have inspired us from childhood till now! 

 

RK: As someone with a long list of theatre credits, what draws you to cabaret?

LMD: I love performing in night clubs. It’s like performing in a fancy version of my living room, but no one has to walk up 5 flights, there’s better lighting, cocktails that magically reappear and loving encouragement from rows of real people instead of smiling teddy bears. The audience feels that they get to know ME instead of a character that I perform. I’ve loved performing Fantine in Les Misérables,  Aldonza in Man of La Mancha, Lucy in Jekyll & Hyde …but the audience didn’t actually get to know me.  Oh, and I have a pretty swell sense of humor, but while I’m dying on-stage, the audience doesn’t really get to enjoy that. 

In my latest show, we get an evening of arrangements by Ron Abel - one of the most respected composers, music directors and arrangers in the industry. His talent and energy is contagious - and I’m lucky to be infected with his support and share his music all over the country! And to have my personal band be top New York musicians: Sean Harkness, Tom Hubbard, Rex Benincasa and Ron Abel ... it's a dream come true. 

 

Follow Lianne on IG @nycnightingale

Watch a clip of her opening number to "The Windmills of My Mind... For Dusty Springfield"

You can find Lianne's upcoming shows at Linktr.ee/LMDSings.

Tickets and more information are available at www.thegreenroom42.com.

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