BWW Exclusive: Jiving, Two-Stepping, and Swinging Through the Career of Andy Blankenbuehler

By: Jul. 03, 2017
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Corey Cott, Laura Osnes, and the company of BANDSTAND
Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel

Though he began his Broadway career as an ensemble dancer in productions ranging from GUYS AND DOLLS to MAN OF LA MANCHA, Andy Blankenbuehler has become known as one of the go-to choreographers in the theatre world. With him having three shows currently running on the main stem, including his newly Tony-winning Bandstand, we are looking back at the extensive and diverse resume of this extraordinary creator.

THE APPLE TREE - 2006

After beginning as part of City Center's Encores! series, the revival of THE APPLE TREE transferred to Broadway with Blankenbuehler making his debut as a Broadway choreographer.

The creative team had the framework of the book and score as a blueprint, but because there was not a team standing by to rewrite sections to incorporate movement, Blankenbuehler tried to be on the cutting edge with the material, giving it a level of excitement that prevented it from feeling dated or similar to what audiences had seen before.

He also played off the specific skills of cast members Kristin Chenoweth, Brian D'Arcy James, and Marc Kudisch, whose sharp instincts allowed Blankenbuehler to feel confident to think outside the box.

IN THE HEIGHTS - 2007

Blankenbuehler return to Broadway when Lin-Manuel Miranda's IN THE HEIGHTS transferred to Broadway. During the nine-month process of creating the show's choreography, Blankenbuehler had to focus heavily on his relationship with director Tommy Kail due to the show's dance-driven nature.

The show's choreography keenly concentrated on the idea of razor sharp energy shifts and how they affect people's perspectives. This specificity was important to the entire creative team, and allowed the piece to feel organic, despite being unlike any Broadway musical to come before. The other maIn Focus for Blankenbuehler's work was honing in on the urgency that Miranda created in the show's lyrics.

In an interview with Move TV, Blankenbuehler said that he believes the piece's poignancy did not originated with the dancing, but instead, the choreography ended up being moving because the choreography met the book and score's emotion head on, with the cast believably embodying these fully fleshed out characters.

9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL - 2009

When given the task of adapting the classic 1980 Dolly Parton movie 9 TO 5 for the stage, Blankenbuehler looked to the street for inspiration. Because of the show's focus on the average working woman going through the daily grind, the choreographer looked to the streets for pedestrian movements as his inspiration.

In a interview with Dance Magazine, Blankenbuehler said that he would go to a nearby Starbucks and watch the passersby, and then incorporate and translate the movements that he saw for the stage. His work in the production with Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty, and Allison Janney then lead to his second Tony nomination just one year after his first.

THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE - 2011

Blankenbuehler's next Broadway venture had a more serious tone with the Roundabout Theatre Company's musical, THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE. While the show was not as dance-heavy as several of the choreographer's previous works, he was able to create musical staging for Broadway legends Donna Murphy and Chip Zein while presenting an important story about Yiddish theater and the Holocaust told through the eyes of a grandmother and her vivid memories.

BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL - 2012

Andy Blankenbuehler took on a whole new challenge while working on the Tony-nominated BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL, as it was not only his first time directing a Broadway production, but it was also his first attempt directing anything.

In the three years of working on the show's material, he wanted to hone in on the potential that the property had in bringing the cheer world to the stage. Though the show's story was not directly adapted from any of the franchise's films, the team was able to work off of the original material's exploding energy.

They were also able to draw from the rich vocabulary, choreography, and tradition of the cheerleading world, which led to moments of learning for both the musical theatre and cheerleading professionals in the show's cast.

In terms of choreography, Blankenbuehler told Varsity Spirit that he wanted the pulse to never end, which lead to never-ending movement throughout the show. In addition, he created a gritty, real environment for the characters to live in and then used the high-energy spirit of cheerleading to heighten the character's emotional expression.

ANNIE - 2012

After working on more contemporary pieces, Blankenbuehler next worked on a revival with the legendary James Lapine, the 2012 Broadway revival of ANNIE.

Blankenbuehler told BroadwayWorld's Caryn Robbins that he liked how the piece united new audiences and old audiences to come back to the theatre and remind them why musicals are made. While he found that working on a classic revival was easier in the sense that the show's structure was already set, it also created new challenges in attempting to stay true to the inevitable expectations that audiences will bring to the theatre. This forced the choreographer to balance his signature intensity while also staying within the lines of the existing work.

The show also brought a different challenge for Blankenbuehler, though ANNIE is considered to be a dance-heavy show, it is not necessarily known for iconic choreography. It, instead, is about the characters' visceral, raw emotion being communicated through dance.

HAMILTON - 2015

While HAMILTON is one of the biggest blockbusters to ever hit Broadway, Blankenbuehler did not initially think he could properly choreograph the show because of the intricacy of what Lin-Manuel Miranda had created.

The bulk of Blankenbuehler's difficulty was trying to stay out of the way so that the audience was able to follow the story that the intricate lyrics were telling.

Blankenbuehler told the Wall Street Journal's Pia Catton that he found it especially important for this show in particular to use the on-stage ensemble to informthe audience where it should be looking. He wanted to delve into the choreography as if the audience is getting a peek into Hamilton's mind during a singular moment in time, quickly moving from a head-on view to delving into his mind's inner workings.

This comes in the form of moments such as his troops freezing and then bringing to life what he is emoting in the words. Blankenbuehler also focused heavily on strong and wide motions in order to convey the show's intense emotional depths.

CATS - 2016

Blankenbuehler helped let the "memory" live again in the current revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's CATS. In an interview for Cats's social media, he said that much of the challenge in taking on this project was attempting to reinvent the world of the Jellicle Ball while simultaneously keeping the DNA of original choreographer Gillian Lyne's vision in tact. Because of this, Blankenbuehler diligently studied the original work and adapted the material to fit a more modern sensibility for audiences.

This came in the form of bumping up the pace of the choreography and having multiple pieces of action happening simultaneously on the stage of the Neil Simon Theatre to give the audience even more to look at.

BANDSTAND - 2017

Though Bandstand is Blankenbuehler's newest Broadway venture, he has been developing the show in workshops since two months before he ever touchEd Hamilton.

Just as he did with BRING IT ON, he once again directs and choreographs. Because the show centers on the dark subject matter of World War II and the impacts of PTSD that can occur in the months and years after war, he felt the need to hone in on the feelings of love and joy that get people through those dark times, as they remind you what you are fighting for.

Blankenbuehler told AOL Build's Laura Heywood that he also felt an obligation to create authenticity, because the material hits so close to home with its beautifully honest story. While musically the show employs a swing style specific to the time period, Blankenbuehler adds a modern sensibility to pack the emotional punch needed for the characters' stories to fully make an impact.


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