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.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!