Photo Flash: Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY Celebrates Opening Night in D.C. with Heidi Blickenstaff, Emma Hunton and More!

By: Oct. 28, 2016
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Signature Theatre presents the world premiere production of Disney's Freaky Friday. Developed by Disney Theatrical Productions expressly for licensing to theatres, Freaky Friday features a book by Bridget Carpenter, music by Tom Kitt and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. This premiere production will be directed by Christopher Ashley with choreography by Sergio Trujillo. Freaky Friday runs now through November 20 in Signature Theatre's MAX Theatre. BroadwayWorld has photos from the opening night festivities below!

When an overworked mother and her teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to put things right again before mom's big wedding. Freaky Friday, a new musical comedy based on the celebrated novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films, is a hilarious, contemporary update of an American classic in which a mother and daughter really see what it is to be a family and experience each other's lives first-hand, if only for a day.

The production stars Heidi Blickenstaff (Broadway's Something Rotten) as Katherine Blake and Emma Hunton (Broadway's Spring Awakening) as Ellie Blake, as well as Jason Gotay(Broadway's Bring It On The Musical) as Adam and Alan H Green (Broadway's School of Rock) as Mike. Blickenstaff, Hunton, Gotay and Green are joined in the cast by Shayna Blass(Signature's The Mystery of Love & Sex), Tyler Bowman (Washington National Opera's Lost in the Stars), Cicily Daniels (Broadway's The Little Mermaid), Jamie Eacker (Signature's The Fix), Sherri L. Edelen (Signature's La Cage Aux Folles), Katie Ladner (Off-Broadway's Heathers: The Musical), Storm Lever (New York City Center's Wringer), J.Elaine Marcos (Broadway's Annie), Thaddeus McCants (Signature's The Flick), Calvin McCullough (Signature's Skin & Bones), Jake Heston Miller (Arena Stage's Oliver), Tanisha Moore (National Tour of Flashdance The Musical), Julian Ramos (Music Theater Witchita's West Side Story), Olivia Ashley Reed(Signature's West Side Story), Bobby Smith (Signature's La Cage Aux Folles), RoBert Walters (Riverside Theater - Australia Bye Bye Birdie), and Jason SweetTooth Williams (Second Stage's Things to Ruin).

The creative team comprises some of the most sought-after artists working in the musical theatre and a major voice new to the medium. Playwright Bridget Carpenter writes her first musical book, having served as co-executive producer and writer on two recent beloved TV hits, "Friday Night Lights" and "Parenthood," and as executive producer and showrunner of Hulu's series "11.22.63," based on the Stephen King bestselling novel. Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony Award® for their ground-breaking Next to Normal and most recently created the celebrated musical If/Then, which premiered at The National Theatre in Washington, DC. Director Christopher Ashley is a two-time Tony nominee (Rocky Horror Show and Memphis) and artistic director of the world-renowned La Jolla Playhouse. Olivier Award winner and Tony NomineeSergio Trujillo, one of Broadway's busiest choreographers, is best known for the 10-year smash Jersey Boys and his newest hit On Your Feet.

Set in the present day, Freaky Friday features a tuneful pop-rock score, fittingly for a work that has effortlessly updated throughout its several iterations. The novel (1972), the first film starring Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster (1976), the second film starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan (2003) and this new stage musical are all set in their respective present day.

Photo Credit: Christopher Mueller

high res photos

Photo Flash: Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY Celebrates Opening Night in D.C. with Heidi Blickenstaff, Emma Hunton and More!
The cast and creative team of at the opening night party of Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY at Signature Theatre

Photo Flash: Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY Celebrates Opening Night in D.C. with Heidi Blickenstaff, Emma Hunton and More!
Heidi Blickenstaff (Katherine) and Alan H Green (Mike)

Photo Flash: Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY Celebrates Opening Night in D.C. with Heidi Blickenstaff, Emma Hunton and More!
Heidi Blickenstaff (Katherine) and Jake Heston Miller (Fletcher)

Photo Flash: Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY Celebrates Opening Night in D.C. with Heidi Blickenstaff, Emma Hunton and More!
Emma Hunton (Ellie) and Heidi Blickenstaff (Katherine)

Photo Flash: Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY Celebrates Opening Night in D.C. with Heidi Blickenstaff, Emma Hunton and More!
Tom Kitt (Compser) and Bryan Perri (Musical Supervisor)

Photo Flash: Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY Celebrates Opening Night in D.C. with Heidi Blickenstaff, Emma Hunton and More!
Shayna Blass (Hannah) and Katie Ladner (Gretchen)

Photo Flash: Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY Celebrates Opening Night in D.C. with Heidi Blickenstaff, Emma Hunton and More!
Heidi Blickenstaff (Katherine), Jason Gotay (Adam), and Emma Hunton (Ellie)

Photo Flash: Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY Celebrates Opening Night in D.C. with Heidi Blickenstaff, Emma Hunton and More!
Julian Ramos (Wells) and Thaddeus McCants (Parker)

Photo Flash: Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY Celebrates Opening Night in D.C. with Heidi Blickenstaff, Emma Hunton and More!
Jason Gotay (Adam) and Tom Kitt (Composer)

Photo Flash: Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY Celebrates Opening Night in D.C. with Heidi Blickenstaff, Emma Hunton and More!
Bridget Carpenter (Book Writer) and Christopher Ashley (Director)

Photo Flash: Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY Celebrates Opening Night in D.C. with Heidi Blickenstaff, Emma Hunton and More!
Patrick Hurston, Heidi Blickenstaff (Katherine) and Signature Theatre Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer


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