An Interview with local actress Tammy Blanchard

After the presents have been opened on Christmas Day, itâ€s always fun to go out and catch a movie. Thatâ€s what Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and Stephen Sondheim fans will be doing when the movie musical INTO THE WOODS opens nationwide on Dec. 25^th.

Meryl Streep stars as the Wicked Witch and a troupe of wickedly talented stars including Johnny Depp, Anna Kendrick, Christine Baranski and Bayonneâ€s Tammy Blanchard join her for a romp in the woods. “Be careful what you wish for” is the filmâ€s tagline because although itâ€s about Grimm Fairy Tales, this is no kiddie movie. Sondheim and co-writer James Lapine have taken several fairy tale characters on loopy adventures where very adult things happen, and not every journey ends happily ever after.

Disneyâ€s INTO THE WOODS is the filmed version of the Tony Award winning musical which debuted on Broadway in 1987 starring Bernadette Peters as the wicked witch, and directed by Hal Prince. It has been performed throughout the world, has had several revivals here and in London, and has taken almost 30 years to go from stage to screen.

During her career, Bayonneâ€s Tammy Blanchard earned Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for her portrayal of Judy Garland in LIFE WITH JUDY GARLAND; ME AND MY SHADOWS; and two Tony Award nominations for supporting roles in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS…(with “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe) and GYPSY starring Bernadette Peters.

A single-mom, Blanchard keeps a busy schedule while balancing a full-time career. River View Observer caught up with her right after INTO THE WOODS premiered at the Ziegfeld on Dec. 8^th to find out what it was like to work on a Disney film with superstar Meryl Streep and director Rob Marshall, (who directed the film version of the Broadway musical CHICAGO).

RVO: Tammy, can you talk a bit about your character in the film?

TB: I play one of the wicked step-sisters being pressured to marry a prince. We have a lot of money, but weâ€re losing the money and desperate. Our wicked step-mother – played by Christine Baranski – will do anything to get us married.  We had a lot of fun working together. Christine is amazing.

RVO: What was it like working with Christine Baranski?

TB: She was flying back and forth from filming THE GOOD WIFE (CBS-TV). She loves acting, and talking about it. Iâ€m so laid back, but a lot of other actors are so into their roles and they talk a lot about it. Although I like preserving, I like seeing other actors be that way. Thatâ€s why I love acting. Itâ€s a bunch of geeks and dorks who get together and make something beautiful happen. And the set is like a church. I love it. Itâ€s a saving grace for me.

RVO: What was it like at the Dec. 8^th movie premiere at the Ziegfeld, seeing yourself on that huge screen?

TB: It was fun. It was cool seeing myself be so mean and rotten. I was impressed with my snottiness. (she laughs)

RVO: Can you share an anecdote about working with Meryl Streep?

TB: Before filming, the entire cast went out to dinner and Iâ€m sitting at the table with all the leads including Meryl Streep. Iâ€m pretty shy and donâ€t say much. Then Meryl asks me where Iâ€m from. When she talks, everyone stops. I tell her I was born and raised in Bayonne. She said her father was from Newark. I had no idea that sheâ€s a Jersey girl, too. And to reach out to me in that moment, that was so generous. But thatâ€s what Jersey girls do.

RVO:  Did you have any scenes with Meryl Streep?

TB: We had a scene in the woods where Meryl as the Wicked Witch is about to throw the blind girl to the giant. When we started shooting it, she kept throwing me. Rob had to go over and tell her that it was the blind girl who was to be thrown. Thatâ€s how it was rehearsed. But I loved getting thrown by Meryl Streep. She wanted to connect with me and she did.  (Tammy laughs) It seems she still has that Jersey girl way about her. Sheâ€s happy and free-spirited. And as an actress, sheâ€s blessed with this gift for knowing humanity. Sheâ€s beyond great. She has a sense of truth in her. Meryl does so many charitable things for so many people. I just love her so much.

RVO: Did you do any scenes with Johnny Depp?

TB: He came to the recording studio and we met. Rob Marshall, the director, walked him into each booth to say hello. He seemed shy, sweet and timid. He smiled at me at one point, but for the most part he was hidden away from everyone.

RVO:  Youâ€ve worked with Sondheim before when you did GYPSY on Broadway with Bernadette Peters. Whatâ€s he like?

TB: Anna Kendrick and I were waiting in a rehearsal room when he came in to use the piano. He changed some notes on a piece of paper for a new song (that was eventually cut), thanked us and left. We witnessed Stephen Sondheim writing music. Afterwards, I cried. It felt like such a magical moment and then for him to thank us for allowing him to use the piano. On set and in rehearsals, heâ€s a quiet man. Sort of like Santa Clause: he smiles and laughs; he seems sweet and cuddly; and youâ€re terrified of him.

 RVO Do you think the film is okay for kids to see?

TB: It demolishes your thoughts about fairy tales. Itâ€s a dark take. Childrenâ€s minds are very precious. I think in order to make that decision, you have to know your child. If your child doesnâ€t believe in fairy tales and princesses then you can take them. If your child loves princesses and fairy tales, I wouldnâ€t take them if theyâ€re younger than 10.

RVO:  What do you think of Rob Marshallâ€s direction?

TB:  Itâ€s different from the Broadway show; Rob put a modern day twist on it. He cast all of these people from different parts of the world and he has us sing all types of music. Meryl Streep raps in it. Itâ€s mind-blowing, dark, funny, sarcastic, and itâ€s different from what we grew up knowing about fairy tales. Princes arenâ€t always what you thought they were.

If you go:

Opens nationwide on Dec. 25th

Into the Woods, the movie

Check local movie listings

www.disney.com/IntotheWoods‎

www.movietickets.com

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Hudson County Actress Tammy Blanchard in her Tony nominated performance as Heddy La Rue  (Right side: in orange dress, red hair in 3rd row)  seen in photo taken November 5th with cast including; Daniel Radcliffe  as  J. Pierrepont Finch, 2011 Tony Award winner John Larroquette as J. B. Biggley, Rose Hemingway  in her Broadway debut as Radcliffe’s onstage romantic interest  Rosemary Pilkington, Christopher J. Hanke ,as Bud Frump, Rob Bartlett as  Twimble/Wally Womper,Mary Faber  as Smitty, Ellen Harvey as Miss Jones,  2011 Emmy  Award winner Michael Park  as Bert Bratt, and Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist Anderson Cooper making his Broadway debut as the voice of the narrator, in a cast of  30.

 Al Hirschfield Theater 302 West 45th Street, New York, NY 10036

Source  http://broadwayworld.com/article/FREEZE-FRAME-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-Celebrates-250th-Performance-20111105#ixzz1cxWefGfw

The post HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS CELEBRATES 250th Performance Co-stars Hudson County Actress Tammy Blanchard first appeared on River View Observer.

Playing a Comedic Bombshell with a Grown Up Harry Potter

 By Sally Deering

 Harry Potter’s all grown up and nobody knows that better than Emmy-winning actress Tammy Blanchard of Bayonne who shows off her comic side as a ditsy bombshell trying to seduce Daniel Radcliffe eight shows a week in the Broadway revival of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”  Known to audiences for playing dramatic roles in “Rabbit Hole” with Nicole Kidman and “Sybil” with Jessica Lange (among others) Blanchard turns to her comedic instincts and pulls out all the stops as a Broadway comedienne.

Blanchard’s repertoire of serious Broadway, TV and film roles includes  an Emmy Award winning performance as young Judy Garland in “Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows,” and a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut as Louise in “Gypsy” opposite Bernadette Peters. She played an unstable young woman trying to find herself in “Bella” and her portrayal of the title role in the remake of “Sybil” with Jessica Lange is so emotionally searing, she rips the heart right out of your chest.

On Broadway, Blanchard gives a comic turn in her role as Hedy LaRue, a bubble-headed knockout that’s garnering big laughs from audiences eating up her performance night after night. (The show opened on Broadway March 27^th.) Blanchard shares the stage with Radcliffe – even has to sit on his lap and seduce the former Wizard of Potterville – and John Larroquette, the four-time Emmy Award winner of TVs “Night Court.” Playing with these two heavy-hitters is absolutely delish, Blanchard says.

“Daniel is a doll,” Blanchard says, on a Saturday afternoon during her dinner break between matinee and evening performances. “He’s a pro, a gentleman and so talented. We’re lucky to have him.”

Blanchard also gets to kiss Harry Potter eight shows a week, which is enough to make Potter fans drool on their invisible capes. Blanchard says after every performance Radcliffe’s fans wait outside the Stage Door for a glimpse of the famous wizard. And when they see Radcliffe appear, it’s pandemonium with Potter fans going goo-goo ga-ga over their fictional hero.

“He has some hard-core fans,” Blanchard says.

And working with Larroquette, who is making his Broadway debut and displays hilarious comic chops both on and off stage makes Blanchard as giddy as bubbles in champagne.

“John throws one-liners at you all the time,” Blanchard says. “He’s so funny. He’s both a star and a great human being. I just love him.”

Blanchard’s learned a lot about playing comedy on stage, which is very different from playing drama before the camera, she says. Timing is everything when you’re doing comedy in front of a live audience. “When I’m on stage, if I take a second too long (during a laugh line) it goes flat,” she says.

Directed and choreographed by Rob Ashford, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” stars Larroquette as J.B. Biggley, president of the World Wide Wicket company and Radcliffe as J. Pierrepont Finch, a window cleaner whose dream of moving up the corporate ladder is inspired by a book he’s reading, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” (which is voiced throughout the musical by Anderson Cooper of CNN.) When Blanchard as Hedy La Rue is hired as a new secretary, the world of World Wide Wicket goes wonky with office romances going awry and Finch tediously dangling from the corporate ladder’s top rung. But just like all musical comedies of its genre, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” succeeds in giving audiences a happy ending with lots of singing and dancing.

“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” originally opened on Broadway in 1961 with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and libretto by Abe Burrow, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert who based the story on the1952 book by Shephard Mead. Some of the songs became big hits like, “I Believe in You,” and “Brotherhood of Men,” and in 1962, “How to Succeed…” won seven Tony Awards, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  It was revived in 1995 with Matthew Broderick as Finch, which earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

Blanchard was invited to audition by two of the producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who she describes as her heroes. Zadan and Meron worked with Blanchard when they produced “Life with Judy Garland” and have since gone on to produce blockbuster movie musicals “Chicago” and “Hairspray.” Currently, the producing team is working with Steven Spielberg on a new NBC television drama, “Smash” about the making of a Broadway musical.

Hesitant to audition, but up for the challenge, Blanchard says she drove to the audition in Manhattan and experimented with voices for the La Rue character in her car. When she discovered the voice, something clicked, she says. She auditioned, landed the role and now she gets to show her comic side eight shows a week at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on Broadway.

“It’s so much fun,” Blanchard says. “It’s such a great musical comedy and I’m having the time of my life.”

“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Hirschfeld Theatre

302 W. 45^th Street

New York

For Tickets:  Call Telecharge at 212-239-6200

Note:  A limited number of General Rush Tickets are available for $30 each on the day of the performance.

They are available at the box only beginning at 10 am.

The post Emmy-Winner Tammy Blanchard shows her Funny Side with Daniel Radcliffe in Hit Broadway Musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” first appeared on River View Observer.

Broadway actress Tammy Blanchard starts performances on February 26th at the Al Hirshfield Theater, 302 West 45th Street, New York, (212 239-6200) in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe, and actor John Laroquette. Opening night is set for March 27th, 2011.

Ms.Blanchard, a Hudson County resident will star as seductive secretary Hedy La Rue.

This is Ms. Blanchard’s second trip to Broadway having appeared as Louise in Gypsy in 2003 starring Bernadette Peters. Ms. Blanchard, a 2003 Tony Nominee for her performance also won a Theater World Award for her role.

Ms. Blanchard also won an Emmy playing a young Judy Garland in Me and My Shadows.

Currently she can be seen in the film Rabbit Hole as “Izzy” Nicole Kidman’s troubled sister.

In 2011 expect to see Ms.Blanchard in Moneyball starring Brad Pitt and in Union Square, The Music Never Stopped and Certainty.

Ms. Blanchard’s other film and televison credits include: The Good Shepherd, Cadillac Records, Amish, Grace, Sybil, Deadline, Ramen Girl and Bella.

For more information visit Broadway.com

The post Actress Tammy Blanchard Broadway Bound as Heddy La Rue in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying first appeared on River View Observer.

 
Actress Tammy Blanchard  seen here in a Yahoo.com news photo at the premiere Dec. 2nd for the Nicole Kidman film production of David Lindsay Albaire’s play Rabbit Hole. Ms. Blanchard plays “Izzie” in the film.

Ms. Blanchard can be seen next in How to Succeed in Business Without Out Really Trying on Broadway with Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe in March 2011. 

She has also finished filming “Union Square with Mira Sorvino due out in 2012 and two other films.

The premire for Rabbit Hole was held at the Paris Theater in NYC

Source: Yahoo.com news

The post Actress Tammy Blanchard at the December 2nd Premiere of “RABBIT HOLE”at Paris Theater in NYC first appeared on River View Observer.

Known the world over for is role as Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe will appear March 2011 in the Broadway production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Along with Radcliffe, actress Tammy Blanchard, who earned a Tony Award nomination for her performance as Louise in the Bernadette Peters revival of Gypsy and an Emmy for playing Judy Garland in “Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows,” will play office bombshell Hedy La Rue.

How to Succeed

Source: Broadway.com

The post Daniel Radcliffe Joined by Tammy Blanchard, Christopher J. Hanke & More How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying On Broadway in 2011 first appeared on River View Observer.