Heidi Blickenstaff talks about her musical. Image Source: People
Heidi Blickenstaff talks about her challenges with romantic relationships.
During a People, magazine cover story, Broadway star Heidi Blickenstaff detailed her terrifying experience of being sexually abused by her older cousin from the age of four to seven, and how it affected her romantic relationships. She also spoke about what music means to her.
Heidi Blickenstaff mentioned that she struggled with romantic relationships while growing up, and after she ended her first marriage, she dove straight into another relationship that was also not the one for her until she met her now husband, Nicholas Rohlfing, an actor turned entertainment lawyer.
The actress stated that after all of her traveling and self-examination, she believed her heart and soul were finally ready, and Nicholas agreed. Heidi is the stepmother to Nicholas Rohlfing's two sons, but she has no biological children of her own.
Heidi Blickenstaff plays Mary Jane Healy, the character in Jagged Little Pill continues to struggle with substance abuse and was sexually abused in college. Heidi revealed during the conversation that her older brother, who prompted her mom when he saw her, and her older cousin, who was sexually harassing her, had started to struggle with addictive behavior but is now eight years sober, which makes her very grateful.
She continued that substance abuse ruled his world, and now that he is eight years sober, she is immensely proud of him, adding that there were some incredibly scary moments when the family did not think he would survive, but he did. She stated that her brother has seen the musical and some of the most thrilling material that she will ever get to play, but as a human, playing Mary Jane on stage feels like healing.
Heidi Blickenstaff further said that it has become incredibly healing for her to be able to walk in her character’s shoes, which seem similar to the ones she owns. The actress said that she only hopes that with their musical, people who have struggled with addiction can feel seen and not alone, and she mentioned that every time she talks about her experience, she feels like more and more of their trauma or burden is being lifted. Heidi Blickenstaff mentioned that, sure, it’s intimidating for her to see her brother in the audience watching her perform, and she felt so protective of him with every step that she took, but deep down she knew that Jagged Little Pill was going to be good medicine for her brother and their family.
Alanis Morissette's 1995 album of the same name debuted in 1995, and she previously told us that she is just happy that because she moves a certain way on stage or sings a certain lyric, it allows people to feel all the stigmatization feelings, which includes frustration, despair, anxiousness, feelings of hopelessness, and ambiguity, something which society asks an individual not to feel.
She stated that the more people who approach her and tell her that they relate to any of her songs, the more she comes to realize that no regardless of the country she is in, what color of skin, or what politics, there is a human experience that everyone happens to share and that truly unites her.
Heidi Blickenstaff is joined up on stage by Chris Hoch, who plays Mary Jane's husband, Steve, and actors Lauren Chanel and Dillon Klena, plays the characters of Mary Jane's children Frankie and Nick. All the characters have their own share of struggles and ways to deal with it. Tony Award-winning writer Diablo Cody has written the text and Diane Paulus serves as the director, the main cast is completed by Jade McLeod and Allison Sheppard as Jo and Bella, respectively.
