All my life, I've created huge projects such as Broadway plays, Feature Films, Animations and multi-faceted marketing vehicles. These projects are extremely viable and potentially worth billions...if you have the funding to manifest them.
At this late juncture of this artist's journey, I've had to go from pitching these massive projects down to pitching a four-person musical and then down to pitching a one-woman show starring only myself as a variety of lunatic characters.
Thus, 'THE HEIDI HO COMEDY SHOW" was born out of frustration, necessity, hope, fearlessness, creativity and survival.
No one ever said showbiz was easy. Some people believe it is a glamorous life where you just perform on stage for a short period and then relax the rest of the time. Let me put that rumor to rest. It is a full-time job just to promote your act or products, not to mention all the development time as well as maintenance of costumes, wigs, makeup, computer, instruments, body, face, mind and spirit. Anyone who ventures forth into the realm of that business we call "show" has to have both a thick skin and a never-ending passion. We are soldiers of a sort in that we constantly battle to have our voices heard.
Okay, so enough of the drudgery. It's depressing. Let's talk about the pro-active manner in which I'm approaching this exciting yet frightening new one-woman show. I've never done a one-person show other than a "Cher Impersonation Show." But, I've been in the audience of some of the best. Perhaps my most favorite was the great Billy Crystal when I saw him on Broadway in his one-man show called "700 Sundays." In that show about his life, Billy talked about his childhood desire to play pro baseball. But he didn't feel quite good enough to make the pros. It wasn't until he sat in the audience of some Catskills comics that he said to himself, "Hey, I can do that!" And that's exactly what I said to myself after seeing Billy Crystal's performance. "I can do that!"When you grow up with the name "Heidi," you get a lot of people calling you "Heidi Ho" because of a famous, old song by Cab Calloway, "Hi De Ho." While the word "Ho" can make some uncomfortable, I am embracing it. Maybe someday my fans will be called "Ho Hos." LOL!
So, how does one come up with the content for a one-person show? Billy Crystal used his life story. Chaz Palminteri based his on "A Bronx Tale." John Leguizamo used family characters to create his comedy act. But I've always admired Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett along with Bette Midler and Robin Williams. You might say I have the silliness of Lucy, the characters of Carol, the attitude of Bette and the love of improvisation like Robin. I had to find a way to put that all together in a one-woman show that would not only showcase my performing abilities, but also my writing, directing, costuming, makeup and producing abilities. The idea being that this "Heidi Ho Comedy Show" would be my way "in" to moving up the food chain and getting my original plays, music, scripts and other projects produced.
The main weapon I had in my arsenal was my highly successful Cher impersonation. With this character, I had headlined on the Las Vegas strip for over 18 years, guest-starred on numerous national TV shows such as "The Nanny," "The View" and "Ellen," toured to promote the opening of the cable network, TV Land, was featured in a national book release about the real Cher, and performed for many huge biker rallies, corporate events and private functions. Surely, this character would have to be the big finish for my new act! But it had to be just a small part of "The Heidi Ho Comedy Show" because I was now moving from a top impersonator to a newcomer in the field of a character comedienne. A newcomer...after decades in "the biz." I should have taken this step a long time ago. Sometimes the dream of what can be is much easier to experience than the reality of what has to occur. I nearly had one of my musicals produced on Broadway with the King of Broadway Producers, James Nederlander Sr., in 1987. 19 friggin 87! It's 2015! What the heck has taken me so long?
Okay, so back to starting over. With Cher as my "can't miss ending," I now had to fashion the 18 minutes leading up to her in my 20 minute new act. I wanted to create a strong 20 minutes first because I could then be an opening act for a star, or work as a comic in some comedy shows. I could shave off some time or add some time to this strong 20 minute piece as needed. It was good plan that would eventually either lead into a 90 min one-woman show or garner funding for one of my larger projects. Either way, I had a new direction and revitalized hope.
In my next blog entry, I will explain the process I used to create the 20 minute new act and show you some pictures of the characters I chose to portray. I invite you to join me in this journey as I have so much to share with you. Some exciting things are already happening! Talk soon...
