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Broadway hit the jukebox again.
Heelan hopes Spearss consent toOnce Upon a One More Timecan assuage the worries of her legion of fans.
But, perhaps just as crucially, she knows the musical isnt an auteur statement meant for critical approval.
Youre going to shimmy in your seat, heckle the prince, and leave in a neon-tinted haze.
Not everything has to be a Tony contender.
You definitely cant say this show doesnt know what its doing, Heelan says.
I heard screams erupt from the floors above me where a bunch of other dressing rooms are.
It was wild getting to walk onstage for the second act after that.
I know the audience was on their phones too.
When I read the script, it already did.
The second I read it, I went, This makes total sense.
That was an amazing place to get to start from.
What was it that made immediate sense to you?Britneys catalogue.
Britneys songs question things.
They question boundaries, they question structures.
Theyre all I want songs.
I have a daughter.
She was 3 when this started, and shes 6 now.
Ive always hoped it would become a show that would be great for little girls to see.
From my understanding, Britney had influence from afar about certain creative decisions that went into the show.
If youre going to make a show of someones music, you want to include things they love.
What Britney loved seemed to be very magical.
Its energetically very integral to the piece the magical world in which the story takes place.
The desire to kindly Britney, understandably, was a priority in bringing the show to fruition.
Kind of the opposite.
Its a freedom and a trust I didnt assume I would be given, especially in a Broadway debut.
During rehearsal we were allowed to make mistakes and take big swings.
It was turned into this gorgeous choral arrangement.
Its one of her biggest hits for a reason, and the show had to end with a hit.
So it became about finding the right arrangement of Stronger.
We went through four or five different versions.
That was the biggest choice.
How to end a show is always incredibly difficult.
The information about her acceptance is out there.
Its sort of like, Are people willing to read that and then decide how they feel or not?
I hope its going to make Britney very happy.
Ive been a Britney fan my entire life.
I deeply love her, and Im deeply grateful to her.
So I suppose its activism I think its the way people are fiercely protective of her.
Theres a reason for that.
The shows effort to protect the material in terms of honoring her is in line with that.
So that was always a guiding light.
And if it didnt, it was like, Okay, well, weve got to change that.
Kind of likeInto the Woods.
It turned out to not be resonating with people.
Post-pandemic, we have to answer a need.
That need is for being uplifted.
Thats very healing right now.
Thats not to say that was at the sacrifice of depth.
Those are two different things.
We added 3, which is a real bop.
Its so ridiculous and wonderful, and buys us a beautiful momentum in act two.
And then the power of Stronger at the end felt much more true to Britney herself.
She fractures a world to start a new one.
Its also used to get every single character onboard with beginning the rebuilding of their fairy-tale world together.
Stronger achieves all of that beautifully.
This role served as your Broadway debut.
This is a show for fans.
It was never a show for the critics.
I deeply believe in this one.
I believe in why were doing it.
I believe in what it is.
I believe in my place in it.
The show is very self-aware.
We know what we are.
We know what were doing.
We know how were doing it.
If thats not for you, thats fine, but its certainly a show that knows what it is.
Youre good with us.
I hope people feel restored.
Thats what Britneys music does for me.
Have you had any communication with Britney yet?No, I havent.
