The ‘Freaky Friday’ Musical Mom Already Has A Connection To The Franchise

The premiere of the Disney Channel's Freaky Friday TV musical is finally here, which means viewers of all ages are in for some serious mother-daughter hijinks. And even though it'll definitely be difficult to live up to the memorable film version that Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan gifted fans back in 2003, this latest iteration already looks to be a must-see experience. This is partially due to the incredible cast, which includes Cozi Zuehlsdorff, who plays Ellie and Heidi Blickenstaff, who plays Katherine in the Freaky Friday TV movie. But while Zuehlsdorff is a relative newcomer to the entertainment scene, Blickenstaff actually already has some pretty strong ties to the Freaky Friday franchise.

According to BroadwayWorld.com, Blickenstaff played Katherine in the musical's original stage production, so she's had a lot of experience in the role long before she was ever cast by Disney. In fact, Blickenstaff has a long list of theater credentials to her name, having played Ursula in the 2008 production of The Little Mermaid as well as Bea in Something Rotten back in 2015, according to Playbill.com. She's also performed in theatrical versions of The Full Monty, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Elf, and The Addams Family, just to name a few other shows.

When it comes to movie and TV credits, Blickenstaff's resume isn't quite as impressive since most of her time and energy has been put into her on-stage work. However, more and more opportunities could present themselves to her once Freaky Friday makes its Disney Channel, especially since the network has such high hopes for the project's popularity. Perhaps it'll even become your family's next big obsession.

“This movie is a creative collaboration with our Theatrical colleagues who developed an original stage musical from a beloved story,” executive vice president of original programming at Disney Channel, Adam Bonnett, said in a statement back in June, as per Entertainment Weekly. “Now we’ve added a fresh twist by adapting it again into a movie for kids and families — with Broadway talent on and off camera — that has the potential to be a classic [Disney Channel Original Movie] for years to come.”

Whether or not that turns out to be the case has yet to be seen, but Blickenstaff's musical background is sure to make the experience all the more enjoyable. And just in case you had any doubts about her vocal chops, both Blickenstaff and Zuehlsdorff recently appeared on Good Morning America this week to help promote Freaky Friday and even performed one of the musical numbers, "At Last It's Me," for the audience.

As many of you know, the premise of the Freaky Friday franchise centers around a mother and daughter who find themselves wishing they could understand each other better only to later wind up accidentally switching bodies. (You know, the classic "be careful what you wish for" type of scenario.) The only difference is that now — thanks to this Disney version — there will also be some singing involved, which should make Blickenstaff feel right at home and leave everyone watching at home reaching for the phones to call their moms.

Freaky Friday premieres Friday, Aug. 10 at 8 p.m. ET on the Disney Channel.