Heidi Blickenstaff has worked on the Broadway productions of “The Little Mermaid,” “Addams Family” and “Something Rotten!” But she got a few tips from an interesting source for how to handle a big improvised dance number during the production of the TV version of the stage production “Freaky Friday.”

“My teenage stepsons were on set that day and when we were between takes, I kept telling them I needed dance moves,” Blickenstaff says. “In the breaks, I was learning the whip, the nae nae and all these crazy dances my kids were teaching me to do.

“Thank God this old body still has some dancing skills and I could learn those dances on the fly.”

The steps can be seen as she reprises the role she created in the stage production for the TV movie “Freaky Friday,” airing 8 p.m./7 p.m. Central Friday on the Disney Channel. She co-stars with Cozi Zuehlsdorff (“Dolphin Tale”) in the music-driven body swap comedy about a mother and daughter who spend a day in each other’s shoes (and bodies). The script, written by Bridget Carpenter, is based on her Disney stage adaptation of the novel by Mary Rodgers.

Blickenstaff plays Katherine Blake, a busy mother and a perfectionist who juggles trying to run her own catering company, preparing for a wedding (where those dance movies come into play) and trying to understand Ellie, her teenage daughter (Zuehlsdorff). The pair get a better understanding of each other through a magical hourglass.

Over the years, Blickenstaff has taken on roles that have been originated by others and been the first to play a character on stage, such as in ‘Freaky Friday.” She has found great satisfaction in both routes.

“The great thing about jumping into a role where you are replacing someone is that the train is already moving. You have to get up to speed and then it is thrilling to try to jump on that moving train,” Blickenstaff says. “You try to make your skill set work for something that is already tried and true.

“I think originating a role is a little bit of the holy grail. I think, now in my career, my favorite thing is to create something new. For better or worse, there is a lot of blood, sweat and tears that goes into giving birth to a character. And, in this case, it was two characters. I’ve never had that experience before.”

And, the Central California native has had a lot of stage and screen experience, starting with being part of the national touring company of “The Who’s Tommy” in 1996.

Work on the stage production of “Freaky Friday” started two years ago and resulted in a debut at Washington, D.C.’s Signature Theatre. Adam Bonnett, executive vice president of original programming for Disney Channel, describes taking the story from stage to TV was a creative collaboration between the TV producers and the team of updated book by TV veteran Bridget Carpenter, along with composer Tom Kitt and lyricist Brian Yorkey.

The majority of Blickenstaff’s work has been on stage, and that meant making some adjustments for working in front of cameras for the TV movie. Blickenstaff was certain she was not going to be able to make the transition after spending her life working in musical theater.

She managed to find the right tone for television by turning down some of the energy and vibrancy she uses to project her voice and performance to someone in the back row. What she discovered about being in front of cameras was all an actor has to do is think of an emotion they want to project and that is enough.

It didn’t take long for Blickenstaff and director Steve Carr (“Paul Blart: Mall Cop”) to develop a shorthand for letting her know if the performance was getting too big. Blickenstaff laughs and says there were a lot of times when Carr would coach her to turn up the energy to make the comedy work.

Her lack of TV experience is one reason Blickenstaff is still a little shocked about how amazing the journey has been with the project. After the interview, Blickenstaff was leaving to be a featured performer on a Disney Cruise where she would perform a variety of works including songs from ‘Freaky Friday.”

“It was amazing to get to work with the Disney Theatrical Productions again after doing ‘Mermaid’ 10 years ago, plus then to have the Disney Channel pick it to do it as a film. The fact I got to do the TV movie is really a miracle,” Blickenstaff says. “This has really been a wonderful ride.”

Also starring in “Freaky Friday” are Ricky He as Ellie’s friend Adam, Alex Desert (“Let It Shine”) as Mike and Jason Maybaum (“Raven’s Home”) as Fletcher.

Eight songs from the stage production and two new songs, including one co-written by Zuehlsdorff, are performed in a theatrical pop-rock style by the cast of the TV movie. The “Freaky Friday” soundtrack, from Walt Disney Records, will be available in physical and digital formats on Friday.

"Friday Friday" airs at 8 p.m. Friday on the Disney Channel.