Idina Menzel doesn’t do anything halfway – even when she’s deciding on her gay faves. “It’s so silly,” says the homo-hearted theater queen, surfing Google for “hot gay male celebrities.” Her assistant even gets involved. “This is very important stuff,” Menzel giggles, fully immersed in her search to name her current gay crush.

Neil Patrick Harris? Too typical. George Michael? Maybe 20 years ago.

“Oh, I could do a woman” she realizes, before catching the unintentional humor in that: “I mean, not do a woman.”

And on she goes, scouring the web relentlessly. Again, she laughs. “(My assistant) just went onto a gay porn site. That’s helpful!”

Ten minutes later, she’s got it: Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes and Anderson Cooper, because “that makes me sound really smart.” Not that she has to sound anything except beautiful, and that she already does – as demonstrated in her 20 years on stage, from “Rent” to “Wicked” (originating the roles of Maureen and Elphaba, respectively), and as a cradle-robber on “Glee.”

Now the ever-sweet Broadway diva has a new live album, “Idina Menzel Live: Barefoot at the Symphony,” airing on PBS Saturday, before she hits the road this summer for a series of tour dates (Menzel will perform June 27 at the Detroit Opera House; tickets are on sale Monday, March 5). She caught up with us recently to talk toes, hubby Taye Diggs’ gay tendency and learning the real definition of “white party.”

“Barefoot at the Symphony” is the name of the new album – do you have nice feet?

They’re all right. My toes are pretty in proportion to each other. No weird toes.

Is the second toe longer than the big toe?

No, they’re actually nice like that. It’s just that – from working out and stuff – my heels are always dry. But the toes are nice!

Will your tour be a lot like this album?

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Broadway superstar Idina Menzel has a new story arc in Glee this season.

Something wicked this way comes.

Get ready, Toronto, because I’m thrilled to be the one to break the news to you that Idina Menzel, the Tony Award-winning star of Wicked, Glee and Rent will be appearing at Koerner Hall on Nov. 17 & 18 with the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony and these concerts are being taped for a future PBS special.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am about doing this!” enthuses Menzel from the set of Glee in California, “I’ve been honing this program for over a year and it’s full of things I love singing.”

Fans of the multi-talented performer will be glad to hear that Menzel’s favourites probably coincide with theirs and will, of course, feature songs like “Defying Gravity” from Wicked and “No Day But Today” from Rent.

“Those shows are gifts that I take with me to every city I go to,” she says of the two Broadway hits that solidified her reputation as one of the most dynamic musical theatre stars today.

In Rent, she created the role of Maureen, the bisexual performance artist who needed to have everyone fall in love with her and in Wicked, she was Elphaba, the green skinned witch who had to fight feeling like a total outsider.

“I honestly don’t mind singing sings from those shows over and over again, because my approach to music is to find something different in it every time, something that never occurred to me before.”

The New York-born Menzel turned 40 this past May and feels that “life couldn’t possibly be treating me better than it is.” She’s been in love with her husband, Taye Diggs, since they first met on Rent 15 years ago and their first child, Walker, was born in 2009.

But things took a while to get on the right track. Young Menzel was a powerhouse singer from the age of 5, but in high school, she kept getting cast as the older woman with the killer voice instead of the ingénue she felt she was inside.

“When I played Elphaba, I never realized it at first, but I was tapping into a lot of stuff from my teenage years,” she says. “The one who tried too hard, the outsider, the oddball. Yeah, that was me.”

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The “green girl” is coming. That girl also goes by the name of Idina Menzel, who is known around the world as the source of the ground-shaking voice behind such memorable characters as Maureen Johnson in the original cast of “Rent” as well as her most recent Broadway role as the witch Elphaba in the “Wizard of Oz” inspired “Wicked.”

Menzel, whose performance of the song “Defying Gravity” has always been popular among musical fans, will be visiting Madison this Sunday for a show at Memorial Union Theater. In a recent The Badger Herald interview, she let us know more about how she got into music and the journey she took to get to where she is now.

“Oh,” Menzel began sleepily. “I don’t know, I’ve been singing my whole life, just been singing. [laughter] It’s all I wanted to do, and I wouldn’t feel happy if I wasn’t doing it.”

While her onstage charm wasn’t entirely there, Menzel continued to explain how she worked up the musical ladder, from acting in school plays to her position as a wedding singer, anything that could get her by until her big break in “Rent. “

While “Rent” did result in her first Tony nomination, it wasn’t until “Wicked” rolled around that she gained the notoriety she has today. “Wicked,” based on the novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire, tells the tale of the Wicked Witch of the West and her struggle for acceptance in a non-green world. Menzel originated this role, and her efforts garnered her a Tony award.

“That entire “Wicked” experience really changed my life. I learned a lot of life … lessons through that character. I learned … how to embrace what makes you unique. I learned how to come out of myself, and not be afraid of your own personal power,” Menzel said, although passively.

After making the show-stopping song “Defying Gravity” a hit both onstage and off in her remixed dance-floor version, Menzel left the Broadway stage for other projects, among them a role in “Enchanted” and reprising her role as Maureen for the film version of “Rent.”

In 2007, however, Menzel was given the chance to reprise the role that made her famous on the London stage.

“I was excited to get back into a role I had already experienced doing, because I actually thought I’d enjoy the process more and rediscover the role, and take some of the experience I got from the other projects I did in the meantime and apply them to building the character. I just had a great time in London,” Menzel said.

Yet Menzel simultaneously lives in two worlds of music: singing and songwriting. In that respect, it was inevitable she would leave the stage and move toward the studio, where she would record her first solo record, I Stand.

“I’ve been recording ever since I was a teenager, and it just so happens because of my success with “Wicked” that this album is getting more looks and everything, which is a wonderful thing. I think I made an album that people that know me from the theater will respect the change in direction but also to see the same woman in there, and hear the same voice, and hopefully be drawn to authenticity and passion.”

As a lifelong performer either in character or as herself, Menzel continued to speak of how performing has the same common denominator:

“Whether or not you’re singing behind a costume or you’re singing as yourself, you’re still having to put yourself out there as a performer and make yourself vulnerable to an audience. That’s the only way people are really going to feel something, if you get in touch with what’s genuine about the role or what you’re experiencing in yourself. “

When touching on the subject of politics, Menzel’s apathetic tone subsided as she audibly illuminated. In addition to her tour for her I Stand album, Menzel has also made time to show her support for Barack Obama.

“I’m just like everyone else, just really touched by his campaign and everything that he represents. I just wanted to get up and do something and be a part of it, so when I look back on it I could say I was really there, and part of a movement and making history.

For those wondering if Menzel will be “Defying Gravity” during Sunday’s performance, Menzel offered some promising info.

“I do a little bit of everything. I’ve rearranged some of the songs so they fit more in the context of pop music, but I think there’s a real cohesive flavor to the whole things. We’ve got some fun covers in our pocket that we’re going to surprise people with so each performance is a little different. They should expect a fun, eclectic, spontaneous evening.”

Idina Menzel will be at the Memorial Union Theater this Sunday at 8 p.m. Tickets are avaiable at $10 for University of Wisconsin students.

by Cailley Hammel - The Badger Herald – October 30, 2008

Movies Online sat down with Idina Menzel at the Los Angeles press day for “Enchanted,” directed by Kevin Lima (“Tarzan,” “Eloise At Christmastime”) from a screenplay written by Bill Kelly (“Blast From the Past”) and featuring original songs from the reunited team of acclaimed composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz (“Pocahontas,” “Hunchback of Notre Dame”).

A classic Disney animated fairy tale meets with the modern, live-action romantic comedy in Walt Disney Pictures’ “Enchanted.” Featuring an all-star cast, the film follows the beautiful princess Giselle (Amy Adams) as she is banished by an evil queen (Susan Sarandon) from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that doesn’t operate on a “happily ever after” basis, Giselle is now adrift in a chaotic world badly in need of enchantment. But when Giselle begins to fall in love with a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) who has come to her aid — even though she is already promised to a perfect fairy tale prince (James Marsden) back home – she has to wonder: can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world?

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Idina Menzel Provides a Few Details on “Enchanted:” “Amy Adams is playing this princess in a real fairy tale world. It starts out with eight minutes of animation, like a spoof on Disney, and she plays this princess, and James Marsden is the prince. They fall in love in one day, they sing a song where they find each other, and the birds sew her dress. Susan Sarandon is the queen and hates her, and she pushes her down a well so that she won’t marry her son. So, she falls in a well and ends up in a manhole in New York City. And then it’s a real life, New York City romantic comedy.”

Menzel plays Patrick Dempsey’s fiancee in the film, “a cool fashion designer, New York chick that is sort of jaded about love.” Although Menzel said more on “Enchanted,” the rest of her interview had to be edited – at the request of the studio – to remove a potential spoiler.

Idina Menzel Gets Animated: Asked if she’s seen sketches of what she’ll look like in animated form, Menzel said, “A little bit. I went over there and they are very excited about showing you that kind of stuff. It’s such an amazing process. It’s cool to see yourself animated.”

The Song Style of “Enchanted:” Menzel said hers is a Disney style song. “There’s a couple songs in it. Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken are writing the songs for it and he [Schwartz] wrote ‘Wicked.’ It’s a big-budget movie. Amy is going to be great because she’s got to do that princess, fish-out-of-water thing in the middle of New York. It’s a romantic comedy with music and some animation in it. It’s kind of clever.”

The “Wicked” Movie Rumors: “They always talk about it but I think it’s doing too well, financially, right now, on the stage, so they don’t need it. They usually like to do the movie when they need a little bit more attention in New York, and then it boosts the sales again, like with ‘Rent.’ But Gregory Maguire wrote the next book called ‘Son of a Witch,’ so I figure when they make that movie, I’ll be 50 and green, and I can play the mother.”

Would she be upset if they went for a big name movie star for the film version of “Wicked?” Menzel said, “Well, that’s how I felt with ‘Rent.’ They had cast other people and then the projects would fall apart. I kind of feel like whatever is meant to be with those things will be. You can’t push them. I kind of let go of the idea that I’d get to play Maureen in the ‘Rent’ movie, and then it came back around. But, that happens. If I don’t look right, I don’t look right.

You’re not going to get someone who can sing it like that. I don’t care how cool the computers are in the studio now. You can get people to sound okay, but they’re going to have to lower keys and change the whole thing. I sound so conceited, don’t I? I guess you could find some young girl who can scream her face off. Oh, God, you’re going to bring that up four years from now when Alanis Morissette is in the movie… Yeah, I’d be so upset, but what can you do? And also, if you get too old, you get too old.”

Rebecca Murray, About.com Guide

PopBytes interviews Idina Menzel!

good morning! last week i had the amazing opportunity to get on the horn with tony award winning actress idina menzel (join her on myspace) i was at her showcase here in hollywood a few weeks ago in support of her new album i stand – which is simply gorgeous and out in stores today! (purchase it at amazon or itunes!) we covered tons of topics including her amazing critically acclaimed stint as ‘elphaba’ in wicked along with her tony nominated broadway debut playing ‘maureen’ in rent – as well as her new album and what’s next on the horizon for ms. menzel…she was so very gracious & sweet!

i must admit to being quite nervous at first but once we got to talking – i was completely relaxed and idina was very thoughtful with her answers – i think it’s one of the best interviews i’ve done here on popbytes – i’m very proud of it! as a special treat – i’ve got five copies of her new album i stand to toss out – i’ll leave the contest open for a whole week – just email me at istand@popbytes.com with the reason why you deserve a copy of idina’s new album – i’ll randomly pick five people who answer that question! many thanks to popbytes’ pals carmen & martha for making this all happen – you guys totally rock my world! popbytes over & out for now…xxoo!
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By Andrew Gans
19 Dec 2003

Idina Menzel

News, views and reviews about the multi-talented women of the musical theatre and the concert/cabaret stage.

IDINA MENZEL

There has never been any doubt about Idina Menzel’s vocal prowess. From the moment she stepped on to the Broadway stage as Maureen in the late Jonathan Larson’s Rent, it was clear that the young performer possessed a thrilling belt. She subsequently demonstrated her powerful tones in the Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of The Wild Party, the City Center Encores! mounting of Hair and the all star Funny Girl benefit concert for the Actors’ Fund of America. However, with her starring role in Stephen Schwartz’s Wicked, Menzel has taken a great leap forward as an actress. She is currently offering her most nuanced performance to date, making us care greatly for the fate of her character, Elphaba, the not-so-Wicked Witch of the West. Menzel is funny, often touching and delivers a passionately sympathetic performance of a woman whose outward differences force her to confront the ignorance of those around her. I recently had the chance to chat with the soft-spoken Menzel, who will soon welcome husband Taye Diggs — another former Renter — to the cast of Wicked for a limited engagement. That brief conversation follows.

Question: How does it feel being back on Broadway?
Idina Menzel: It feels great. [Laughs.] It’s a great role, and I’m proud to be in it.

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Idina Menzel Interview about playing Elphaba in Wicked

[Copyright by Carol de Giere; posted on MusicalSchwartz.com with Idina's permission]

The following is an excerpt from a phone interview July, 2005, by Carol de Giere, biographer for Stephen Schwartz, Wicked‘s songwriter.

Carol de Giere: [To introduce the first question, Ms. de Giere described Stephen Schwartz's personal interest in the character of Elphaba. He identified with Elphaba when reading the novel, and thought of himself as a kind of Elphaba.] Did you see him as an Elphaba at all?

Idina Menzel: No, I see him as this legendary guy and I’m just trying to do a good job and not get fired. [She laughs]. I don’t see him like that.

But I can appreciate that everybody obviously goes through that in their life in some way or another and when they feel completely alienated and like an outcast, whether it’s for a short time or for their whole lives. And yeah, of course, when you’re an artist usually you have to take risks and usually you have to put yourself on the line and go against the grain in order to be great and unique. And then you sort of stand up for what you believe and are able to resist the negativity and things people will say to you. So that’s one aspect of Elphaba.

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