Every one of us has a dream, and even at my “ripe” old age, the actor in me still fantasizes about being on a Broadway stage. I can’t believe I’m going to admit this in public, but when I hear “Memory” from Cats while I’m running, I belt […]
Idina Menzel has been gracing the stage and screen for over three decades now, and through her successes and trials, she maintains a complexity that doesn’t relegate her to just an actor. The new documentary, she also produced, “Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage” is a rather […]
Three generations of audiences have come of age to Idina Menzel’s voice. She originated the role of Maureen in “Rent,” Elphaba in “Wicked” — both Broadway musicals — and Elsa in the animated film “Frozen.” Her other film roles include everything from “Uncut Gems” to “Enchanted” and its […]
The rigors of the road and the pressures of performance are made abundantly clear in “Which Way to the Stage?’’, a new documentary about Idina Menzel that’s streaming on Disney+. Directed by Anne McCabe, “Which Way to the Stage?’’ follows Menzel on a national tour that culminates with […]
She wasn’t in costume, she wasn’t in makeup, and she wasn’t even in character. But when Idina Menzel took the stage in a tracksuit yesterday afternoon at the Gershwin Theater, the standing ovation — some 1,800 strong and five minutes long — was like few you’ve ever seen: […]
Cleveland Orchestra What: Steven Reineke conducts a special program with Idina Menzel. When: 8 p.m. Saturday. Where: Blossom Music Center, 1145 W. Steels Corners Road, Cuyahoga Falls. Tickets: $23-$75. Go to clevelandorchestra.com or call 216-231-1111. If there’s one thing classical musicians are always talking about, it’s rebuilding the […]
A knockout performance by Idina Menzel one expects. A total lack of pretentiousness on the part of a superstar ones does not. Maybe aficionados of Menzel’s work on stage and screen were prepared for the vocalist’s dynamic, disarming manner in her collaboration with the Cleveland Orchestra Saturday night […]
Actors are gypsies who rarely get to choose their own career paths. But Idina Menzel, hero to theater geeks and “Gleeks” worldwide, thinks it’s no accident that her journey has led her from pop-culture landmarks “Rent” to “Wicked” to TV’s “Glee.” “They all focus on the underdog, the […]
Idina Menzel has decided to ditch her killer Christian Louboutin and Jimmy Choo heels for her concerts. The singer-actress will perform barefoot at the Royal Albert Hall in October, accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. ‘It really grounds you,’ she says. ‘I feel more […]
Today, we have perhaps the biggest Broadway star of the modern era, having appeared in the three most iconic theatre-related enterprises in entertainment in each of the last three decades, having lead roles in the original casts of Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1996 rock musical RENT, a Best […]
You are judging the best performance of The Sound of Music’s “My Favorite Things.” What are some of your favorite things? My son Walker is my favorite person in the entire world. Of course, my husband is also very special. I love sushi and going to see movies. […]
There was quite an electric, palpable excitement crackling in the huge 3,000-plus-seat Segerstrom Hall on this particular Sunday afternoon. The largest venue within the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, this stage is used to Broadway-caliber talent wowing its audience, since it usually plays host to […]
Here’s a good question for local Gleeks: what Broadway diva could fill up 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall for a simple cabaret show? Hints: – She’s hard to recognize when she’s not painted green. – Hordes of young female fans could be overheard talking about “Glee” outside the Orange County […]
Most Broadway stars are lucky enough to be associated with one iconic role early in their careers. Idina Menzel owns two: Maureen, the feisty performance artist in “Rent,” and Elphaba, the very green, very misunderstood teen whose adventures in Oz are the subject of “Wicked.” The actress originated […]
It’s been several years since Idina Menzel donned the green body paint and pointy black hat of her Tony-winning role as Elphaba in ‘Wicked,’ but it seems like she’s never too far away from the misunderstood heroine. Menzel plans to perform a few of her best-known songs from […]