Idina Menzel brings Broadway and more to Cleveland Orchestra show at Blossom
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Weeks ahead of her first show with the Cleveland Orchestra in years, Idina Menzel had yet to determine a setlist.
She wasn’t worried, however. She may not have known at that point exactly which songs she was going to sing, but she knew how she wanted the evening overall to feel, and how to bring about that feeling.
She knew from long experience across Broadway, film, and the recording industry that to leave an impression on Blossom Music Center later this month, she’ll have to put herself out there and sing as if she’s addressing each member of the audience individually.
“There’s no way to move people but to be willing to make yourself vulnerable,” said Menzel, by phone from her home. “The challenge is feeling like you’re reaching everyone, all the way to the back row. It’s attainable, but it’s got to be really, really good.”
Luckily for Menzel – and her listeners – she’s really good at being really good. She possesses not only tremendous vocal power, more than enough to reach Blossom’s back row and lawn, but also a rare, winning stage presence.
No matter that her repertoire is as about diverse as can be, running the gamut from her own compositions to highlights from “Wicked” and “Frozen.” She’s able to weave both hits and deep tracks into a compelling overview of her life and career with genuinely moving ups and downs.
“What I always try to do is tell my story,” Menzel said. “I like to be a storyteller through music. My currency isn’t in any one genre. It’s in me and who I am.”
Another reason Menzel wasn’t worried about the setlist was the fact that she won’t be going it alone, or even with her usual backup band. She’ll have at her side one of the world’s great orchestras, along with a fellow Broadway veteran: conductor Andy Einhorn, who plans to include on the program the Symphonic Dances from Bernstein’s “West Side Story.”
In Menzel’s mind, those two elements – the orchestra and Einhorn – make an enormous difference. They transform the evening from a solo act into a collaborative affair and from a purely vocal showcase into a richer, multi-dimensional performance.
“There’s something really beautiful” about working with a conductor, Menzel said. “You really have to listen to one another, and there’s something about that that I love. It keeps me in the moment. You can’t just phone it in. You really have to connect.”
Likewise, she added, “There’s something so glorious about standing in front of an orchestra. It lends an elegance to what we’re doing, and lets me perform the songs in a more classic way. It allows me to really enjoy and celebrate my love for singing.”
Of course, the main reason Menzel wasn’t stressing over the program was that she already knows the music through and through. All of it. Most of what will make the final cut will be songs she’s been singing from one platform or another for years.
Rest assured, fans. She’ll sing the hits. She expects to touch on all three of the shows that made (and still make) her famous: “Rent,” in which she played Maureen; “Wicked,” in which she played Elphaba; and “Frozen,” in which she portrayed Elsa. She’s also likely to include “Glee,” the TV show, in which she played Shelby for three seasons.
But that’s far from everything. Beyond even her own large catalog, which includes a great deal of original material and cast recordings of less famous shows such as “Redwood” and “If/Then,” Menzel has access to virtually the entire world of popular music, including the great American songbook, and an ability to improvise.
“Hopefully people will get to see another side of me,” Menzel said. “People used to tell me my versatility was going to be my curse. Now, though, I really embrace the fact that I’m versatile. I just try to remain vulnerable and truthful and authentic.”
“Versatile” also applies quite well to Andy Einhorn, Menzel’s partner on stage. He, too, has worked in several capacities across Broadway and classical music, and has worked with any number of major orchestras and star vocalists.
He, in turn, inspires a certain level of trust in Menzel. Once he and she start a show, Menzel said, “You’re on a train. There’s a leap of faith that has taken place.”
Make that a jump or a skip. Anything less than a leap. Indeed, faith is not required.
“I feel confident that I can make any venue anywhere feel like I’m singing in my living room,” she said boldly. “That’s one thing I feel really confident about.”