In Their Words: Idina Menzel

On Big Breaks…

“First big break—hard to say. Could be Mabel in ‘The Pirates of Penzance,’ 4th grade, Baylis Elementary School, where I discovered the warmth and exhilaration of the spotlight. Or perhaps getting hired as a professional wedding/bar mitzvah singer at the age of 15 for Tony Saitta and the Echoes, where I learned the true meaning of rejection, as a drunk audience ate their salads to the tune of ‘I’m So Excited’ by the Pointer Sisters. But I guess the most significant break was in December 1995, when I was cast in the Off-Broadway production of the musical ‘Rent.’ I met my husband; I learned the endurance and discipline it takes to do eight shows a week, the fragility of life, and the importance of being in the moment.” – Idina Menzel