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 […]
By Jessica Goldstein People of the world who were married just over 20 years ago, check your wedding tapes. Slightly younger people of the world who had their bar or bat mitzvahs in the 1990s, unearth that VHS from the archives. Find someone, anyone, who still has a […]
We always wonder how much a symphony enjoys being a backup band. Stuck literally playing second fiddle to Broadway star Idina Menzel’s own band — which was center stage at the Woods at Fontanel — the Nashville Symphony’s concertmaster broke into a smile halfway through a pretty brilliant […]
High-wattage singing actor Idina Menzel has acquired many titles over the years: stage star who won a Tony for playing Elphaba in “Wicked”; originator of Maureen in “Rent”; TV star of “Glee,” where she plays a vocal coach and mother of lead Lea Michele; and real-life mother of […]
Thanks to Broadway roles in productions ranging from Rent to Wicked, Idina Menzel has gained a legion of fans though the years. After winning the Tony Award in 2004 for playing Elphaba in Wicked, she went on to appear in several movies, such as Enchanted, and perform her […]
Songstress Sings Showtunes, Obsesses Over Staircase When people shuffled into the Detroit Opera House on June 27 to see Broadway belter Idina Menzel, they knew what they were in for: some crazy-ass vocals. And sure, they got a touching take on “No Day But Today” and crowd-pleasing showstopper […]
With credits like the hit TV show “Glee,” and Broadway hits such as “Wicked” and “Rent,” Idina Menzel is practically the musical queen of popular culture. But aside from that distinction, she is one of the most talented and engaging entertainers around, as demonstrated at her rollicking concert […]
Oh, for a broomstick. Idina Menzel, the original misunderstood green witch Elphaba in the Broadway run of “Wicked,” continues to enjoy a high-flying career. It’s just that right now, she’s crawling cross-country on a tour bus that will bring her to Detroit on Wednesday for a concert at […]
When she takes various stages to present both timeless Broadway classics and modern pop hits backed by orchestras, an evening-gown-clad Idina Menzel is absent one typical accessory. The Tony award-winning singer goes shoeless, the result of kicking aside a pair of high heels moments before a Toronto performance […]
With original cast credits that include the free-spirited Maureen in “Rent” and the misunderstood witch Elphaba in “Wicked,” Idina Menzel has helped to launch two of the biggest Broadway successes of the last 20 years. She may be preparing to launch a third, but she won’t offer much […]
When Idina Menzel landed the role of Maureen Johnson in “Rent” in 1995, she had no idea it would be her big break on Broadway — or that she would meet her future husband, castmate Taye Diggs. “I was a struggling wedding singer/bar mitzvah singer, and I was […]
Some people will always think of Idina Menzel first and foremost as the sultry performance artist in “Rent” who suckled from a giant, invisible udder and urged her audience to moo with her. Some associate Menzel more with her second giant role — the green and misunderstood “Wicked […]
MIDLAND, MI — She starred in the original stage production of “Rent,” played Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West in “Wicked,” and has a reoccurring role in the FOX TV series “Glee.” What’s next for singer, songwriter Idina Menzel? A stop at the Midland Center for the […]
We always wonder how much a symphony enjoys being a backup band. Stuck literally playing second fiddle to Broadway star Idina Menzel’s own band — which was center stage at the Woods at Fontanel — the Nashville Symphony’s concertmaster broke into a smile halfway through a pretty brilliant […]
What better way to kick off Sunday—and to celebrate Father’s Day!—than with the latest installment of Music City Confidential! Here’s where you’ll find all the news that’s fit to print (or not—depending on your perspective) from Nashville’s ever-growing, ever-fascinating live theater industry. Amid the florid prose and flowery […]