Idina Menzel originated the role of Elphaba in Wicked in both New York & London, winning the Tony & Whatsonstage.com Awards for Best Actress in a Musical. She also originated the role of Maureen in Rent, and has released solo albums, as well as starring in Glee. Menzel […]
The musical theatre star tells Brigit Grant how she was snubbed by her idol, and how her heart was broken by the death of her close friend As she waits in the wings at London’s Apollo Theatre on Monday night, Idina Menzel will be a little more anxious […]
Idina Menzel , who performs Saturday at the Citi Wang Theatre, knows she was lucky to have worked with Grammy-, Emmy-, Oscar-, and Tony-winning songwriter/composer Marvin Hamlisch on her recent CD/DVD “Idina Menzel Live: Barefoot at the Symphony.” In the wake of his passing earlier this year, the […]
‘Wicked’ Star Credits Her Success To Early Wedding Circuit Days By OWEN McNALLY With her Broadway triumphs in the celebrated musicals “Rent” and “Wicked,” her heralded appearances on Fox’s mega-hit show “Glee,” acclaim for her standing room only concert tours and her yard-long list of theater credits and […]
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 […]