Call it life imitating art — or is it the other way round? — but there are some unexpected similarities between the lives of Tony Award-winner Idina Menzel and Elizabeth, her character in the new musical “If\/Then,” which opens tonight at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.<\/p>\n
The Syosset High School grad — star of “Rent,” “Wicked” and the animated film “Frozen” (where she made the ballad “Let It Go” an Oscar-winning hit) — returns to Broadway in this new work from Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (the Pulitzer Prize-winning creators of “Next to Normal”).<\/p>\n
The show follows Elizabeth rebooting her life after a divorce and traveling down two parallel life paths. Menzel herself recently separated from her husband (actor Taye Diggs). And she knows a thing or two about alter egos, since John Travolta flubbed her name on the Oscars telecast, introducing her as “Adele Dazeem,” which instigated a flurry of Internet activity. (Dazeem quickly had her own Twitter feed — and 20,000 followers.)<\/p>\n
Menzel, 42, chatted with Newsday contributor Joseph V. Amodio before a recent rehearsal.<\/p>\n
What’s it like starring in your third original Broadway musical?<\/strong><\/p>\n I’m sooo tired, Joe. My son is in California with his dad today, so I got to sleep in. I didn’t set the alarm, thinking, “Oh, I’ll wake up at eight like usual.” I just slept and slept and slept. . . .<\/p>\n It’s like a major athletic event, rehearsing all day, performing at night. How do you pace yourself — and do you know something now you didn’t know back in the days of “Rent” or “Wicked”?<\/strong><\/p>\n What I know now is that I’m a mom of a 4-year-old. Someone more important than myself. That puts priorities in order. If I don’t get a full night’s sleep and don’t hit the high note then . . . so be it. There’s more to life than being perfect. Sometimes, when I’m only at 75 percent, I find other ways to express myself. By backing off. . . . I learn new things about the character.<\/p>\n I don’t mean to push you into uncomfortable territory, but it’s hard to ignore — your character being divorced, starting over . . . and here you are suddenly doing this show under similar circumstances. Does that make you see your character in a whole new light?<\/strong><\/p>\n Well . . . You always find truth in your life inside the work you’re doing. Sometimes, the more on the nose it is, the more you need to use your imagination . . . or it’ll be too exhausting. There are glimpses of things for me that I can’t ignore here. Then, there are other times when the story . . . is about being married to a soldier and him going away — things that have nothing to do with my life.<\/p>\n That must be kind of refreshing.<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah. But I will say that every project always teaches me something I need to learn. “Wicked” and “Frozen” are about embracing a power in myself and not being afraid to let it shine through. This . . . is more about how every day is a new day to start over — and not to regret anything in the past. Because it’s all part of the story of whom you become.<\/p>\n Speaking of the past — do you get back to Long Island much?<\/strong><\/p>\n I don’t — my family doesn’t live there anymore. But I’ve been back to do shows, like at the Tilles Center. Actually, C.W. Post gave me an honorary doctorate. It was great . . . but I can’t say it without laughing.<\/p>\n So you’re DOCTOR Menzel.<\/strong><\/p>\n Exactly. I have a — what’s the word I want to use? — a complicated relationship with Long Island. When I went to NYU, I was excited to get into the city and be in a place where everyone was so different. You know? On Long Island, as kids, we tend to all want to fit in. There’s a lot of money where I grew up . . . and my family didn’t have a lot of money. So my perspective was . . . off. And yet the education I got was fabulous. And I’m still close with many of my teachers. So it’s . . . complicated.<\/p>\n Last question — what’s Adele Dazeem really like?<\/strong><\/p>\n I’ve no idea. I know she’s had a lot more publicity than I’ve had. It’s a happy mistake. Uh … um … I don’t know what to say about it. I mean, it helped introduce a lot of people to this little theater person and what she does. So that’s cool.<\/p>\n It also shows how many people you’ve connected with through your singing.<\/strong><\/p>\n That’s true. Thank you for saying that. I should look at it that way.<\/p>\n The way they came to your defense. “Don’t mess with our gal.”<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, they’re very protective, you’re right. You know, I’m gonna say that from now on, because it is the truth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Call it life imitating art — or is it the other way round? — but there are some unexpected similarities between the lives of Tony Award-winner Idina Menzel and Elizabeth, her character in the new musical “If\/Then,” which opens tonight at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. 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