MIDLAND, MI \u2014 She starred in the original stage production of \u201cRent,\u201d played Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West in \u201cWicked,\u201d and has a reoccurring role in the FOX TV series \u201cGlee.\u201d
\nWhat\u2019s next for singer, songwriter Idina Menzel?<\/p>\n
A stop at the Midland Center for the Arts as part of Matrix:Midland.<\/p>\n
When Menzel hits the stage June 26, fans will be treated to music from her PBS special and CD \u201cIdina Menzel Live: Barefoot at the Symphony,\u201d recorded at Koerner Hall in Toronto, as well as a few new tunes in a career she says is ever evolving.<\/p>\n
A career that began when she was a little girl.<\/p>\n
Although her mother wouldn\u2019t let her work at a young age, she became a wedding and bar mitzvah singer at age 15.<\/p>\n
\u201cI sang on weekends at halls nearby,\u201d she said. \u201cThat was my professional start because I was making money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pounding the pavement for a few years, Menzel got her big break in the original stage production of \u201cRent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Menzel has bittersweet memories of opening night.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a very unique experience,\u201d she said. \u201cOur creator Jonathan Larson passed away during dress rehearsal,\u201d she said. \u201cThat changed the entire climate of the experience. It became more about him and not about yourself. It was a great lesson to learn early on in your career.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRent\u201d was also the place she met Taye Diggs, who would become her husband.<\/p>\n
Then came \u201cWicked\u201d and a Tony Award for her portrayal of Elphaba, a character with whom she feels a connection.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s a force, a beautiful woman,\u201d she said. \u201cShe was misunderstood and had all this power. Like women in society, it\u2019s hard to be really strong and powerful and talented without alienating people around you.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes we, as women, stifle those impulses in ourselves,\u201d she added. \u201cShe was doing the same thing. At a creative point you can\u2019t do that, you have to let it out and not be afraid to be incredible and the people who love you will be with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Menzel being incredible on stage comes as easy as breathing. In fact, she says she is more comfortable on stage than in her own life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI escape out of my body, it\u2019s where I live,\u201d she said. \u201cWhere I feel most myself. I love communicating with a live audience and the reciprocity that is there. It\u2019s a give and take and the energy gets thrown back and forth. The spontaneity that anything can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Up next is a return to Broadway in a brand new original show. Although she won\u2019t spill any beans, Menzel says she is working with several different composers and writers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do readings and workshops with them,\u201d she said. \u201cI love being in the process and it\u2019s worked for me in \u201cRent\u201d and \u201cWicked,\u201d both being original pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n
When she\u2019s not on stage, Menzel says her life is a learning experience. Learning how to combine the careers of two people that aren\u2019t 9 to 5ers, and raising son, Walker, who is on the summer tour.<\/p>\n
Making it all work is all about communication, and not being in separate cities for long periods of time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s knowing deep inside we are being our best selves as parents because we are doing the things we love,\u201d she said. \u201cOur son has great role models because he sees us at our best.\u201d<\/p>\n
And if young Walker decides to go into the family business? Although Menzel would prefer he do something else, she says he can do whatever he wants to do. And, adds the proud mom, he will excel at whatever he does.<\/p>\n
Walker pretty much spawned the name of the special and CD and the Midland show. Menzel learned it\u2019s not easy lugging around a child in a pair of high heels. Barefoot was the answer.
\nExcited as she is about the new show, she\u2019s also excited to make Midland a stop on her tour.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they will really enjoy it,\u201d she said. \u201cI try to make every show unique to that city, be in the moment and spontaneous. In addition to hearing some good singing, I want them to leave the theater knowing they got to know me a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MIDLAND, MI \u2014 She starred in the original stage production of \u201cRent,\u201d played Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West in \u201cWicked,\u201d and has a reoccurring role in the FOX TV series \u201cGlee.\u201d What\u2019s next for singer, songwriter Idina Menzel? A stop at the Midland Center for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[28,6,7],"class_list":["post-53","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews","tag-28","tag-barefoot-summer-tour-2012","tag-career"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Srnq-R","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":335,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53\/revisions\/335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}