Idina Menzel at Carnegie Hall Nearly a decade has passed since Idina Menzel introduced her signature song, the Stephen Schwartz anthem “Defying Gravity” in the 2003 Broadway smash “Wicked.” With help from “Glee,” on which she sang it, it has grown in stature to become a defiant proclamation […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Menzel brings Broadway to the Auditorium Theatre by Paloma Capanna If we count her opening excerpt from “Over the Rainbow,” soprano Idina Menzel was a thrill last night at the Auditorium Theatre, performing more than two hours of Broadway songs from hits such as “Wicked,” “Rent,” and “A […]
Best known for her Tony Award winning performance as Elphaba in the Broadway smash Wicked, and as Maureen, in both the original Broadway production and the film version of Rent, actress Idina Menzel is now looking to make a name for herself on the big screen. For her […]
My main thought while sitting in a movie theater waiting for the film, Rent, to begin, was that I was happy that Hollywood is once again producing movies based on hit musical plays. Thanks to the success of the movie version of Chicago the energy of creation is […]
I’m still incredulous that we were the only media to interview the lovely and amazing Idina Menzel after her performance with the Jacksonville Symphony during last Saturday’s Starry Nights concert…but it’s true. We’d been given media credentials, first to photograph her performance at Metropolitan Park’s intimate, outdoor venue […]
Idina Menzel showed some “Wicked” ways with the PSO. Fans of “Glee,” “Wicked” and “Rent” packed Heinz Hall Wednesday night for a sold-out show starring Idina Menzel. It was a beautiful sight to see the place filled with an audience ranging from 5 to 95 years old from […]
Idina Menzel made her Texas debut Thursday night at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, and impressed the 2000+ people in attendance so much that she was called out for two encores. Menzel’s Dallas stop is just the third city of a year-long symphony tour that […]
Indulge me for a moment: I want to call attention to the fact that a visit to Kleinhans for a buzzworthy show is an awesome experience. I’m not even referring to the actual performance by Idina Menzel on Saturday night with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (which was great—more […]
Saturday’s Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra concert with Idina Menzel brought an odd situation, one I never remember encountering before. The page detailing her concert had been torn from all the programs. An usher slipped me a bootleg copy. He explained: “She didn’t want people to know what songs she […]
Almost exactly four years ago, Idina Menzel played Chastain Park Amphitheatre. At the time, she was already rooted in the hearts of teens for her Tony turns in “Rent” (nominated) and “Wicked” (won) and occasional appearances on “Glee.” But since Menzel’s last performance at the church of chatter […]
The subject of the work is death at an early age. And in one of the dark dramatic coincidences theater occasionally springs on us, its 35-year-old author died only weeks before its opening. Yet no one who attends Jonathan Larson’s “Rent,” the exhilarating, landmark rock opera at the […]