Idina Menzel will belt ‘Wicked’ songs with big band
Most Broadway stars are lucky enough to be associated with one iconic role early in their careers. Idina Menzel owns two: Maureen, the feisty performance artist in “Rent,” and Elphaba, the very green, very misunderstood teen whose adventures in Oz are the subject of “Wicked.” The actress originated both roles.
Menzel, 39, brings her powerhouse voice and magnetic stage persona to the Orange County Performing Arts Center on Nov. 7 for one performance – a concert with full orchestra.
We talked to Menzel recently about the show and her career so far:
Orange County Register: When did you come up with the idea of concert with orchestra?
Idina Menzel: It came about because I had a chance to work with the Boston Pops and I really fell in love with it. I feel it’s a great showcase for the different kinds of music that I do.
Register: What’s the best part about singing with such a large band?
Menzel: In the past I fronted rock bands. This is a different universe – obviously on a larger scale, but you’re still able to maintain an intimacy even though you’re standing in front of a wall of sound. I can perform all the things I want. It can be really big and dramatic, but I can also stand there and talk in front of the audience while they play. There’s a lot of dynamic flexibility.
Register: Can you give us some hints about your set list for Sunday?
Menzel: I do some of the staples from the shows I’ve been in. We arranged some of my own original tunes from my albums. I also added some new pieces – some jazz and some classic Broadway standards, some things from “Glee.” There’s wide variety but it maintains cohesion.
Register: “Rent” and “Wicked” were two of the most successful musicals of the last 20 years. Did you have any idea when you first got involved with them that they’d be that big?
Menzel: No. I just always had a great feeling that I was part of something meaningful but I didn’t know what kind of magnitude the success of either show would be. The way the music felt in both musicals, it moved me in a really deep way. But I never had that kind of premonition that they would be a phenomenon.
Register: “Rent” must have been bittersweet, since its author, Jonathan Larson, died just as it opened.
Menzel: I’ve often talked about my experience with “Rent” being very grounding. Yes, Jonathan passed away prior to the first night of previews. But so from that moment on it put us in a completely different trajectory than what a bunch of 20-year-olds would have followed otherwise. It filled us with this incredible focus to carry on his message. I feel like that the whole experience taught me huge life lessons.
Register: What were your first impressions of “Wicked”?
Menzel: With “Wicked,” I knew that the character of Elphaba made me feel good and I loved learning the music and the material. When I was first auditioning for “Wicked” I was so attached to it. I left the audition with tears coming out of my eyes because I was so connected to what I was doing. I had no idea it would take on the magnitude that it did.
Register: How did your life change after “Rent”? How did you handle the sudden fame?
Menzel: When you use the word fame it makes me giggle a little bit. I was a struggling wedding singer. “Rent” was my first show, and it got me out of the club-date scene. After “Rent” I got a record deal. Then I got dropped (by the label). I had lots of pitfalls, and when “Wicked” came that was years later. I’d been kicking around for a while. You never know when the fame is going to end.
Register: Why did “Rent” and “Wicked” connect so profoundly with audiences?
Menzel: There was a strong message behind both those shows. The people that connect with it, they really connect. Those roles have been big responsibilities for me – something that I welcome but I take very seriously. I’ve learned a lot about myself through these characters and how audiences relate to them.
Register: Define the ideal Idina Menzel song.
Menzel: There’s more than one kind. I could say, “Any 11 o’clock number.” For any young Jewish girl that grew up on Long Island, dreaming of being on Broadway includes that fantasy: just you and the spotlight. The lights change and you get goose bumps. In those moments, I can relate to being young and sitting in the audience watching. Those are the times where I hopefully am able to live by my own advice: Be present and in the moment.
Register: We heard you’re a fan of “Glee” and contacted the producers to get on the show (Menzel plays the mother of Lea Michele’s character, Rachel).
Menzel: My husband (actor Taye Diggs) and I were big fans of the show. I put out feelers saying I would like to be a part of it. It was a happy confluence of events; I’d just had a baby. I love being around theater people. There’s a different kind of energy on the set, even in rehearsal.