Early life
Theatre career
In 2008, Menzel headlined the Powerhouse Theatre's reading of
Steven Sater and
Duncan Sheik's musical
Nero from July 11–13, performing the role of Nero's mistress, Poppea.
[13]
On February 28, 2013, it was announced that Menzel would make her return to the Broadway stage, starring as Elizabeth in the new
Tom Kitt and
Brian Yorkey musical
If/Then. The new musical, directed by
Michael Greif (whom Menzel previously worked with in the original production of
Rent), had its world premiere at the
National Theatre in
Washington D.C., starting with previews on November 5, 2013, and an official opening on November 24, 2013. Following the out-of-town tryout, the show will move on to the
Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway and begin previews on March 4, 2014, and then open on March 30, 2014.
[14][15]
Film, television, recording and singing career
Menzel's film roles include appearances in
Just a Kiss,
Kissing Jessica Stein,
The Tollbooth,
Water,
Ask the Dust,
Enchanted,
Frozen, and
Rent, in which she and five other original cast members reprised their stage roles. As a singer, Menzel is known for her wide vocal range and her use of the '
belt' technique.
Menzel performed at the 1998
Lilith Fair summer concert festival and continues to write and perform original music. She has toured extensively and frequently performs in various venues throughout
New York City. She produced and released her debut album,
Still I Can't Be Still, for
Hollywood Records in 1998. One single from the album, "Minuet", made the
Radio & Records CHR/Pop Tracks chart at #48 in October 1998.
[16]
Her second album,
Here, was released independently by Zel Records in 2004. Menzel has contributed to soundtracks, including those for the film
The Other Sister and the
ABCtelevision dramedy
Desperate Housewives. She also appears on
Ray Charles's album
Genius and Friends, which was released in 2005, on the track "I Will Be There." In 2007, she appeared on the
Beowulf soundtrack singing the end credits song, "A Hero Comes Home". Also in 2007, Menzel's powerful singing voice led her to be asked to accompany the
baritone British
X-Factor runner-up
Rhydian Roberts on his debut album, duetting on the song "
What If".
Her third solo album,
I Stand, was released on January 29, 2008. It includes many new songs, including the lead single, "Brave", the title track "I Stand", and a song released on EP, "Gorgeous". The album debuted at #58 in the Billboard 200, making it the first solo album by Menzel to make the charts. There are five versions of this album: the original version, the special limited edition, the iTunes version, the Barnes & Noble edition, and the Borders edition. Menzel wrote many of the songs on her album.
Menzel has a recurring guest star role in the television series
Glee, playing
Shelby Corcoran, the coach of the rival
glee club Vocal Adrenaline. When the series first premiered,
Glee fans had noted a strong physical resemblance between Menzel and
Lea Michele who portrays the character
Rachel Berry. According to her husband, actor
Taye Diggs, Menzel expressed interest in possibly guest starring as the biological mother of Rachel.
[19] The character was introduced in the April 13, 2010 episode
"Hell-O", and it was revealed in the May 18, 2010 episode,
"Dream On", that Shelby is, in fact, Rachel's biological mother, having answered an ad from Rachel's two
gay dads looking for a 'mother' to help them have a baby. Lea Michele and Idina Menzel sing together "
I Dreamed a Dream" from
Les Misérables and "
Poker Face" originally by
Lady Gaga. Menzel returned to Glee in Season 3 episode "
I Am Unicorn", her role this time as a teacher causing trouble for Rachel, Quinn, Puck, and former flame Will Schuster.
[20]
Menzel toured Australia in June 2013 with shows in South Australia, Melbourne, Brisbane and two at the famed Sydney Opera House.
Menzel voiced the character of Queen Elsa in the Disney animated film
Frozen, released on November 22, 2013.
[26] Frozen received near universal critical acclaim. The review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes reports that 89% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 152 reviews, with an average score of 7.7/10, making it the highest rated family film in 2013. The site's consensus reads: "Beautifully animated, smartly written, and stocked with singalong songs,
Frozen adds another worthy entry to the Disney canon."
[27] Her performance received praise from film critics, frequently focused on her performance of "
Let It Go"; one reviewer described it as a "powerhouse".
[28][29][30][31][32]
Personal life
Menzel married actor
Taye Diggs on January 11, 2003. They met in 1995 during the original production of
Rent, in which Diggs portrayed the role of Benjamin Coffin III, the landlord.
[33] They have a son, Walker Nathaniel Diggs, born on September 2, 2009.
[34] In late 2013, it was reported that Menzel and Diggs had separated after 10 years of marriage.
[35]
Charity
On May 17, 2009, Menzel performed at a special benefit concert in
Atlanta,
Georgia to raise money for the
Pace Academy Diversity Program in coordination with the
Ron ClarkAcademy.
[37] The event resulted in the funding of two scholarships for Ron Clark Academy students to attend Pace Academy. The event was organized and hosted by
Philip McAdoo, a former
Rent cast member and current Diversity Program Director at Pace Academy.
[38][39]
In 2010, Menzel founded the
A BroaderWay Foundation with husband Taye Diggs as a means of supporting young people in the arts. A BroaderWay sponsors camp programs, theater workshops, innovative educational programming and offers scholarships and opportunities to experience professional performances. In Summer 2011, Camp BroaderWay welcomed young girls from under-served metro New York communities to a 10-day performing arts camp, run by Menzel and a team of acclaimed professional Broadway artists including Taye Diggs. During this camp the girls collaborated with Broadway artists to write an original musical that was performed at a theatre in New York. The camp was held at
Belvoir Terrace Summer Camp in
Lenox,
Massachusetts.
[40]
Theatre, film and television credits
