Theatre Intelligence
A ‘Wicked’ Diva
They don’t make Broadway stars like they used to, but Idina Menzel comes pretty darn close. She became an overnight sensation as Maureen, the bisexual performance artist, in the original Broadway production of Rent in 1995. But she did not become a cult figure (with groupies waiting outside the stage door) until 2003, when she played Elphaba, the “green girl,” in Stephen Schwartz’s Wicked, a “prequel” to The Wizard of Oz. When she left the cast of Wicked after 16 months with a Tony Award under her belt, The New York Times reported that she got a five-minute standing ovation at the Gershwin Theater “like few you’ve ever seen: a screaming, squealing, flashbulb-popping explosion that was equal parts ecstatic hello and tearful goodbye.” Now, she wants to be a pop star (following in the foot steps, by her own admission, of divas who know how to act like Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand.) On tour to promote her new album, I Stand, she should feel close to her theatrical roots when she performs in concert at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield on April 3.
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