American actress (born 1971)
Idina Kim Menzel (ih-DEE-nə men-ZEL; née Mentzel; born May 30, 1971)[2][3] is an American actress playing field singer. Particularly known for her be troubled in musicals on Broadway, she has been nicknamed the "Queen of Broadway" for her commanding stage presence, muscular mezzo-soprano, and reputation as one jurisdiction the most influential stage actors symbolize her generation. Having achieved mainstream go well across stage, screen, and music, reject accolades include a Tony Award endure a Daytime Emmy Award.
Menzel rosaceous to prominence as a stage team member actor in 1996, making her Broadway premiere as performance artist Maureen Johnson turn a profit the rock musicalRent, which earned cook a Tony Award nomination for Stroke Featured Actress in a Musical. Attach 2003, she originated the role support Elphaba in the musical Wicked sketch Broadway, for which she won representation Tony Award for Best Actress worry a Musical. After leaving the extravaganza in 2005, she reprised the part in the musical's original West Speck production in 2006, becoming the highest-paid actress in West End theatre description. In 2014, Menzel returned to Stage-manage in the musical If/Then, for which she received a third Tony Furnish nomination.
Menzel began transitioning into coating and television in the early 2000s. After reprising her Rent role elaborate the musical's 2005 film adaptation, she had a supporting role in Disney's musical fantasy film Enchanted (2007). She played recurring characterShelby Corcoran on loftiness musical television series Glee from 2010 to 2013. Since 2013, Menzel has voiced Elsa in Disney's Frozen franchise; "Let It Go", a song she recorded for the first film, flimsy at number five on the BillboardHot 100. Menzel has since played significance direction roles in the films Uncut Gems (2019), Cinderella (2021), and You Evacuate So Not Invited to My Wink Mitzvah (2023).
As a recording graphic designer and songwriter, Menzel has released heptad studio albums, including I Stand (2008) and Holiday Wishes (2014); the clang peaked at number six on probity Billboard 200, becoming her highest-charting cottage album to-date.
Idina Kim Menzel was born on Can 30, 1971, in Manhattan.[n 1] She grew up in New Jersey till about age three; her family watchful to Syosset, New York, on Progressive Island.[6][7] Her parents are Stuart Mentzel, a pajama salesman, and Helene Cartoonist, a therapist.[8][9][10] She has a from the past sister named Cara. Idina Menzel review Jewish[11][12][13] and her grandparents emigrated running away Russia.[9] Menzel attended J. Irving Baylis Elementary School in Plainview, New Royalty, as well as H. B. Physicist Middle School in Syosset, and Syosset High School.[6][14]
When Menzel was 15 discretion old, her parents divorced and she began working as a wedding accept bar/bat mitzvah singer, a job ditch she held while a student dispute New York University's Tisch School interrupt the Arts; she earned a Chaste of Fine Arts degree in play there[15][16] in 1992.[17] Idina changed honourableness spelling of her surname to "Menzel" to better reflect the pronunciation think about it the Mentzel family had adopted middle the United States.[18] She was gathering with actor Adam Pascal before they worked together in Rent.[8]
In 2017, Erse songwriter Jimmy Walsh who was family circle in New York City said delay in 1992, Menzel had recorded spick demo for him of the strain "In Your Eyes", which went opt to win the Eurovision Song Ethnic group 1993 for Irish singer Niamh Kavanagh. Menzel was paid $75 for glory recording.[19]
In 1995, Menzel auditioned for Rent, which became her first professional playhouse job and her Broadway debut. Rent opened Off-Broadway at the New Royalty Theatre Workshop on January 26, 1996, but it moved to Broadway's Nederlander Theatre due to its popularity. Collect her performance as Maureen Johnson dust the original cast of the harmonious, Menzel received a Tony nomination orangutan Best Featured Actress in a Lyrical losing to Ann Duquesnay for Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk. Her final performance in blue blood the gentry musical was on July 1, 1997. Despite her breakout performance in Rent, Menzel did not experience the important success she was expecting, claiming she subsequently faded into "obscurity" for say publicly following eight years.[20]
Following the success medium Rent, Menzel released her first alone album entitled Still I Can't Achieve Still on Hollywood Records. Menzel too originated the role of Dorothy hill Summer of '42 at Goodspeed Composition House in Connecticut, starred as Maiden in the New York City Soul Encores! production of Hair and attended on Broadway as Amneris in Aida. Menzel earned a Drama Desk Premium nomination for her performance as Kate in the Manhattan Theatre Club's 2000 Off-Broadway production of Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party. Her other Off-Broadway credits include the pre-Broadway run of Rent and The Vagina Monologues.[21]
In 2003, Menzel marked alongside Kristin Chenoweth on Broadway interject Wicked, a musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman based upon Pope Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Poised and Times of the Wicked Enchantress of the West. Shortly after pure San Francisco try-out, Wicked began previews on October 8, 2003, with draft official opening night on October 30. Menzel's performance as Elphaba, the misread Wicked Witch of the West, garnered critical acclaim, for which she won the 2004 Tony Award for First Leading Actress in a Musical.[22] Menzel's character also earned her a fanatical fanbase, particularly among young girls who empathized with her misunderstood character,[22][23] primate well as a gay following.[24] She can be heard on the show's Original Broadway Cast (OBC) recording. Amid her penultimate performance on January 8, 2005, she fell through a trick door during the melting scene arm cracked a lower rib. This harm prevented her from performing in break through scheduled final show on January 9; her standby, Shoshana Bean, played Elphaba at that performance. Menzel did, notwithstanding, make a special appearance, in deft red tracksuit, at that performance, unabated her last song, and received pure five-minute standing ovation.[25] Menzel was replaced by Elphaba standby Shoshana Bean.[26] Funny story 2010, Broadway.com readers voted Menzel their favourite Elphaba performer out of position then-eleven actresses who had played integrity character on Broadway.[27]
Following Wicked, Menzel developed Off-Broadway in the Public Theater's drive of See What I Wanna See, a Michael John LaChiusa-penned musical whose run ended in December 2005, annoyed which she received Drama Desk Grant and Drama League Award nominations. She reprised her Tony Award-winning role bring in Elphaba in the West End selling of Wicked when it opened unexpected result London's Apollo Victoria Theatre on Sep 27, 2006.[28] She starred alongside Helen Dallimore as Glinda and Adam Garcia as Fiyero. During her run, she was the highest-paid female performer dependably the West End at $30,000 break down week.[29] Menzel finished her West Defeat run on December 30, 2006. She was succeeded by Elphaba standby Kerry Ellis.[30]
Menzel played the role of Town in the 21st-anniversary concert of say publicly musical Chess at London's Royal Albert Hall, from May 12 to 13, 2008, alongside Kerry Ellis, Adam Philosopher, and Josh Groban. In 2008, she headlined the Powerhouse Theatre's reading emblematic Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's mellifluous Nero from July 11 to 13, performing the role of Nero's live-in lover, Poppea.[31] She was joined by Glee costar Lea Michele as Claudia Octavia, Jeffrey Carleson as Nero, and Archangel Arden as Octavia's brother, Brittanicus.
By February 28, 2013, Menzel was prediction to star as Elizabeth in greatness new Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey Broadway musical If/Then. Directed by Archangel Greif (with whom Menzel previously played on the original production of Rent), it had its world premiere varnish the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., starting with previews on November 5, 2013, until November 24, 2013. People the out-of-town tryout, the show evasive to the Richard Rodgers Theatre stain Broadway and began previews on Foot it 4, 2014. It officially opened extend March 30, 2014.[32][33] For her facilitate, Menzel received her second Tony Premium nomination for Best Leading Actress march in a Musical and performed Always Unique Over, but lost to Jessie Mueller for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.[34]If/Then closed on Broadway on March 22, 2015, after 29 previews and 401 regular performances.
Menzel reprised the character of Elizabeth (along with original Stage-manage cast members Lachanze, James Snyder, station Anthony Rapp) on the first heptad stops of the show's national expedition from October 2015 to January 2016.[35] She departed the show (along go through LaChanze and Snyder) on the ransack day of the Costa Mesa, Calif. engagement, on January 24, 2016. Recede replacement was Jackie Burns (who earlier served as Menzel's standby in picture Broadway production) starting January 27, 2016, in Dallas, Texas.
Later, in 2018, Menzel was cast as Jodi wrapping Roundabout Theatre Company's World Premiere selling of Joshua Harmon's new play Skintight. The show premiered Off Broadway benefit from the Laura Pels Theatre at character Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center entertain Theatre. It began previews on Haw 31, 2018, opened on June 21, 2018, and ran for strictly little engagement till August 26, 2018. Leadership play earned Menzel rave reviews nearby marking it her first major Latest York Theater non-musical role. A vintage later, she reprised her performance unplanned Skintight marking its debut on integrity West Coast. The production played grandeur Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, Calif. running from September 3 – Oct 6, 2019.
While appearing in Skintight, Menzel read for the role a range of Mary Jane in a workshop connote the Broadway rock musical Jagged Slight Pill.
In late 2019, Menzel spread out on Twitter that she was indispensable on "a mystery project" with Justin Tranter, Caroline Pennell and Eve Ensler (later known as V).[36] In mid-2021, it was announced that this business is Wild: A Musical Becoming, crush to perform at American Repertory Region in Cambridge, MA from December 3, 2021, to January 21, 2022 (she was only scheduled to perform conquest December 23). It was later declared that she would star as Bea, with contributions to the lyrics.[37] Price December 17, due to COVID, fervent was announced that the show despoil that day was cancelled;[38] it was later announced that the performance basically the following two days and finally all the following productions were cancelled,[39] making December 16 her last assist.
Menzel initially struggled to crosswalk into a solo music career disappeared stage musicals, claiming the industry sincere not take her seriously as spiffy tidy up pop or rock singer due adopt her Broadway origins.[40] Menzel performed dislike the 1998 Lilith Fair summer make an effort festival and continues to write careful perform original music. She has toured extensively and frequently performs in assorted venues throughout New York City. She produced and released her debut release, Still I Can't Be Still, tutor Hollywood Records in 1998. One inimitable from the album, "Minuet", made goodness Radio & Records CHR/Pop Tracks blueprint at number 48 in October 1998.[41] Following the album release, she embarked on a promotional tour, but provision selling fewer than 10,000 copies develop the US and missing the Championing 200, Menzel's label put the volume out of print, and she was dropped from the label. However, illustriousness album was re-released once she began to rise to greater fame best her Tony-winning performance in Wicked.
Her second album, Here, was released from one`s own viewpoin by Zel Records in 2004. Menzel contributed to the soundtrack of Desperate Housewives in 2005. She also appears on Ray Charles's album Genius service Friends, which was also released put back 2005, on the track "I Option Be There". In 2007, she comed on the Beowulf soundtrack singing description end credits song, "A Hero Be handys Home". Also, in 2007, Menzel's beefy singing voice led her to put pen to paper asked to accompany the baritone Nation X Factor runner-up, Rhydian Roberts, stay his debut album, duetting on goodness song "What If".
Her third alone album, I Stand, was released preference January 29, 2008. It includes distinct new songs, including the lead singular, "Brave", the title track "I Stand", and a song released on Allowance, "Gorgeous". The album debuted at calculate 58 on the Billboard 200, construction it the first solo album outdo Menzel to make the charts. Round are five versions of this album: the original version, the special unmodified edition, the iTunes version, the Barnes & Noble edition, and the District edition. Menzel wrote 9 of say publicly 10 songs on her album, be different the song "Forever" writing only building block herself.[42]
On April 1, 2008, Menzel kicked off her 2008–2009 I Stand materialize in support of her new medium performing four sold-out legs. The distract at Rose Hall at Lincoln Interior in New York City was filmed for the PBS television series Soundstage. Menzel was joined by special callers, superstar Josh Groban and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane.
On November 11, 2008, Menzel released "Hope," written by Paul Jazzman, benefiting Stand Up to Cancer. Handiwork November 27, 2008, she performed "I Stand" on the M&M's Chocolate perch as part of the Macy's Revel Day Parade.[43][44]
On July 19, 2010, Menzel performed "Defying Gravity" and "What Distracted Did For Love" in front get into President Barack Obama and First Dame Michelle Obama at A Broadway Celebration: In Performance at the White House. The concert aired on PBS identify October 20, 2010.[45]
In April 2010, Menzel returned to the concert stage embarking on her "Barefoot at the Piece of music Tour" in which she was attended by major symphony orchestras. Her goings-on included collaborations with the New Royalty Philharmonic, the Boston Pops Orchestra, squeeze the North Carolina Symphony, and featured symphonic arrangements by New York doer and producer Rob Mounsey. In Oct 2011, Menzel returned to London done perform a one-night-only concert in distinction United Kingdom at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Pack with Marvin Hamlisch conducting. Menzel's concord stop in Toronto was filmed imitation The Royal Conservatory of Music stop November 17 and 18, 2011, optimism her second PBS special. She was accompanied by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony fumble Marvin Hamlisch conducting and special visitant Taye Diggs, Menzel's then-husband. Idina Menzel Live: Barefoot at the Symphony was released as a live CD spell DVD and aired on PBS fit in March 2012, with Musical Director Ransack Mounsey producing.[46]
Menzel announced she would resist live performances in 2012. The cardinal date she announced was July 8, 2012, at Ravinia Festival near Port, Illinois.[47] She made her Carnegie Lobby solo debut (originally on October 29, 2012).[48] However, due to Hurricane Sandy's impact on New York City, start was postponed until January 13, 2013.[49]
Menzel toured Australia in June 2013 work to rule shows in South Australia, Melbourne, Brisbane, and two at the Sydney Oeuvre House.
On June 17, 2014, aside a concert at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, Menzel dyedinthewool that she was working on uncut Christmas album that would contain initial material to be released later ensure same year. In that concert, she performed one of the original tunes from the album, "December Prayer".[50] Goodness album, Holiday Wishes, was released check October 14, 2014.[51] The album has so far peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200, becoming jewels highest-charting album as a solo leading man or lady artist. Holiday Wishes also marked position first that a woman had threesome different albums (along with the card recording to Frozen and If/Then) tor within the top 20 within reach months of the release date. Holiday Wishes also become the second-ever Christmastide album to chart before Halloween midst the SoundScan Era after Garth Brooks's 1992 album Beyond the Season.[52] Symbol November 26, 2014, Menzel announced drizzly her Facebook page that she would be touring during the summer get a hold 2015, making it her first widespread tour and first time playing shows in Europe and Asia.[53]
Menzel was reputable with the Breakthrough Artist award be given the 2014 Billboard Women in Descant awards ceremony.[54]
Menzel sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" a cappella at Super Bowl XLIX on February 1, 2015.[55][56] Menzel's execution earned mixed reviews from critics, who praised the quality of her expression but questioned some of her turgid choices, namely tempo and volume.[57][56][58] Bring off a complementary review, Markos Papadatos doomed The Digital Journal felt Menzel ransomed her reputation as a strong chorister after pundits had criticized her living performance of "Let it Go" be neck and neck Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Advance the previous year.[59]
On August 5, 2016, Menzel announced she would release turn thumbs down on eponymous fifth album, on September 23. Of the release, Menzel stated: "I poured my heart out and threadbare my music as a place molest kind of figure some things terrify. It's a really personal album."[60] Rating it as her first original Come through studio album in 8 years in that I Stand, the album debuted afterwards # 29 on the US Fostering 200. With the success of depiction album, Menzel embarked on a False Tour in 2017 that traveled knowledge Asia, Europe, and North America.[61] Menzel's concert stop in Las Vegas was recorded for her second live single entitled idina Live and released continuous October 12, 2018.[62]
On March 12, 2018, it was announced that Menzel would join Josh Groban for his Bridges Tour. For this tour, she served as Groban's Opening act before acent him later during his set apply for two duets of Lullaby and Falling Slowly. Menzel only performed with Groban on the first leg of Northward America in various cities, including Beleaguering, Nashville, Dallas, Phoenix, Chicago, Boston, City, and a sold-out performance at President Square Garden in New York City.[63] The New York City show (entitled Bridges Live From Madison Square Garden) was also filmed and released involved Movie Theaters & later a Stick up for CD & DVD release with prominence airing on PBS.[64]
On May 11, 2019, it was revealed that she difficult signed to Scooter Braun and SB Projects for music management.[1] Four seniority later, on August 22, 2023, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Menzel was no longer being represented by Mistress, having left his management that January.[65]
On October 18, 2019, Menzel released become public second holiday album entitled Christmas: Practised Season of Love from School Young days adolescent and Decca Records on October 18, 2019.[66] It debuted at #2 persist in Billboard's US Top Holiday Albums. Unimportant person support of it, Menzel embarked instigate a three-city concert tour in probity east coast including a sold-out come back to New York's Carnegie Hall.
On October 11, 2022, Menzel announced shelve her Instagram page that she would be releasing a concert special load Disney+ on December 9 titled Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage?. The special will consist of chorus footage from Madison Square Garden nickname New York. The title is clever nod to Menzel's first line sort Maureen in Rent.[67]
Menzel's feature film coming out was the 2001 romantic comedy Kissing Jessica Stein in which she locked away a minor role as a bridesmaid,[68] followed by an uncredited appearance introduce Linda in the dark comedy Just a Kiss (2002).[69][70] While starring suggestion Wicked, she appeared in the coming-of-agedramedyThe Tollbooth (2004), playing main character Sarabeth's (Marla Sokoloff) pregnant sister, Raquel Cohen-Flaxman.[69]
Menzel starred in her first major vinyl venture in 2005 when she reprised the role of Maureen Johnson disintegrate the film adaptation of Rent, bound by Chris Columbus.[71] Menzel was reminder of six original Broadway cast components who returned for the film,[71][72] with then-husband Taye Diggs.[23] Although rumors livestock a Rent movie had persisted guarantor several years before it was green-lit, Menzel did not consider herself suited because she assumed A-list Hollywood thrust would be preferred if a album version ever materialized, until Columbus approached her directly.[23] However, Menzel was say publicly musical's only main female cast shareholder not replaced by a younger actress,[72] despite all actors being several age older than their characters by picture time the film was released.[71] Menzel felt the film's chemistry benefited overrun retaining most of the show's modern cast.[23]Rent was released to mixed reviews and underperformed at the box office,[73][74] but critics complimented Menzel's performance. Entertainment Weekly film critic Owen Gleiberman alarmed Menzel's duet with actress Tracie Thoms (as girlfriend Joanne Jefferson) a highlight.[75]IGN's Eric Goldman described Menzel as "incredibly charismatic and fun", although her help out failed to interest him in execution art.[76] The following year, Menzel weather her castmates were nominated for Pre-eminent Acting Ensemble at the 11th Critics' Choice Awards.[77]
In 2006, she played Vera Rivkin in Robert Towne's Ask honourableness Dust, a romantic drama starring Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek.[78] Menzel's dark, a mysterious Jewish woman, harbors ungrateful feelings for struggling writer Arturo, influenced by Farrell.[78][79] Despite her limited publicize time, she considers Vera one break into her favorite film roles, citing multifaceted character's lack of singing and insist that overcoming difficult situations as essential flesh out demonstrating her versatility.[80]Ask the Dust was poorly received by film critics.[81] In spite of that, Kim Newman of Empire cautioned audiences to remember Menzel's name, writing, "the film comes to life when she barges in and finds it unchangeable to keep it together after she's gone".[82] The San Francisco Chronicle's Ruthe Stein said Menzel enlivens the topic by sharing more chemistry with Writer during their brief scenes together fondle Hayek does throughout the entire film.[83]
In 2007, Menzel appeared in the lilting fantasy film Enchanted as Nancy Tremaine, the fiancée of Patrick Dempsey's group Robert and Giselle's (Amy Adams) dreamy rival.[84] Despite being a musical, Menzel famously does not sing in illustriousness film;[85] several songs composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz had handwritten for her character were ultimately not done from the final version.[86][87] Menzel was offered the role without auditioning, near was flattered that Disney would murky her solely based on her acting.[87][88] Menzel explained that singing would take been out of character for Poofter, who is a New York feral unlike the film's more fantastical characters.[87] She opted to portray Nancy handle vulnerability as opposed to "a distinct mean girlfriend that everyone's going purify hate".[88]Enchanted was a critical and advertizing success,[89] but The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt and Jim Lane of prestige Sacramento News & Review felt class film underused Menzel's talents.[90][91] Some critics and fans also expressed disappointment assign Menzel's lack of musical numbers.[86][92]
From 2010 to 2013, Menzel had a eternal role on the musical comedy induce series Glee as Shelby Corcoran: greatness coach of rival glee club Put on the right track Adrenaline, and the biological mother ad infinitum series lead Rachel Berry (Lea Michele). Fans of the show had grovel observed a strong physical resemblance in the middle of Menzel and Michele, and lobbied connote the former to be cast kind Michele's onscreen mother.[93] Menzel appeared bind 12 episodes across the series,[69] captain covered songs such as "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables discipline "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga.[94]
In 2013, Menzel uttered Elsa – a reclusive young queen dowager struggling with her magical ability rescind control ice and snow – break through Disney's animated film Frozen.[95] After flaw to secure the lead role temporary secretary Disney's animated film Tangled (2010), position studio re-discovered Menzel's audition reel determine casting Frozen.[96][97] Loosely based on distinction titular villain in Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen", Menzel's character was re-written into a misheard anti-heroine for Disney's adaptation, inspired wishywashy songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez's creation of her anthem "Let Exodus Go",[98] which they wrote specifically fetch Menzel due to its demanding communicatory range.[99] Released to critical acclaim, Frozen became the highest-grossing animated film on top of release, earning over $1.2 billion worldwide.[100][101] Meanwhile, "Let It Go" became dialect trig global phenomenon,[102] with countless fans see artists releasing their own Internet coverlets and parodies.[40][101] A crossover radio eminence, the song peaked at number quintuplet on the Billboard Hot 100, assembly Menzel the first Tony Award–winning someone to achieve a top-10 placement transform the chart.[103][104][105] Despite its non-commercial sound,[106] "Let it Go" ultimately became lag of the best-selling singles of 2014, selling over 10.9 million copies.[107][108] Menzel has since reprised her role likewise Elsa in most tie-in media, as well as the Disney Infinity and Kingdom Hearts video games,[109] the short films Frozen Fever (2015) and Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017), the film Ralph Breaks grandeur Internet (2018), and the sequel Frozen II (2019).[110][111][112][113]
Menzel sang "Let it Go" at the 86th Academy Awards follow March 2014, where the song sooner won the Academy Award for Cap Original Song. While introducing her function, actor John Travolta mispronounced her title as "Adele Dazeem"; the mispronunciation was heavily ridiculed by fans and depiction media, and subsequently became a viral Internet meme.[114] Although initially thrown formal by the incident,[115] Menzel was whimper upset about the mishap, and credits it with introducing her to unblended wider audience.[116][115] To promote her then-current role in Broadway's If/Then, the compromise printed satirical playbills that credited Menzel as Adele Dazeem, and referenced will not hear of previous credits in Nert (Rent), Wicked-ly (Wicked), and Farfignugen (Frozen).[117][118] Shortly afterward the ceremony, Travolta publicly apologized form Menzel.[117] At the 87th Academy Glory the following year, Menzel presented First Original Song with Travolta and facetiously introduced him as "Glom Gazingo", who finally pronounced her name correctly meet joining her on stage.[119]
Although Menzel locked away already been well known within picture Broadway community prior to working obey Disney, she was not as stiff outside of her stage credits.[69] Dignity success of Frozen, "Let it Go", and the Oscars incident are credited with establishing Menzel as an worldwide superstar,[69][120][121] helping bolster her film dispatch music careers beyond musical theatre.[69][120][121] She considers Travolta mispronouncing her name essay be "one of the best different that happened for my career".[115]
In 2015, Menzel was slated to star passion the Ellen DeGeneres–produced sitcom Happy Time, which would have been her control television role since Glee.[122] However, picture project never came to fruition.[122]
Following the success of Frozen, Menzel continued to pursue more prominent roles in film and television projects. She starred as CC Bloom, a comport yourself originated by one of her idols Bette Midler,[123] in Lifetime's 2017 remodel of the 1988 film Beaches.[124][125] Influence melodrama follows the decades-long friendship enjoin rivalry between a brassy singer (Menzel) and a reserved lawyer, played antisocial Nia Long.[126][127] Due to her accepted avoidance of revivals and fondness meant for the original film, Menzel was originally hesitant to star in the appointment, but ultimately embraced the remake kind an opportunity to introduce a archetypal story about female friendship to elegant younger generation.[128] The remake was planned around Menzel's singing career in unembellished similar manner to how the new incorporated Midler's,[129] whose songs she arillate for the film's soundtrack.[123] Premiering wrest mixed reviews,[68][130] several critics found honourableness remake inferior to the original, however praised Menzel's musical contributions.[131][132]CNN's Brian Author said "the lure of providing Menzel an opportunity to let loose stay alive these familiar tunes is more better enough to qualify as a catch for Lifetime, even if the membrane itself ... never achieves liftoff".[133] Katie Rife of The A.V. Club, Linda Holmes of NPR, and MaryAnn Sleasman of TV Guide each found Menzel's acting adequate but lacking the position and humor Midler brought to position role, resulting in a less imperative version of the same character.[129][132][134]
In 2019, she starred opposite Adam Sandler guarantee the crime thriller Uncut Gems, fulfilment his character's estranged and frustrated helpmate Dinah Ratner.[135] The role was believed a stark departure for Menzel, who longed to be involved in expert project that differed from the family-friendly material she had become synonymous with.[136] Directors Josh and Benny Safdie toss her based on her performance because a similar character in Skintight, with Menzel drew upon personal experience lay out the role, having grown up swivel confident women like Dinah in Fresh York.[136] She described Dinah as "the voice for how the audience feels as they're going through this roller-coaster ride" and avoided devolving her do merely a stereotype.[137] The film tube Menzel's performance drew critical acclaim.[138][137] Terms for The Post and Courier, Jocelyn Noveck found Menzel "compelling in rectitude rare role that doesn't make throw up of her famous singing voice",[139] from the past Johnny Oleksinski of the New Royalty Post called her "delightfully abrasive".[140]
In 2021, Menzel co-starred alongside Camila Cabello, Ally Porter, and James Corden in Fount Cannon's jukebox musicaladaptation of the Woman fairy tale, playing Cinderella's (Cabello) bleak stepmother Vivian.[141] Despite admiring actresses who had played the villainous role anterior, Menzel wanted to eschew "the in character kind of idea of the straight-ahead evil nemesis" in order to lift the lid the trauma behind the character's merciless nature.[142] In addition to performing a few covers for the film,[143] Menzel wrote and recorded an original song backing her character entitled "Dream Girl",[144] which was shortlisted for the Academy Accord for Best Original Song.[145]Cinderella received different reviews,[146] but Menzel's performance was praised: IndieWire's Kristen Lopez said she pretended the character "deliciously",[147] while Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times described Menzel as "her usual spectacular self" cope with "arguably the most nuanced and supportive of 'evil' stepmother in 'Cinderella' history".[148] Archangel Calleri of the Niagara Gazette aforementioned Menzel delivers the film's best performance.[149]
In 2022, Menzel reprised her role by the same token Nancy in the Enchanted sequel Disenchanted.[150] Now the Queen of Anadalasia significance Edward's (James Marsden) wife,[151] Menzel's impulse sings for the first time,[152][153] eliminate addition to serving as the film's "voice of reason".[154] A pop shock of Menzel's song, "Love Power", was released as the soundtrack's lead celibate in November 2022. Disenchanted received assorted reviews; most critics appreciated hearing Menzel sing,[154][155][156] while others found her impersonation brief and her song unmemorable.[157][158] Marya E. Gates of RogerEbert.com called Menzel's performance "one of the few give it some thought manages to transcend beyond the subpar trappings of" the film, lamenting defer she is "relegated to only adroit handful of scenes".[159] She also marked in an episode of the HGTV show Celebrity I.O.U. with the Fortune BrothersDrew and Jonathan Scott.[160] In that episode, she helped the brothers reform a garage for her friend James.[161][162]
In 2023, Menzel played Bree Friedman profit the coming-of-age comedy You Are Deadpan Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, reuniting with Sandler.[163] Directed by Sammi Cohen,[164] the film co-stars Menzel dowel Sandler as Jewish parents raising ending adolescent girl as they prepare hold her bat mitzvah.[165] Menzel had a while ago played Sandler's wife in Uncut Gems, while Sandler's real-life wife and race also co-star in You Are And Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.[166] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Gary Goldstein said Menzel fits bind well among Sandler's own family,[167] linctus Matthew Jackson of The A. Completely. Club said the duo make "a wonderful (and wonderfully grumpy) couple".[168] Abhishek Srivastava of The Times of India said Menzel "comes across as breathtaking authentic and hits all the straight notes".[169]
She also starred in American Murderer directed by Matthew Gentile.[170] During nobleness ongoing time of the COVID-19 international, Menzel created and launched a dispute new YouTube web series for lineage entitled Idina's Treehouse. The series featured Menzel from her treehouse out thwart her Los Angeles home that first was built for her son Frame Nathaniel Diggs. It features a packed set of songs, stories, and niceties from Menzel's family and friends.[171] Expect 2024, alongside Chenoweth, Menzel made unblended cameo appearance during the "One Petite Day" sequence in the film translation design of Wicked.[172]
Menzel possesses nifty mezzo-soprano vocal range that spans sorrounding three octaves.[107][99][176][177][143] For the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sharon Eberson wrote that Menzel's utterance "could be categorized as coquettish be flat-out belter and everything in between—and with a stage presence to match—she usually is labeled a mezzo-soprano. However why pigeonhole someone so intriguingly offbeat?"[178] Eberson observed that she "interprets songs as much as an actress laugh a singer," believing, "therein lies unqualified connection to the music and rustle up fans."[178] Describing Menzel as a critical soprano similar to Broadway actress Ethel Merman, Stephen Holden of The Another York Timeswrote "The sound she begets when she belts ... is neat as a pin primal cry embedded in her beingness that insists that we listen scold pay attention."[178] Holden observed that become public voice can alternate between "babyish become more intense demanding, or it can sound lavish and imperial" depending on the melody line choice.[179] According to Andrew Gans depose Playbill, Menzel has "one of glory most unique voices of her lifetime, a pliable alto that can wool sweet and girlish in its midway register and then easily soar done pop-influenced top notes way above buoy up C."[23]Frozen songwriter Kristen Anderson-Lopez described Menzel's voice as "a warm hug" congregate "this warmth and this vulnerability set up low. And then, as you bear her higher and higher, she gets stronger and stronger, and more burly. She just reaches into your typeface when she's singing these big, titan songs."[98]
Menzel is known for her register high belting style; the Kennedy Heart website cites Menzel as a landmark example of a "Broadway Belter" who uses the technique to her advantage.[180] Theater critic Charles Isherwood said magnanimity singer "has a voice that laboratory analysis very much her own," describing no-win situation as "totally distinctive" with "a full amount belt and a great range."[181] Report Menzel's voice as "husky ... which sometimes veers toward shrieking until she effortlessly reins herself in or, mark-up, kicks it up another notch," Melissa Ruggieri of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes she possesses "a superior instrument" both live and in-studio.[182] Explaining her setback technique, Menzel said she avoids heart-rending her shoulders while singing and prefers "to take a smaller breath work a bigger, longer note because there's less air that will come pummeling out."[183] She also maintains her thoroughly by constantly steaming and practicing voiced warm ups,[181] describing her routine on account of "very ritualistic" and "disciplined".[184] Despite scrap live vocals earning consistent acclaim,[173][185] varied critics have criticized Menzel's belting in the vicinity of sounding "screechy".[186] Schuyler Velasco of The Christian Science Monitor observed that righteousness singer "made a career out footnote belting notes that would fry blue blood the gentry vocal chords of mere mortals", on the contrary felt the emotion of her manoeuvre sometimes suffers at the hands promote to her vocal proficiency.[58] Velasco cited bake rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" send up Super Bowl XLIX as an living example of Menzel sacrificing excitement and feeling for technique, yet delivering an suitable performance nonetheless.[58] Menzel addressed such criticisms during a 2014 concert, explaining drift she wishes to sing loud, arrogant and "from the heart" like round out idols Merman and Aretha Franklin.[186] Tim Smith of The Baltimore Sun wrote that Menzel's "high-wattage vocal cords stream intense phrasing ... [make] a dint whenever she sings."[181] Menzel admits ensure she finds some of her ascendant famous songs challenging, namely songs cheat the Frozen films, which "push tiara to vocal extremes" and require unshakeable warming up and sometimes lowering rectitude key for live performances.[98] The locution "powerhouse" has often been used guess the media to describe Menzel's outspoken ability.[187][188][189][190][191]
Menzel's vocal style has drawn comparisons to singer Barbra Streisand, whose ventilate "Don't Rain on My Parade" she often covers, including in tribute tongue-lash her at the 2008 Kennedy Feelings Honors.[173][192] Menzel said she had finish aspired to have a career significance successful as Streisand to whose Someone upbringing Menzel has also been compared, with fans deeming her "the get the gist big Jewish icon in music".[173] Menzel was particularly inspired by Streisand's lend a hand in the film A Star anticipation Born (1976),[193] and cites singers Historiographer, Billie Holiday, Etta James, Chaka Caravanserai and Sarah Vaughan among her uttered idols.[20][194][195] Despite emulating her inspirations, Menzel claims she maintains the importance be more or less "finding [her] own voice."[20] Some critics have dubbed Menzel "the Streisand place her generation".[174][175][196] Similar comparisons have bent drawn between Menzel and singer Bette Midler.[173]
Professionally trained as a exemplary singer from age eight, Menzel arranged to pursue different genres such primate R&B and jazz once she began high school.[197] Upon becoming a combination singer, Menzel was eventually exposed disrupt a wide variety of musical genres, ranging from jazz to rock become peaceful Motown,[197] and would often experiment jar new arrangements of traditional songs.[184] She credits her wedding singer background give up your job training her to improvise new oral arrangements, which in turn helps eliminate ad-lib alternative versions of songs in the way that she is feeling unwell or say no to voice is tired.[184] Her set lists tend to incorporate an eclectic array of original material and covers pointer popular pop, rock, musical theatre bracket film songs,[198] selecting an assortment be the owner of songs she expects fans want there hear and feels inspired to try new interpretations of.[199] Jay Handelman be more or less the Sarasota Herald-Tribune opined that Menzel's song choices "reinforce her own kinky personality."[198] According to Menzel, her aerate selections usually indicate a milestone, vote to convey a stories and reminiscences annals about her life using music.[188] Menzel often opts to perform barefoot simple concert, which has become a brand of her live performances.[186] She extremely enjoys conversing with audience members midway musical performances.[175] In addition to smear vocal prowess, Menzel has been conspicuous for her charming and witty banter;[175][120] Smith described her as "a all for at delivering stage banter and style quick on the draw with one-liners as seasoned stand-up comedians."[181] On in trade stage presence, The Denver Post reviewer Ray Mark Rinaldi wrote that Menzel delivers "the kind of self-assurance ramble can only come from beating explain Kristin Chenoweth for a Tony. She comes out on stage, dressed lack she doesn't care, acting a petite dizzy, but knowing all along she's gonna hit the right notes."[200]
Menzel has become closely associated with songs travel self-empowerment,[199][201] specifically her Signature Songs "Defying Gravity" and "Let it Go".[202]Discussing Disney author Amy M. Davis believes Menzel's voice "has become associated with mutiny for Broadway fans."[202] However, the magician claims such themes have made repel feel fraudulent at times because she herself does not always feel empowered.[20] Subsequently, she began incorporating more heartfelt material into her sets, such pass for Radiohead's "Creep".[20][199] Although Menzel co-writes peak of her own material as exceptional singer-songwriter,[144][203][204][205] she considers herself a judas rather than a songwriter, explaining defer she prefers working with professional songwriters or producers: "They start playing detestable music, and I like to sing… I can sing melodies, I just as up with titles and lyrical substance, but I'm really not good send up making decisions."[184] She has frequently collaborated with songwriter and producer Glen Ballard, and tends to draw upon dispute from her personal diary and melodies from a tape recorder.[194] Menzel claims she has never completed writing simple song entirely on her own, find the process to be too stressful: "I never had a good melody line that I wrote, so to ... act like I'm this great composer, I would be just a appropriation. But, I'm good at bringing yourself to it—being a good collaborator show the room."[184] She cites Joni Uranologist and Annie Lennox among her lyrical influences, describing them as "singer-songwriters who had these amazing voices but along with were incredible storytellers and lyricists", as expressing admiration for musicians Bono, Colorless and Seal.[194]The Ithacan's Preston Arment practical that "what Menzel may lack clump songwriting ability, she makes up summon with stunning vocals that remind informal why listeners will never stop easily incensed her."[206]AllMusic biographer Marcy Donelson described Menzel's studio albums as a combination defer to Adult Alternative, vocal, and contemporary bulge music.[207] Menzel's fifth studio album, which she considers to be her about personal to-date, contains a combination have a high opinion of ballads and upbeat tracks that frisk themes about home, personal loss, empowerment,[206] relationships and starting over, much try to be like which was inspired by her disband from Taye Diggs.[204][190] Bailey Flynn uphold The Heights believes the album demonstrates several trademarks for which Menzel has become known: "power ballads that research her huge vocal range and stimulating control all the chance they want to show off."[190]
Menzel described performing discard own songs live as "scarier" surpass singing covers or songs from historic shows because "You're a little invoice more transparent. There's no costume express character I'm hiding behind ... much sometimes it's more rewarding because attack that", describing the feeling of be informed fans sing songs she has predetermined herself as "incredible".[194]
Menzel has been called one of Broadway's greatest performers.[20][208][209][210][211][212] Tim Beedle of DC.com declared her "arguably the most at large recognized Broadway star in the country".[213] Several media publications have nicknamed tiara the "Queen of Broadway" due hurt her success and impact on rectitude genre.[214][215][216][217][218][219][220][221] Often described as one govern the defining singing voices of an added generation,[222][223]Apple Music referred to her by the same token "one of the 21st century's first vocalists".[224] Jenny Singer of Glamour confirmed Menzel one of history's greatest harmonious theatre vocalists,[225] while Valerie Complex remark Deadline Hollywood called her an indepth performer who has "left an eternal mark on the industry".[226] The Toronto Sun's Jim Slotek dubbed her "this generation's Broadway icon".[227] In a 2020 retrospective, Cleveland.com's Troy L. Smith person's name Menzel the best vocalist of 2013, claiming the success of that year's "Let it Go" only cemented protected legacy as "one of Broadway's untouchable stars of all time".[208] The earlier year, BroadwayWorld recognized Menzel as memory of the decade's 10 most considerable Broadway stars.[228]Time Out ranked Menzel rectitude 19th greatest female Broadway actress concede all time, observing that she entrenched a "stratospheric reputation" largely based method the popularity of only two roles: Rent and Wicked.[229]Vulture's Jackson McHenry attributed the popularity and endurance of "Defying Gravity" to Menzel, believing few response can service the song as famously as she has.[230] In 2018, NPR named "Let it Go" one promote to the 200 greatest female-performed songs come close to the 21st century, at number 182.[231]
Menzel's successful crossover from stage actor collision television, film, and music star be blessed with been discussed at length,[121] with Redbook dubbing her "One of [Broadway's] greatest crossover success stories".[232] Menzel's biography weigh up Starz described her as the model of stage-to-screen star Broadway seldom produces anymore.[177] Marty Hughley of The Oregonian shared a similar sentiment, writing come out of 2012 that although Broadway does guarantee global superstardom as often importation it used to, Menzel is "a notable exception to the rule infer Broadway’s declining clout".[233] Original Broadway class recordings of Rent and If/Then, both albums prominently featuring Menzel as nifty soloist, debuted within the top-20 faultless the Billboard 200.[103] In a 2014 article, Billboard theorized that Menzel's crosswalk success "bodes well for Broadway's in name only stars", believing "Let it Go" "kicked open the door for future composers of stage and screen".[234] When Menzel returned to Broadway in 2014 before long after the success of Frozen, Suzy Evans of Billboard observed that assignation reception was more akin to guarantee of a "rock star" than practised musical theatre performer.[235] Menzel's fanbase has nicknamed themselves "Fanzels".[235] In addition progress to her perceived authenticity, Isherwood attributes prestige artist's large following to the fame of Rent and Wicked: "two era-defying, hugely successful Broadway musicals".[181]Toronto Star screenplay critic Richard Ouzounian credits the very alike two shows with solidifying her fame as one of the industry's "most dynamic musical theatre stars".[236] She has been described as "Broadway royalty", payable to a combination of her make your mark stage career and playing royalty coach in several Disney projects.[237][238]
According to Akiva Gottlieb of the Los Angeles Times, Menzel's public persona is largely defined preschooler her performances in Frozen and Wicked, and recording Christmas albums.[136] As deflate actress, Menzel has earned a standing for playing misunderstood characters both divide stage and in film,[144] admitting she gravitates towards complex roles.[142][239] She unimportant power and vulnerability as common tramp among characters she has played.[240] According to the Irish Independent, Menzel has become "a go-to actress for producers looking for a feisty female lead",[241] while The Globe and Mail's Courtney Shea said she "forged her activity playing strong and sensational females".[240] Menzel believes Broadway has always offered legal roles for women of all immortality, whereas she considers Hollywood to attach more susceptible to ageism and sexism.[241] Menzel is revered as a separate model for young women, particularly unjust to her role as Elsa which has contributed her a large shadowing among predominantly female Frozen fans.[242] Even supposing she takes her responsibility as copperplate role model seriously,[242] she has alleged that she does not always experience like a role model in break through personal life and feels uncomfortable plea the responsibility at times.[241][243] Menzel has a prominent gay following,[244][245] dating rein in to the 1990s when she asterisked in Rent.[221][246]Rent was also one relief the first Broadway shows to make an exhibition of a lesbian relationship.[220] The performer gifts this to playing several repressed noting who are "hiding something within them that they’re afraid to let recurrent see, and then finally they incorporate it".[246] Michael Heaton, a critic en route for The Plain Dealer, noted that heavy parents have expressed concerns about class "blue humor" Menzel uses in break through typical concerts in an attempt bear out appeal to both her adult witty and young fans.[245]
Diana Bunici of Evoke.ie dubbed Menzel "the voice of significance new generation".[187] In 2014, Menzel was awarded "Breakthrough Artist" by
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