Big-time Broadway actors rarely become top-shelf music stars. Nor do music stars frequently become big-time Broadway actors. Owning a Tony Award and having a single that lands in the Billboard Top 10 is so rare that Idina Menzel is the first person in history to accomplish both.
“People say Broadway actors can’t cross over, but it seems like society is finally ready to accept a theater person singing on the radio,” she says.
Menzel’s colorful mezzo-soprano displays terrific range and grows more uncanny – and full-bodied – as she belts higher notes. That voice, together with strong-yet-tender performances and a consuming stage presence, make Menzel one of the great performers of her generation.
“I’ve been singing since I was born,” Menzel says, “in the shower, on the street. I just sing.”
New York-bred, she has enjoyed a diverse career proceeding from theater to film and television, and now concert stages.
She roared to fame for her role in the hit show Rent, which generated a Tony nomination; her role in Wicked (2003) achieved Broadway superstardom, winning a Tony for Best Actress in a Musical. She returned to Broadway as Elizabeth Vaughan in the 2014 musical If/Then, for a third Tony nomination. Television work followed – multiple seasons of Glee, guest appearances and a PBS special, Barefoot at the Symphony. Chart-topping occurred again with “Let It Go,” from the blockbuster Disney animated film Frozen.
A self-empowerment theme weaves throughout her lyrics. Both “Let It Go” and “Defying Gravity” from Wicked depict women refusing to accept society’s limitations and embracing their own power.
For Christine Sandin, executive director of Sunset Center, the theater’s size and her daughter’s opinion made the booking decision easy. “I loved her on Glee,” Sandin says. “My daughter has seen Wicked numerous times. And Sunset isn’t large enough to bring large production shows, but it’s perfect for a Broadway star with a band. And we, like many others, are actively recruiting younger listeners. This accomplishes all of that.”
IDINA MENZEL 8pm Tuesday, March 21. Sunset Center, San Carlos and Ninth, Carmel. $100-$120. 620-2048, sunsetcenter.org