I don’t really know how to start this biography. Idina Menzel is for me, the top of the top, in everything she does: singing, performing, dancing (a bit? Not really, Idina’s not very good at dancing), laughing (the cutest laugh) and generally, being a wonderful person.
First of all, you absolutely need to know that she originated two iconic roles on Broadway: Maureen from Rent in 1996 and Elphaba from Wicked in 2003. My two favourite shows of all time.
She is very popular for her performance as Elphaba, the green witch for which she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in 2004. No wonder, her voice is amazing and she plays Elphaba as if it’s her second nature. I think that no one should have been better than her to originate the role (and to think that she thought she was going to be fired before the show opened!!).
Fun (or not) fact: for her second to last performance as the Wicked Witch of the West, Idina was forced to end her run earlier than scheduled as she injured herself by falling into a trap door and had to be replaced in emergency by Shoshana Bean. Nevertheless, she did come out on the stage to sing her last song and received a 5-minute long standing ovation. That’s how much people love her! For the Broadway community, Idina will always be the green witch.
I know that for me, Idina is Elphaba.
Idina Menzel as Elphaba in Wicked (from Wicked the Musical's website)
But, wait for it, Idina was already popular before Wicked! Indeed, she is known for being the original Maureen in Rent (which opened in 1996) for which she received a Tony nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Idina reprised her role in the movie adaptation of Rent in 2005. This musical was her Broadway debut and that started her successful career: over the years, she achieved to make a name for herself in this industry only by using her beautiful voice and amazing talent. People saw a star, and so, she became one.
After that, Idina played in several popular musicals, either by originated the roles or taking over celebrated roles, like in See What I Wanna See and Aida. In 2014, Idina stared in a new Broadway production called If/Then in which she plays Elizabeth, the main character. Once again, her performance was noticed (how can you not?) and she received her third Tony nomination. She was thus asked to perform one of the songs of the show called “Always Starting Over” at the 2014 Tony Award. When I watched her performance, I was so moved by it! Not only her voice was perfect and hit all the high notes (she can hold the last note of this song for 17 seconds!!) but also how she was able to really move people through her performance. You can see how deeply she feels connected to her character and her song. For me, that’s how you recognize a truly great actress.
These three musicals are the ones Idina is the most recognized for. That’s what made her success. When Idina is not acting, she keeps singing! Indeed, she also appeared in various concerts, including performances at Radio City Music Hall and she made a successful international tour in 2014. In addition to her Tony nominations, she received several Drama Desk Award and Drama League Award.
However, the reason why you must know Idina is probably for a completely different performance. Indeed, Idina is now internationally known for her role in the Disney movie Frozen which came out at the end of December 2013. She gives her voice to the main character, the snow queen Elsa and her song “Let It Go” is a worldwide success (finally!). This movie allowed her to reach her big break in the music world, which I think is a shame because Idina is so much more than just the voice of Elsa in a Disney movie. She is so talented as an artist that she should have been recognized way before, but I’m still glad people finally know who she is. Maybe, as she said herself while receiving “Breakthrough of the Year Honor” for Billboard’s Women in Music 2014, she needed to find herself first and be completely ready to face all of the difficulties this career requires, before reaching that level of popularity. See how awesome she is?
However, all this sudden fame always brings negativity. I was particularly shocked by something that happened after one of her performance during New Year Eve’s 2014. Idina performed her hit song “Let It Go” in Times Square and she received a lot of bad reviews because she messed up the last not (which is a big one). To summarize the context: it was New Year Eve’s, in Times Square, at midnight, and it was snowing. Anyone would have messed up the song in her place. But no, she held herself for the entire performance and I think she did amazing considering the circumstances. So I don’t understand people’s reaction. How can you criticize one of the biggest voice of this industry for one messed up note in a very difficult song to sing? I don’t think anybody else could’ve sung it the way she did it in the freezing cold at 12 a.m. I was so angry to see the way people reacted just because she didn’t hit perfectly all the notes. Fortunately, Idina responded honorably to the bad press, defending her performance, with a letter posted on Twitter in which she says that your success doesn’t depend on the notes you hit, but on the determination and the sincerity you put in your performance. That’s one of the thing I love about this strong woman, she doesn’t let all of the negativity pull her down and on the contrary, she rises above it.
Another fun (or not) fact: During the Oscars in March 2014, Idina performed the hit song “Let It Go” which won Best Original Song. So far, so good. However, John Travolta, who was introducing Idina Menzel before she sang, messed up her name. Indeed, he introduced her as Adele Dazeem. Thankfully, Idina didn’t really pay attention to it as she was concentrating on her song. But this mishap remained in people’s mind and it even became a popular Internet meme. Idina, being so amazing, wasn’t upset about it, and on the contrary, she even started to promote her name as Adele Dazeem and changing the names of her past work. But, to get back at Travolta, the next year, during the Oscars, Idina introduced him as Glom Gazingo. Travolta, thankfully, pronounced her name correctly. This event is actually very funny when you think about it, but also a bit angering as people need to know Idina’s name (Idina even joked on that by saying that this was why her fifth album was called Idina with a dot at the end!). She’s a queen.
Idina Menzel at the Oscars in 2014 (From Hello Magazine's website)
Idina is not only a wonderful performer and singer, she is also a woman invested in helping girls from urban communities to express themselves and believe in their capacity, not only on stage but also on their everyday life. To do that, she created a camp with her ex-husband Taye Diggs called A BroaderWay Foundation in 2010. This camp allows a lot of young girls to have confidence in themselves and to develop their creativity through arts-centered programs. She also is a supporter of LGBT rights through organizations like The Trevor Project and the NOH8 Campaign (she posed for one of their trademark silence photos). She truly is a devoted artist and a caring person.
On a more private level, Idina was married to Taye Diggs, another musical performer who she met while playing in the original production of Rent in 1995. They fell in love during the production of the show and lived together for a long time before getting married in 2003. Together, they have a son, Walker, who was born in 2009. Unfortunately, after ten years of marriage and almost 20 years of life together, the pair broke up in December 2013, and they finalized their divorce in December 2014. However, Idina found happiness again in the arms of Aaron Lorh, a fellow actor, who also played in Rent (small world), and Idina announced through Twitter that they were engaged and then, got married in September 2017.
Apart from her musical career, Idina appeared in several TV shows, like Glee in which she played Rachel Berry’s birth mother, and movies like Disney’s Enchanted. She also recorded albums, her first which one came out in 2008 is entitled “I Stand.” She also made a 2014 Christmas album called “Holyday Wishes”. In 2016, Idina released her fifth album “Idina.” which I think is truly amazing. This album really is personal and she says herself to have “poured her heart out and used her music to figure some things out.”
Idina's album, Idina. (From Idina's website)
And we cannot forget one of the most memorable moments in Idina Menzel’s life: on July 19th, 2010, she performed “Defying Gravity” and “What I Did For Love” at the White House for President Obama and his family. Not anybody can boast about that.
Even though Idina Menzel has become quite known since Frozen, I still believe that people need to recognize her for everything she achieved and not only the latest Disney movie fame. She is an amazing performer, a wonderful singer and an incredible human being. She deserves all the standing ovation she got and shouldn’t be judged on one performance only (I am still angry about that). Her dedication to other people and her strength not to break under all these bad press and all the perversity of the world makes her even more inspiring.
Idina Menzel is a woman I admire with all my heart and I wish she will remain as she is for many years to come.
Idina Menzel, promotion for her world tour 2017 (From Live Nation's website)
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