Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel is an American actress and singer who originated Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway, and voiced Elsa in Disney’s Frozen.
Rent: A rock musical by Jonathan Larson about young artists and relationships in New York City during the AIDS crisis. Menzel originated Maureen Johnson in the musical’s 1996 Broadway production.
Stephen Schwartz: An American composer and lyricist whose musicals include Wicked, Pippin, and Godspell. He wrote Wicked, the musical in which Menzel originated Elphaba.
New York University Tisch School of the Arts: The performing-arts school of New York University, offering undergraduate and graduate programs in theater, film, and related disciplines. Menzel studied drama there before beginning her professional stage career.
Broadway theatre: The commercial theater industry associated with professional productions in Manhattan’s Broadway district. Menzel’s defining stage roles made her a prominent contemporary Broadway performer.
Wicked: A musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman that reimagines the lives of the witches of Oz. Menzel originated Elphaba, the role most closely associated with her Broadway career.
Jonathan Larson: An American composer and playwright best known for the rock musicals Rent and tick, tick... BOOM! His Rent gave Menzel her Broadway breakthrough as Maureen.
Aida: A Broadway musical by Elton John, Tim Rice, and Linda Woolverton, based loosely on Giuseppe Verdi’s opera. Menzel played Amneris in the musical’s pre-Broadway development production.
Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical: A Tony Award category honoring a leading performance by an actress in a Broadway musical. Menzel won the award in 2004 for originating Elphaba in Wicked.
Frozen: A 2013 Disney animated musical film about royal sisters Elsa and Anna in the kingdom of Arendelle. Menzel voiced Elsa and sang “Let It Go,” extending her fame beyond theater.
Kristin Chenoweth: An American actress and singer who originated Glinda in the Broadway musical Wicked. Her Glinda shared the stage with Menzel’s Elphaba in the original Broadway cast.