BWW Exclusive: The Wickedly Glee-ful Idina Menzel lands in Toronto

Tony Award winner Idina Menzel comes back to Toronto for the first time since 2008 this week, and she will be joined by Tony and Oscar winner Marvin Hamlisch and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra for what promises to be a special evening. The concert, which Ms. Menzel has been working on for the last year and a half, will be filmed for broadcast on PBS later this year.

When the concert was announced tickets went fast, but Ms. Menzel has just announced that Koerner Hall has been able to open up a few more seats, so for readers eager for a chance to see her live in person, snap them up before they're gone!

BWW was thrilled to have the opportunity to sit down and talk with Ms. Menzel prior to her arrival in Toronto, and now brings its readers this exclusive interview. She opens up to us about the hard work that has gone into putting this concert together, her love of developing new musicals and characters, her role on the hit show Glee and (of course), why she chose Toronto for her PBS broadcast event:

First off, welcome back to Toronto! We are thrilled to have you here. And the obvious question is why did you choose Toronto to film your PBS broadcast?

Well, we look at a lot of different things when choosing a spot for filming a show. We need to have the perfect venue, it needs to be the right size and have the right people. We have to look at what will work on camera physically and find a city where we can do more than one night in a row. That way if we need to go back and fix things we can. And of course I wanted a city where Marvin (Hamlisch) could join me because I didn't want to do it without him.

I've also been wanting to come to Toronto for a really long time. I get a lot of fan mail and emails from people in Toronto and I wanted to film this in a place that was very supportive so that when the cameras were rolling I would feel really good about it.

And it's great that you're bringing Marvin along! Have you performed with him recently?

Yes! We just performed together at The Greek in LA which was a dream come true for me because I've never performed there. I can think back a few years and I remember wondering if I could ever get to a point in my career where I would play that venue, so it was a real milestone for me.

This concert is going to be mostly show tunes - is that correct? What else can we expect to hear?

It's actually pretty eclectic. There's a lot of songs that people would expect from shows that I've been in, but we've also got standards, American Songbook stuff, a bit of my original music...there's something for everyone.

How do you even begin to choose what ends up on the set list for something like this?

Well I've been doing this program for a little over a year and a half, really playing with it and massaging it and making changes along the way depending on what I feel and where I am. The heart of it is something that I've been cultivating for some time so I'm really excited that it's all culminating in Toronto and in front of the cameras because I feel that it is something we can be really proud of. It feels right to be documenting it now.

As for choosing the songs, I started picking them a year and a half ago as well based on what I would love to be on stage singing and all the while imagining a big orchestra behind me because that makes a huge difference. Another important factor was figuring out how to maintain an intimacy with the audience no matter how big. I was a little fearful but I feel like I've really found a way to combine both worlds and as an audience member hopefully you feel like you had both a thrilling theatrical experience but also walk out feeling like you learned a bit about me personally.

You mention imagining singing with a large orchestra; what do you find is the biggest difference between performing with a full symphony versus the smaller orchestra pits that are common in Broadway houses?

To be fair I really don't think that size is what makes the big difference, I think the small ones can be just as thrilling as the large ones. I think the real thing we need to be celebrating is the fact that this is live. There's no track, each night the tempo can change and we need a conductor up there who's dancing with all of us and we all take the journey together. That's what I love about being on stage, whether it's in concert, on Broadway or with a symphony. I love that very idea of ‘let's all jump off the cliff together'.

I also love being in the recording studio but it really is a completely different craft. I feel like sometimes technology can take away the spontaneity of things. But it has its own place and can be extremely valuable as well. At this stage I'm really enjoying being in the world of live music every night.

Let's talk Glee! You are back this season as Shelby and your role has been fleshed out quite a bit...will you be continuing with the rest of the season?

I think so. I'm scheduled to be on a bunch of episodes so I guess we will just see where it goes. I'm going to be singing more too, which I love, and I really like what they are doing with my character. The cast is great and it is a wonderful time to be on the show. It really is a ground-breaking hit show but I also feel like they now have this relaxed confidence where they know they've got an amazing job on a successful show. That breeds comfort and I feel comfortable there.

It's an interesting dichotomy with a show like Glee for someone like you who has so much experience performing live. Glee has taken a lot of hits recently for its use of technology in its musical numbers - do you think that's a fair critism of the show?

I really don't. Contemporary recording is completely different than live performance. It makes the job easier so you can accomplish more, record more, mix more and do more at a rapid pace. The beautiful thing about it is that you can get a great take the first time, even if there is a flub. So if you're in the right frame of mind and you lay down a track that is absolutely brilliant and full of heart and passion, but one note is a little wobbly, you can go in and fix it. You don't have to re-do the entire piece. I think that's a gift in a lot of ways because it allows you to retain the feeling and emotion you had on the very first take.

I also think people need to get off the backs of these Glee kids because they do so much music, dancing and singing in every episode that it wouldn't be possible without technological help. It wouldn't be feasible to get out that many shows in such a short period of time without working these kids right into the ground. You have to take the pros and the cons of technology in a situation like Glee and accept it for what it is: a great show that uses all kinds of music to tackle and confront important issues and storylines through song. That's what we should celebrate. Then the show suddenly becomes far more important and gets elevated to a whole other level, rather than just examining how it was recorded.

Between developing new works, your role on Glee and performing in concerts like the one in Toronto, it must be hard to find a balance. How do you determine what you do and when?

It all starts at home with my son and my husband. It's like everything begins there and whatever I decide to do factors in to if I can do it with them. That way it makes much more sense and I feel that much more motivated, excited and creative about my work. It's been working really well. I feel more free and more accessible when I get on stage and I feel like I have more to offer and I'm less depleted. The love of my family and knowing I have them behind me keeps me going.

Do you have time for a quick fan question? This one came in over Twitter...

Of course!

If you had a musical theatre bucket list of three roles that you absolutely have to do, what would they be?

Honestly, I could choose three but my real answer would be that I don't know yet. I want to continue to develop original work and original roles. That's not to say that I wouldn't do a revival but when I dream of what will happen in the next 20 years, it is more ‘RENTs' and ‘Wickeds'. More shows where I stand at the piano with a composer in his Early Stages who is using me as some sort of muse and I get to be a part of his process. More experiences that blur the lines between character and actor. That has been what has been the most successful for me so I want to stick with that.

You have built a career on mostly brand new roles and original works which is pretty rare in theatre these days. How did you manage to accomplish that?

Well it is a hard thing to do and I've been very fortunate. New shows take a very long time and its even harder now in this troubled economy. The money has to be there and it has to stay there through a lot of changes and revisions and sometimes setbacks. You need to have a lot of patience and learn to really hang in. There were many projects where I could have left in the middle of the process to pursue something more immediate that may have meant more money or more exposure, but for some reason my heart told me to stick with it. And that's where family becomes so important again. They have stuck with me and always supported my decisions to stick with various shows instead of chasing after the more immediate work. So I guess you could say I really believe in the process. I'm also fortunate enough that I have a leg to stand on in that I don't have to take any job that comes up and I recognize that is a luxury.

In fact, I'm working on something right now that is wonderful but of course I'm not allowed to talk about it at this point. It's brand new and I think it will be really unique and special but it'll be a couple of years before anyone sees it.

Finally, anything else you want to add or say to your Toronto fans?

I have wanted to document this show since I started doing it, mainly because I'm proud of this concert and what we've put together. So I'm thrilled to be doing it in Toronto and that Marvin will be joining me. He puts me at ease and I enjoy myself the most when I'm on stage with him. Plus Toronto has been so supportive of me in the past and I wanted to be in a city where I would feel great and supported once the cameras started rolling - and I know that will happen in Toronto!

Any meet and greets while you're here?

I think so but I'm not positive. It's a different process since it's being filmed but I will definitely try and come out and say hi to people.

When and Where?

Idina Menzel in Concert - Filmed Live for PBS (with Marvin Hamlisch and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony)
Koerner Hall

November 17th and 18th at 8PM

There are still a select number of tickets available by going online to her official website: http://www.idinamenzel.com/index.cfm/pk/content/pid/400027