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BWW Countdown: You Get to Rank Your Favorite Idina Menzel Roles

By: May. 29, 2014
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It's quite possible that no Tony nominee has ever had a year like Idina Menzel has. With the world-wide juggernaut of FROZEN racking up well over a billion dollars at the box office, "Let it Go" being certified Triple Platinum, and earning her third Tony nomination for IF/THEN, Idina could concievably take the title of "Queen of All Media."

Whether or not she wins her second Tony is up to the voters, but now, BroadwayWorld wants to know which of Idina's roles is your favorite. Take a look at the list, follow @BroadwayWorld on Twitter, and tweet the hashtag #BWWCountdownIdina and your answer. We will unveil your picks on Friday, June 6th, right before the Tonys.


Maureen Johnson in RENT

Idina burst onto the theatre scene as the bisexual performance artist Maureen Johnson in the ground-breaking musical RENT, for which she earned her first Tony nomination. I am sure that purists will be upset that I used a picture from the movie here, but come on, does she not look "Over the Moon," in that leather body suit?

In this video from the BWW TV archive, Idina speaks about her memories of Jonathan Larson and sings "No Day But Today." Also check out these RENT galleries from the BWW archive: RENT 10th Anniversary Concert, RENT Film Cast Performs in Bryant Park, RENT Film Cast Performs on THE TODAY SHOW.

#BWWCountdownIdina #MAUREEN


Elphaba in WICKED

After eight years away from Broadway, Idina returned in one of the biggest musicals in recent memory, WICKED, winning the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical. As Elphaba, the (not so) Wicked Witch of the West, Idina made it clear that she was now a musical theatre icon "For Good."

Take a trip down the Yellow Brick Road with our BroadwayWorld Opening Night gallery. From our Stage Tube archives, watch Idina and others share their thoughts on the show's 10th Anniversary and see her sing "Defying Gravity" from her Concert Special.

#BWWCountdownIdina #ELPHABA


Nancy Tremaine in ENCHANTED

Six years before Idina became a Disney princess of her own, she appeared in ENCHANTED and got to dance with McDreamy. You want to know how to tell if someone is a star? Watch Idina in this movie, "That's How You Know."

Check out the BWW gallery of the movie's World Premiere.

#BWWCountdownIdina #NANCY


Florence Vassey in CHESS IN CONCERT

Alongside international superstar Josh Groban and RENT costar Adam Pascal, Idina took to the London stage with a concert version of CHESS. With the way your career has taken off since then Idina, I'm sure it feels like "Someone Else's Story."

Watch this video from the BWW TV archive of the show's highlights and Groban talking about the process of putting on this show.

#BWWCountdownIdina #FLORENCE


Shelby Corcoran in GLEE

In one of TV's biggest no-brainer casting moves, Idina was cast as Lea Michele's biological mother on GLEE. She has appeared in episodes across the first four seasons, and will hopefully return for a final appearance in 2015, and until I hear otherwise I will keep telling myself, "Don't Stop Believing."

Check out a pair of our galleries of Idina's appearances on GLEE (Gallery 1 and Gallery 2). Also, from the BWW TV archives, watch a preview for her return from Season 3.

#BWWCountdownIdina #SHELBY


Elsa in FROZEN

Unless you have been in a coma for the past six months, you undoubtedly have heard Idina singing the new Disney anthem, "Let it Go" from the movie FROZEN. And if you aren't hearing it this very second, it might be "For the First Time in Forever" (you thought I was going to use "Let it Go," didn't you?). In the film, Idina plays the misunderstood Ice Queen who finds redemption through her sister and a silly snowman.

Before FROZEN became the biggest thing in the world ever, Idina talked about the film in this BWW Exclusive video. Though Disney has yet to release the full concert, we have a photo gallery from FROZEN LIVE as well as some of the footage. If you still need more of "Let it Go," you can watch Idina and her IF/THEN co-stars lead the gigantic sing-a-long on GOOD MORNING AMERICA from our BWW TV archives. And finally, you MUST watch the best performance of "Let it Go" anywhere; Idina singing with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots while playing preschool instruments.

#BWWCountdownIdina #ELSA


Adele Dazeem on THE OSCARS

What an incredible night, Robert Lopez becomes the youngest EGOT winner ever, FROZEN wins Best Animated Feature, and "Let it Go" wins Best Song. Everything was going so smoothly until erstwhile Danny Zucko, John Travolta introduced Idina's performance of the hit song. Oh, and for everyone who still insists on making "Adele Dazeem" jokes, please "Let it Go."

Check out the now legendary Travolta-Fail from our archives, then watch "Adele" sing "Let it Go" on the Oscars from BWW TV. We also have reaction from Academy Award winning husband and wife team Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez on the flub, and FROZEN co-star Josh Gad broke down the mystery of Adele Dazeem. After your rage dies down, scroll through the pics in our Oscar gallery.

#BWWCountdownIdina #ADELE


Elizabeth in IF/THEN

After all of her success elsewhere, Idina is finally back where she belongs, on Broadway. In IF/THEN she plays Elizabeth who makes a seemingly innocuous decision that splits her life into two paths. Idina, if you have to leave Broadway again, you can tell us "You Learn to Live Without," but it doesn't mean we will like it.

The BroadwayWorld archives have multiple IF/THEN galleries, don't be shy, check them all out: rehearsal gallery, show gallery, Opening Night gallery. In addition to highlights from the show, the BWW TV archive has Idina singing "Here I Go" and footage from the IF/THEN Fan Concert. Finally, in a BWW TV Exclusive, Idina talked about IF/THEN rehearsals and much more.

#BWWCountdownIdina #ELIZABETH


If you need more to satisfy your Idina obsession, check out her BWW bio, which has all of the news, photos, and videos from our archives. In preparation for the Tonys, Idina stopped by the Photo Booth and talked about how IF/THEN made her a better actor in a BWW TV Exclusive. Last year at this time, Idina was No. 10 in our Tony Moments Countdown, so out her performances from RENT, WICKED, and her acceptance speech. Just a few months ago, we gave you another chance to revel in the greatness that is Idina, with 10 Reasons to Love Idina Menzel.

Over the years, Idina has been a regular interview subject at BWW. Here we submit just a few for your perusal:
In 2008, she talked with BWW CEO Rob Diamond about her CD I STAND.
In 2010, she spoke about her career, before a run with the Cincinnati Pops.
In 2011, Idina sat down with BWW's Pat Cerasaro for his InDepth InterView series.
Also in 2011, she talked about life leading up to her concert at the Greek in LA.
In 2012, Idina discussed her London concert tour.
In 2013, she talked about her musical theatre fandom with BWW while on tour in Australia.

Now, follow @BroadwayWorld on Twitter and vote for your favorite Idina role by tweeting your pick and the hashtag #BWWCountdownIdina. Then remember to check back on Friday, June 6th to see the results.




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