Spring Break
The Daily OrangeShowstopper: Broadway star Idina Menzel belts her hits in Goldstein Auditorium
By Shayna Meliker
Posted: 3/20/09, 1:37 AM EST Section: Feature
Menzel's free-spirited personality shined through - joking with the audience, and taking cracks at singer Britney Spears.
"At least I'm not riding around in the front seat with my babies on my lap. I sing without assistance," Menzel joked. "I told you I was in a mood today."
But the show didn't end without its somber moments. After singing the Hebrew "Song of Deborah," Menzel talked about her sister, a single mother and third-grade teacher raising two children. Her sister wanted to sing, but Menzel had already begun to establish herself as the family's aspiring performer. Years later, she listened while her sister sang one of her sons to sleep.
"She has such a beautiful, angelic voice," Menzel said. "I felt all those years, I'd stolen something from her."
Menzel became a wedding singer after she realized she wasn't good at working at the local deli, she said. She said she enjoyed the times when it was just her singing with the keyboard, and she returned to those roots with covers of Frank Sinatra's "Embraceable You" and Judy Garland's "The Man That Got Away."
She didn't shy away from the Broadway classics that brought her to fame. A single spotlight shone down as she sang an a cappella version of "For Good," a ballad from "Wicked." She ended the main set with "Gorgeous," a single from her album.
After a standing ovation from the audience, Menzel returned to the stage for a few more songs. Samara Finkle, a 14-year-old from Niskayuna, N.Y., had left a green faux fur scarf on the stage. Menzel called her up to thank her and give her a hug, joking that she'll get made fun of when video of her wearing the scarf surfaces on YouTube.
"I'm still trembling," Finkle said after the show. She'd also given her a gift at another show in Albany.
Audience members called for Menzel to sing "Defying Gravity," the powerhouse ballad from "Wicked."
"We don't know that one! I get all the verses confused," Menzel joked, before singing a cover of Rickie Lee Jones' song "Company." "We worked hard on this today at rehearsal, and by God, we're gonna play it for you!"
But Menzel finally relented, closing the show with another standing ovation after singing a pop version of "Defying Gravity."
"She was really great," said Ann Clarke, dean of Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts. "It's interesting that she's so popular, not just with the theater community. And she's so real on stage. Very personable."
shmelike@syr.edu
"At least I'm not riding around in the front seat with my babies on my lap. I sing without assistance," Menzel joked. "I told you I was in a mood today."
But the show didn't end without its somber moments. After singing the Hebrew "Song of Deborah," Menzel talked about her sister, a single mother and third-grade teacher raising two children. Her sister wanted to sing, but Menzel had already begun to establish herself as the family's aspiring performer. Years later, she listened while her sister sang one of her sons to sleep.
"She has such a beautiful, angelic voice," Menzel said. "I felt all those years, I'd stolen something from her."
Menzel became a wedding singer after she realized she wasn't good at working at the local deli, she said. She said she enjoyed the times when it was just her singing with the keyboard, and she returned to those roots with covers of Frank Sinatra's "Embraceable You" and Judy Garland's "The Man That Got Away."
She didn't shy away from the Broadway classics that brought her to fame. A single spotlight shone down as she sang an a cappella version of "For Good," a ballad from "Wicked." She ended the main set with "Gorgeous," a single from her album.
After a standing ovation from the audience, Menzel returned to the stage for a few more songs. Samara Finkle, a 14-year-old from Niskayuna, N.Y., had left a green faux fur scarf on the stage. Menzel called her up to thank her and give her a hug, joking that she'll get made fun of when video of her wearing the scarf surfaces on YouTube.
"I'm still trembling," Finkle said after the show. She'd also given her a gift at another show in Albany.
Audience members called for Menzel to sing "Defying Gravity," the powerhouse ballad from "Wicked."
"We don't know that one! I get all the verses confused," Menzel joked, before singing a cover of Rickie Lee Jones' song "Company." "We worked hard on this today at rehearsal, and by God, we're gonna play it for you!"
But Menzel finally relented, closing the show with another standing ovation after singing a pop version of "Defying Gravity."
"She was really great," said Ann Clarke, dean of Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts. "It's interesting that she's so popular, not just with the theater community. And she's so real on stage. Very personable."
shmelike@syr.edu
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 5
Nathan
posted 3/20/09 @ 10:05 AM EST
"country singer Josh Groban"
really?
Kristina
posted 3/20/09 @ 11:17 AM EST
I believe the title is Devorah....
Tori
posted 3/20/09 @ 11:26 AM EST
Was anyone else as uncomfortable as I was during this concert? Idina seemed off her rocker... completely inappropriate...so depressed... I for one was disappointed. (Continued…)
evelyn paige
posted 3/20/09 @ 7:44 PM EST
josh groban is not a country singer
Marie
posted 3/21/09 @ 11:17 AM EST
Ha! Ha! You mixed up the great Josh Groban with Josh Gracin. Probably, if Josh Groban wanted to sing country, he could.
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