(Michael Gioia’s articled 4/19 on Playbill.com; via Pam Green.)
In an intimate conversation with Wicked producer Marc Platt, Idina Menzel reveals details about her upcoming album, her relationship with her son, her real thoughts about being called “Adele Dazeem” and more.
As part of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, Tony Award winner Idina Menzel sat down with Marc Platt, a producer on both Wicked and If/Then, to talk about her life and career in the theatre. Here are the ten things we learned about Menzel in the hour-long conversation.
- An ex-boyfriend got Menzel her gig as Maureen in Rent… sort of: “I had a boyfriend who was working at an acting agency,” she explained. “He faxed my resume kind of secretly through to [casting director] Bernie Telsey. I got in; they were looking for unknowns, and there I am in this show in its early incarnation, and the composer wants to work with us and develop it around us.” Platt asked her about being part of projects that became a phenomenon. She confessed, “[With] Rent, I needed a job. I didn’t know Michael Greif, I didn’t know Jonathan Larson. I just went in; I needed a gig.”
- She wore green to her Wicked audition and cried when she left: “I remember, actually, your audition for Wicked,” Platt said to Menzel. “Every wonderful actor/actress on Broadway came in and auditioned, and Idina came in. I believe you were wearing green glitter [eye shadow], if I recall, and [it was decided] she’s pretty much playing the role. It wasn’t much conversation after she left the room.”