Home › Features › Broadway Star Idina Menzel Will Twinkle on July 22nd in Raleigh's Red Hat Amphitheater
Broadway Star Idina Menzel Will Twinkle on July 22nd in Raleigh's Red Hat Amphitheater
By Robert W. McDowell • July 7, 2015
The "Idina Menzel World Tour" will play Raleigh's Red Hat Amphitheater at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22nd (photo by Robin Wong)
Award-winning Broadway and movie star Idina Menzel will twinkle brightly, starting at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22nd, in Raleigh's Red Hat Amphitheater, when Live Nation Entertainment® presents the nearly 40-city Idina Menzel World Tour. Menzel won the 2004 Tony Award® for Best Actress in a Musical for originating the role of Elphaba Thropp, the unjustly maligned, green-skinned Wicked Witch of the West in Wicked, and was nominated for the 1996 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for originating the role of Mark's ex-girlfriend performance artist Maureen Johnson in her Broadway-debut performance in Rent and the 2014 Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for originating the role of newly divorced urban planner Elizabeth in If/Then.
Born on May 30, 1971 in Syosset, NY, the 44-year-old actress and singer won two Behind the Voice Actors Awards — for Breakthrough Voice Actress of the Year and for Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Feature Film for playing Elsa in Frozen — plus the 2014 Teen Choice Award for Choice Animated Movie: Voice, also for playing Elsa in Frozen.
Promoter Live Nation Entertainment writes, "… Menzel has captivated audiences at sold-out concerts around the world. Throughout the tour, Menzel will lead audiences through a special journey of classic pop, musical-theater favorites, and her own personal catalogue. The shows are set to weave together Menzel's irresistible charm, wit, and unparalleled vocal prowess."
According to Idina Menzel's website bio:
"Her voice can [not only] be heard as Elsa in Disney's global box-office smash Frozen, in which she sings the film's multi-platinum song 'Let It Go.' She performed the song at the 86th Annual Academy Awards® and the song went on to win the Oscar® that night. Idina made history as the first person with both a Billboard Top 10 hit and a Tony Award for acting.
"She [starred] as Elizabeth in the original Broadway production If/Then, by Pulitzer Prize-winning team Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey. Of her performance, New York Magazine affirmed 'Idina Menzel sings beyond anyone's idea of reasonable vocal or emotional limits. She blows the roof off of the theatre,' while Variety described her 'tear-the-house-down voice and commanding personality.' Menzel received her third Tony nomination for the role and performed 'Always Starting Over' from If/Then at the 2014 Tony Awards.
"Menzel reached superstardom on Broadway with her Tony Award-winning performance as Elphaba, the misunderstood green girl, in the blockbuster Wicked and in her Tony-nominated role as Maureen in Rent. Menzel also appeared as Sheila in the Encores! production of Hair and starred as Amneris in Broadway's Aida.
"In London, she originated the role of Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked and received the WhatsOnStage Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Other Off-Broadway credits include Michael John LaChiusa's musical See What I Wanna See, directed by Ted Sperling at The Public Theater, the pre-Broadway production of Rent, and The Vagina Monologues.
"Lauded for her strong-yet-emotional performances, [in 2010-13] Menzel [had] a highly successful international tour, concluding with a sold-out performance at Radio City Music Hall. Accompanied by world-renowned symphonies, she played to sold-out audiences and demonstrated why she is one of the great performers, earning her second WhatsOnStage Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Solo Performance in 2013. The Denver Post dubbed her 'The Streisand of her generation,' while The New York Times praised her as 'an entertainer with a phenomenal voice … Diana Ross with ten times the stamina and lung power.'
"As part of her [2010-13 'Barefoot at the Symphony Tour'], Menzel's live concert at The Royal Conservatory in Toronto, Canada was recorded for her CD and DVD, 'Idina Menzel Live: Barefoot at the Symphony' [2012], led by legendary composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch. The concert aired internationally, including a PBS special in the United States. A skillful songwriter, Menzel also performs and records her own music. Her albums include 'Barefoot at the Symphony,' 'I Stand' [2008], 'Here' [2004], and 'Still I Can't Be Still' [1998].
"Menzel's latest album, 'Holiday Wishes' [2014], was produced by Walter Afanasieff and includes the original song 'December Prayer.'
"In addition to Frozen, Menzel's film credits include Disney's romantic fable, Enchanted [2007], where she appeared opposite Susan Sarandon, Patrick Dempsey, and Amy Adams; Rent [2005], in which she reprised her role as Maureen; and a co-starring role in Robert Towne's Ask the Dust [2006], opposite Salma Hayek and Colin Farrell. Menzel's television credits include a recurring role on 'Glee,' Fox's smash hit series, as fan-favorite Shelby Corcoran, Rachel's biological mother. She has also appeared on 'Private Practice,' 'Kevin Hill,' and 'Rescue Me.'
"Philanthropy is also important to Menzel, who created the A BroaderWay Foundation in 2010 with Taye Diggs. This organization is dedicated to offering girls from underserved communities an outlet for self-expression and creativity through arts-centered programs. The emphasis is on building self-esteem, developing leadership qualities, and striving for personal and social achievement. For more information, visit http://abroaderway.org/."
Live Nation Entertainment presents the IDINA MENZEL WORLD TOUR at 8 p.m. July 22 in Red Hat Amphitheater, 500 S. McDowell St., Raleigh, North Carolina 27601.
TICKETS: $35 lawn and $49.50-$99.50 reserved seating.
Red Hat Amphitheater: http://www.redhatamphitheater.com/tickets.
Ticketmaster: 800-745-3000 or http://www.ticketmaster.com/venueartist/115660/1208788.
SHOW: http://www.redhatamphitheater.com/event/idina-menzel-5844, https://www.facebook.com/events/1601651683389542/, and http://www.livenation.com/events/416894-jul-22-2015-idina-menzel-world-tour.
THE TOUR: http://idinamenzel.com/worldtour/, http://www.livenation.com/artists/137797/idina-menzel-world-tour and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idina_Menzel:_World_Tour.
VIDEO PREVIEWS: http://idinamenzel.com/media/ and https://www.youtube.com/user/Idinamenzel.
PRESENTER: http://www.livenationentertainment.com/, https://www.facebook.com/LiveNation, https://twitter.com/livenation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Nation_Entertainment, and https://www.youtube.com/user/livenation.
VENUE: http://www.redhatamphitheater.com/, https://www.facebook.com/RedHatAmphitheater, https://twitter.com/RedHatAmp, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Hat_Amphitheater.
DIRECTIONS/MAPS/PARKING: http://www.redhatamphitheater.com/directions.
Idina Menzel (actress and singer): http://idinamenzel.com/ (official website), http://www.livenation.com/artists/43423/idina-menzel (Live Nation page), http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=52769 (Internet Broadway Database), http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0579953/ (Internet Movie Database), https://www.facebook.com/IdinaMenzel (Facebook page), https://twitter.com/idinamenzel (Twitter page), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idina_Menzel (Wikipedia), and https://www.youtube.com/user/Idinamenzel (YouTube channel).
Tagged as: Idina Menzel, Idina Menzel World Tour, Live Nation, Live Nation Entertainment, Red Hat Amphitheater
Categorised in: Features, Lead Story, Music
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