Reviewed by JESSICA NEU
Walking into the Benedum Center last night, fans were immediately reminded of why Idina Menzel is one of the reigning queens of Broadway.
The merchandise table featured a shirt listing most of her character names spanning a 30-year career. Making her Broadway debut as Maureen in Rent in 1994, Idina built an inspiring career in theater, film, and television. Whether she is playing Rachel’s mom on the hit TV show Glee, ‘defying gravity’ as the original Elphaba in Wicked, or voicing, as she put it last night, “a Norwegian blonde girl with anorexic arms and bulging blue eyes,” (Elsa from Frozen), Idina’s talent is undeniable, and her personality is just as endearing.
My daughter and I were fortunate enough to arrive early for the soundcheck and brief question-and-answer session. Idina and her band improvised a song about Pittsburgh, noting its status as the steel town and its many bridges. After confirming the band and sound technician were comfortable with tuning, Idina sent the band to get dinner and remained on stage to interact with the small group of VIP fans. The audience’s questions ranged from her favorite movie to her favorite memories from specific shows. She offered poignant advice about the audition process and articulated her adoration for the LGBTQ+ community. She also explained her creative process behind this tour, which she aptly titled “Take Me or Leave Me” as a nod to her theater debut in Rent but also her mindset at her current age of 53 being, “You like me or you don’t, and that’s ok.”
Returning to the stage slightly after 8 pm, her authenticity and ability to genuinely connect with audience members translated seamlessly from the small VIP group to the nearly full Benedum Center. Adorning a stunning black and tan ball gown with an elaborate headpiece, Idina began her nearly 2-hour set with her latest single, “Dramatic,” from her 2023 solo project “Drama Queen.” The set and her wardrobe represented a vulnerable, deeply creative, and intimate side of Idina. Props included a chase sofa, a dressing room table, and a clothing rack. With the help of prop master Gio, Idina shed layers of her gown throughout the show until she wore a nude bodysuit for her powerful encore.
As metaphorically soul-bearing as her wardrobe, her stories also offered a glimpse into Idina Menzel, the compassionate Jewish girl from the Bronx. She told hilarious stories about her attempts at snowboarding before singing “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” and how she is “too Jewish” to ever play Eva Peron before “Buenos Aires” from Evita. Idina treated audiences to two songs from her upcoming new Broadway musical Redwood. The show will open at the Neederlander Theater in early 2025. The theater is where Idina made her Broadway debut in Rent and met her then-husband, Taye Diggs. She joked that she would like to take over her old dressing room and knock down the wall to take over her ex-husband’s dressing room because “now she deserves a suite.”
She also became visibly emotional when discussing her pride in the upcoming show and sharing the knowledge she has developed about the Redwood forest.
Idina’s set brilliantly combined songs from her solo efforts and Broadway resume, incorporating several covers of her favorite songs. Before diving into Joni Mitchell’s “Twisted” from her 1974 album “Court and Spark.“
Idina told audiences about being awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania but was terrified to give a speech about her life at an intimate dinner with the other awardees. She felt anxious and perhaps like a bit of an imposter when noting her life’s efforts compared to the gentlemen who cured juvenile blindness.
Perhaps the most vulnerable moment of the show came before singing the immensely popular “Let it Go.” John Travolta’s voice rang over the audience as he infamously introduced her 2014 Academy Award performance. She notes it was the “biggest moment of her career” before Travola declared the “wickedly talented Adele Dazeem.” Idina turned the blunder into a hilarious moment but also did not downplay the sheer horror that she felt in the seconds between hearing him butcher her name to having to sing the now iconic song to a room of Hollywood’s who’s who and to millions watching at home. She, of course, has overcome the moment and continues to perform the song with ease, incorporating audience participation each night.
Idina closed the show with a tour-de-force of some of her biggest Broadway hits. She invited three audience members to sing Joanne’s part in “Take Me or Leave Me,” each young lady rose to the occasion. After the emotional “Learn to Live Without” from her 2014 musical If/Then, Idina shined with “Finale B (No Day But Today)” from Rent and “Defying Gravity” from Wicked. With her arms raised and the lighting perfectly designed to mimic the iconic scene at the end of “Defying Gravity” when Elphaba flies for the first time, Idina powerfully proves that, in fact, no one can bring her down.
Idina Menzel is appropriately recognized as one of the dynamic queens of Broadway, and her “Take Me or Leave Me” show proves that she is also a genuine, relatable Jewish girl from the Bronx with an enormous talent to share with the world.
DETAILS
Idina Menzel’s Take Me or Leave Me Tour had one pertformance on Saturday, August 10, 2024 at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District.
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Reviews
Leave a Reply Cancel reply