Idina Menzel theatre roles we love

The Tony Award-winning actress, known for Wicked, Frozen, and more, returns to Broadway for the first time in a decade in Redwood, a musical she co-wrote.

Joe DziemianowiczJuly 7, 2024, 04:00

Idina Menzel is branching out. She's starring in the new Broadway musical Redwood, but she also collaborated on the concept and wrote additional lyrics. Think an actress can only do one thing? Let it go.

A Tony Award winner for defying gravity (and octave leaps) in Wicked, Menzel’s latest role finds her on solid ground. She plays Jesse, a woman at a crossroad that leads to a transformational journey.

The show by Tina Landau (concept, book, lyrics, direction) and Kate Diaz (music and lyrics) arrives on Broadway in 2025. Performance dates and a theatre are to be announced.

While we await the show’s New York premiere, learn more about Menzel’s most noteworthy stage (and stage-adjacent) credits, and see clips of her performances.

Check back for information on Redwood tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

Rent

Which way to the stage? As performance artist Maureen, Menzel asks that before belting "Over the Moon" in Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer- and Tony-winning musical about struggling New York City bohemians.

First seen in the role at The Public Theater in 1996, she reprised it in the movie adaptation and on Broadway, earning her first Tony nomination.

The Vagina Monologues

Off stage, Menzel has spoken out for gay rights and against anti-Semitism. Her role in V's (formerly known as Eve Ensler) landmark 1999 Off-Broadway play saw her addressing women’s issues on stage. Through a series of monologues, the work celebrates female identity and raises awareness about sexual violence, self-discovery, and empowerment.

The Wild Party

Andrew Lippa’s dark-streaked 2000 Off-Broadway musical revolves around a steamy bash thrown by volatile vaudeville performers Queenie and Burrs (Julia Murney and Brian d’Arcy James).

Menzel played Kate, a former prostitute with the hots for Burrs. She serves up the Prohibition-bashing ditty “Look At Me Now” and the carefree "Life of the Party."

Aida

Menzel returned to Broadway in 2001 to take over the key role of the Pharaoh's daughter, Amneris, in this musical based on the same-named opera. She was one third of a tragic love triangle.

In a memorable moment in Elton John and Tim Rice's Tony Award-winning score, Amneris reveals herself as a total fashion victim in “My Strongest Suit.”

Wicked

Witch way to the stage! In this 2003 musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman inspired by The Wizard of Oz, Menzel’s Tony-winning turn as the outcast witch Elphaba sealed Menzel’s status as a gleaming Broadway star.

Menzel’s signature role, one she’s played in San Francisco, New York, and London, came with green paint and songs that showcased her giant belt (“Defying Gravity”) and tender side (“I’m Not That Girl”).

She and Kristin Chenoweth, as popular witch Glinda, made Wicked an instant fan favorite, and the show recently celebrated its 20th anniversary at the Gershwin Theatre.

Get Wicked tickets now.

See What I Wanna See

Menzel returned to The Public Theater in 2005 for Michael John LaChiusa’s time-leaping musical, inspired by short stories by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa that explore themes of truth and perception. Menzel played a murderous lover, a wife, and an actress.

Funny Girl

“Funny, did you hear that? Funny.” In a 2010 episode of Glee, Menzel played Shelby, the mother of talented teen Rachel (Lea Michele). Shelby sang “Funny Girl,” a song made famous by Barbra Streisand in the 1968 movie based on the Broadway musical about comedian Fanny Brice.

Menzel has revealed she almost starred in a Funny Girl Broadway revival, but it never worked out. In 2022, a revival did materialize, and Michele triumphantly assumed the role of Fanny Brice.

Chess

In 2009, Menzel appeared alongside Josh Groban and Adam Pascal in this concert staging of Chess at London’s Royal Albert Hall for PBS. Seen on Broadway in 1988, the Benny Anderson, Tim Rice, and Björn Ulvaeus musical concerns Cold War-era chess rivalries and romance. As Florence, Menzel wraps her voice around the thrilling “Nobody’s Side.” Check!

Frozen

The cold never bothered her anyway! As Queen Elsa in this megahit 2013 animated Disney film, Menzel gave voice to yet another outcast – one whose icy superpowers trap a kingdom in winter. What does she do? Ask any kid! People of all ages know every word to Menzel's Oscar-winning anthem, “Let It Go.”

Frozen became a Broadway musical five years later, but Menzel wasn’t involved.

If/Then

Choices matter. Menzel notched her third Tony nomination in 2014 in this contemporary musical written by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and staged by Rent director Michel Greif. She starred as Elizabeth, a woman exploring two paths her life could take based on a single decision.

Skintight

In this 2018 play written by Joshua Harmon (Prayer for the French Republic) and directed by Daniel Aukin (a 2024 Tony winner for Stereophonic), Jodi (Menzel) discovers her father’s new partner is a much younger man. The stage is set for a spiky comedy about family, aging, and self-worth.

Cinderella

In this modern movie musical adaptation of the rags-to-riches fairy tale, Menzel played Vivian, stepmom to Cinderella (Camila Cabello), who wants to open a dress shop. An antagonist to Cinderella, as you’d expect, Viv also has struggles and disappointments of her own. Listen up for Menzel’s take on Madonna’s “Material Girl” on the soundtrack.

Which Way to the Stage

Okay, Menzel doesn’t appear in this 2022 Off-Broadway play by Ana Nogueira, who looked to Maureen’s line from Rent for the title. But she looms large in spirit. In Which Way to the Stage, it’s 2015, and two superfans are waiting outside the If/Then theatre to get the autograph of the star of the show. As in, you-know-who.

Redwood

In this new musical, Menzel plays Jesse, a wife, mom, and career woman coping with loss who seeks solace in an unexpected place – deep in the ancient redwood forests of northern California. The show arrives on Broadway in spring 2025 following a world premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse.

“Listening to Idina Menzel sing is pure joy,” reads a Forbes article. We couldn't agree more.