Idina was born on Long Island, New York, to a Jewish family. Her mother, Helene, is a therapist, and her father, Stuart Mentzel, worked as a pajama salesman. She was raised in Syosset, New York, with her younger sister Cara, and later changed the spelling of her last name (Mentzel) because of constant mispronunciation.
When Menzel was 15 years old, her parents divorced and she began working as a wedding and bar mitzvah singer. A job she continued throughout her time at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in Drama at NYU.
In 1995, Menzel auditioned for Rent, which became her first professional theater job and her Broadway debut. Rent opened off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop on January 26, 1996. The show moved to Broadway's Nederlander Theatre due to its popularity. For her performance as Maureen Johnson in the original cast, Menzel received a Tony nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Her final performance in the musical was on July 1, 1997.
Following the success of Rent, Menzel released her first solo album entitled "Still I Can't Be Still" on "Hollywood Records," Menzel also originated the role of Dorothy in Summer of ’42 at Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, starred as Sheila in the New York City Center Encores! production of Hair, and appeared on Broadway as Amneris in Aida. Menzel earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for her performance as Kate in the Manhattan Theatre Club's 2000 off-Broadway production of Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party. Her other off-Broadway credits include the pre-Broadway run of Rent and The Vagina Monologues.
In 2003, Menzel starred with actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth on Broadway in Wicked, a musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman loosely based upon the popular 1995 Gregory Maguire novel. Menzel received the 2004 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. On her third-to-last performance of Wicked on January 8, 2005, she fell through a trap door and cracked a lower rib. The injury prevented her from performing in the January 9 show. Menzel did, however, make a special out-of-costume appearance at that performance, performed her final song, and received a 5 minute long standing ovation. Menzel was replaced by Elphaba standby Shoshana Bean.
Following Wicked, Menzel appeared off-Broadway in the Public Theater's production of See What I Wanna See, a Michael John LaChiusa-penned musical whose run ended in December 2005, for which she received Drama Desk Award and Drama League Award nominations. She reprised her Tony Award-winning role as Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked when it opened at London's Apollo Victoria Theater on September 7, 2006. During the run, she joined the ranks of highest paid female performer in the West End at $30,000 per week. Menzel finished her West End run on December 30, 2006. She was succeeded by Elphaba standby Kerry Ellis.
Menzel played the role of Florence in the 21st Anniversary concert of Chess at the Royal Albert Hall, London from May 12–13, 2008, alongside Kerry Ellis, Adam Pascal and Josh Groban.
In 2008, Menzel headlined the Powerhouse Theatre's reading of Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's musical Nero from July 1–11. She performed the role of Nero’s mistress Poppea.
Menzel's film roles include appearances in Just a Kiss, Kissing Jessica Stein, Tollbooth, Water, Ask the Dust, Enchanted, and Rent, in which she and five other original cast members reprised their stage roles. As a singer Menzel is known for her wide vocal range, and her use of the 'belt' technique.
Menzel performed at the 1998 Lilith Fair summer concert festival and continues to write and perform original music. She has toured extensively and frequently performs in various venues throughout New York City. She produced and released her debut album, Still I Can’t Be Still, for Hollywood Records in 1998. One single from the album, "Minuet," made the Radio & Records CHR/Pop Tracks chart at #48 in October 1998.
Her second album, Here, was released independently by Zel Records in 2004. Menzel has contributed to soundtracks, including those for the film The Other Sister and the ABC television dramedy Desperate Housewives. In 2007, she appeared on the Beowulf soundtrack singing the end credits song, "A Hero Comes Home." Also in 2007, Menzel's powerful singing voice lead her to be asked to accompany the baritone British X-Factor runner-up Rhydian Roberts on his debut album, duetting on the song "What If."
Her third solo album, I Stand, was released on January 29, 2008. The CD includes many new songs, including the lead single, "Brave," the title track "I Stand," and a song released on EP, "Gorgeous." The album debuted at #58 in the Billboard 200 making it the first solo album by Menzel to make the charts. There are five versions of this album: the original version, the special limited edition, the iTunes version, the Barnes & Noble edition, and the Borders edition.
On April 1, 2008, Menzel kicked off her "I Stand" tour in support of her new album.
On November 11, 2008, Menzel released a new single in conjunction with Major League Baseball. The single is entitled "Hope" and all proceeds go to Stand Up 2 Cancer.
On November 27, 2008, Menzel performed "I Stand" on the M&M Candies float as part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
On December 10, 2009, it was confirmed that Menzel was in negotiations to have a recurring role on Glee. In Spring 2010, Menzel began playing the role of Shelby Corcoran, the coach of the opposing Glee club, Vocal Adrenaline. She was also revealed as Rachel Berry's biological mother.
When asked about 'Defying Gravity' being sung on Glee, Idina was asked about her musical future. She said that the long-rumored movie version of 'Wicked' would probably not be green-lit until there's a dip in its Broadway grosses.
Idina also said that she had met with Andrew Lloyd Webber about taking the role of Betty Schaefer in his much delayed Sunset Boulevard film adaptation. As of February 2010, it is widely believed that Idina is no longer part of Sunset Boulevard as she wanted the role enlarged, to the refusal of Lloyd-Webber.
Menzel married actor Taye Diggs, her co-star from the original Broadway production of Rent, on January 11, 2003 after 7 years of dating. They have a Yorkshire Terrier named Sammy Davis Jr. and two cats named Ella and Coltrane, whom they call their "Jazz Cats" because they were named after famous jazz performers. On December 6, 2004, it was reported by the New York Post that Menzel and Diggs were threatened with harm in a series of letters because of their interracial marriage. Their son, Walker Nathaniel Diggs, was born on September 2, 2009.
Menzel was an Honorary Chair of the Imperial Court of New York's Annual Charity Coronation Ball, Night of A Thousand Gowns on March 21, 2009. Other Honorary Chairs for the evening's charity event included Sir Elton John CBE, Patti LuPone, John Cameron Mitchell, Joan Rivers and Dame Robin Strasser.
I'm Not That Girl
Idina Menzel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sudden silence, sudden heat
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl
He could be that boy
But I'm not that girl
Don't dream too far
Don't lose sight of who you are
He could be that boy
I'm not that girl
Every so often we long to steal
To the land of what-might-have-been
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel
When reality sets back in
Blithe smile, lithe limb
She who's winsome, she wins him
Gold hair with a gentle curl
That's the girl he chose
And heaven knows
I'm not that girl
Don't wish don't start
Wishing only wounds the heart
I wasn't born for the rose and pearl
There's a girl I know
He loves her so
I'm not that girl
The lyrics of “I’m Not That Girl” from the musical, Wicked, performed by Idina Menzel, express the raw emotions of unrequited love. The song begins with a description of the first romantic encounter between the singer and a guy. The sudden silence and heat palpable between them instills a giddy whirl. However, in the next verse, she admits that she is not the girl he wants. She urges herself not to dream too far or lose sight of who she is, and not to remember the rush of joy that came with that romantic encounter. She knows that the boy she met could be that boy, but she is not that girl that he wants.
The second verse delves further into her pain, describing someone else who wins the boy’s heart. The girl he chooses has blithe smiles, lithe limbs, gold hair with a gentle curl, and is winsome. Despite her beauty, the singer affirms that she doesn’t possess the same qualities. She recognizes that she was not born for the rose and pearl, acknowledging that the boy loves another girl more than he could ever love her. The finality of her unrequited love is evident from her conclusion: “I'm not that girl.”
Line by Line Meaning
Hands touch, eyes meet
Two people make physical and visual contact
Sudden silence, sudden heat
The moment is intense and overwhelming
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl
Both individuals feel dizzy and emotionally invested
He could be that boy
The guy seems like a perfect fit
But I'm not that girl
The singer knows that the guy is not interested in her
Don't dream too far
Stop thinking about a future that is unlikely to happen
Don't lose sight of who you are
Stay true to yourself and your principles
Don't remember that rush of joy
Don't dwell on past happiness or dwell on false hope
He could be that boy
The guy may be the right guy for someone but not the singer
I'm not that girl
The singer knows that she is not the right girl for the guy
Every so often we long to steal
Occasionally we may wish to change our fate
To the land of what-might-have-been
To a place where we imagine a different outcome
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel
Even when we think of alternate possibilities, the pain still exists
When reality sets back in
When the truth becomes apparent again
Blithe smile, lithe limb
An attractive and carefree appearance
She who's winsome, she wins him
The girl who has a charming personality is the one he chooses
Gold hair with a gentle curl
Physical traits he prefers
That's the girl he chose
He chose someone else over the singer
And heaven knows
No one knows why he made that choice
I'm not that girl
The singer accepts that she wasn't chosen and moves on
Don't wish don't start
Avoid wishing for the impossible and getting hurt again
Wishing only wounds the heart
Continuing to imagine a different reality can cause pain
I wasn't born for the rose and pearl
The singer is not meant to live a lavish or glamorous life
There's a girl I know
Someone else is capable of making him happy
He loves her so
The man has found someone who reciprocates his feelings
I'm not that girl
The singer is not that girl and is content with that fact
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SARAH BUXTON, BOB DI PIERO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind