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.
Show Yourself
Idina Menzel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But not from the cold
Something is familiar
Like a dream I can reach but not quite hold
I can sense you there
Like a friend I've always known
I'm arriving
And it feels like I am home
I have always been a fortress
Cold secrets deep inside
You have secrets, too
But you don't have to hide
Show yourself
I'm dying to meet you
Show yourself
It's your turn
Are you the one I've been looking for
All of my life?
Show yourself
I'm ready to learn
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
I've never felt so certain
All my life I've been torn
But I'm here for a reason
Could it be the reason I was born?
I have always been so different
Normal rules did not apply
Is this the day?
Are you the way
I finally find out why?
Show yourself
I'm no longer trembling
Here I am
I've come so far
You are the answer I've waited for
All of my life
Oh, show yourself
Let me see who you are
Come to me now
Open your door
Don't make me wait
One moment more
Oh, come to me now
Open your door
Don't make me wait
One moment more
Where the north wind meets the sea
Ah-ah, ah-ah
There's a river
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Full of memory
Come, my darling, homeward bound
I am found
Show yourself
Step into your power
Throw yourself
Into something new
You are the one you've been waiting for
All of my life
All of your life
Oh, show yourself
Ah-ah, ah-ah (ah-ah, ah-ah)
Ah-ah, ah-ah (ah-ah, ah-ah)
Ah-ah, ah-ah
The lyrics to "Show Yourself" by Idina Menzel are the inner monologue of Elsa as she journeys through the Enchanted Forest, seeking answers and self-discovery. Elsa is exploring an unfamiliar world but at the same time feels like she's home, trembling not from the cold but from the excitement of the unknown. She senses something is familiar but can't quite hold onto it, almost like a dream. The song unveils Elsa's journey and her realization that she has been living as a fortress her entire life, keeping secrets and being different from others
Elsa is a person with supernatural powers, and she has been living her life as someone who is different from others but thinks she needs to keep herself hidden. Elsa knows that there is someone who feels and understands her because she has that feeling of being at home. She finally asks the person to show themselves so that she doesn't have to hide anymore, and she is ready to learn and finally be a part of the world she's always felt disconnected from. She feels like she's been searching for this person and the answer to her identity all of her life, and her arrival at this revelation speaks to the powerful message about the value of being true to oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
Every inch of me is trembling
My body is shaking with excitement
But not from the cold
This feeling is not physical
Something is familiar
This feeling is similar to something I've experienced before
Like a dream I can reach but not quite hold
But I can't quite put my finger on it
I can sense you there
I feel your presence
Like a friend I've always known
You are a familiar presence to me
I'm arriving
I'm finally getting closer
And it feels like I am home
And it feels like I belong here
I have always been a fortress
I have always been guarded and closed off
Cold secrets deep inside
I have been harboring secrets for a long time
You have secrets, too
I know that you also have secrets
But you don't have to hide
But you don't have to keep them hidden forever
Show yourself
Reveal yourself to me
I'm dying to meet you
I can't wait to finally meet you
It's your turn
Now it's your chance to show yourself
Are you the one I've been looking for
Could you be the person I've been searching for
All of my life?
For my entire life so far
I'm ready to learn
I'm open to discovering who you are
I've never felt so certain
I've never felt so sure about anything before
All my life I've been torn
I've struggled with indecision for as long as I can remember
But I'm here for a reason
I know that I have a purpose for being here
Could it be the reason I was born?
Could this be the very purpose for my existence?
I have always been so different
I've always felt like an outsider
Normal rules did not apply
I've always felt like I didn't fit in with everyone else
Is this the day?
Is today the day that everything finally makes sense?
Are you the way
Could you be the key to understanding everything?
I finally find out why?
Will I finally discover the reason behind everything?
I'm no longer trembling
I'm no longer scared or uncertain
Here I am
I'm ready and present
I've come so far
I've made a lot of progress
You are the answer I've waited for
You are the solution to all of my problems
Come to me now
Please, come to me
Open your door
And reveal who you really are
Don't make me wait
Please don't keep me waiting any longer
One moment more
I can't wait a single second longer
Where the north wind meets the sea
At the point where opposites collide
There's a river
There is a force carrying everything along
Full of memory
Containing all the experiences and moments before it
Come, my darling, homeward bound
Please come to me, my love, so we can finally be together
I am found
I have finally found my way
Step into your power
Take control of your life
Throw yourself
Throw yourself into new opportunities
Into something new
And embrace new experiences
You are the one you've been waiting for
You have the power to make your own dreams come true
All of your life
For your entire life
Ah ah ah
Vocalization expressing intense emotion
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind