Since I was little, I have always had a love for Wicked, the broadway musical. I was drawn to the performers's voices, specifically Kristin Chenoweth. Her voice is so unique that I began to recognize her in numerous different works. When I saw her become a reoccurring guest star on Glee as April Rhodes, I was so excited (even more than when they sang Defying Gravity). I remember watching Hairspray Live! in 2016 and seeing Kristin Chenoweth sing along other great performers such as Ariana Grande and Maddie Baillio. I have always been a fan of Kristin Chenoweth and I believe that her unique voice and high falsetto voice have become iconic throughout music history.
Though I know Kristin Chenoweth best from her role as "Glinda" in Wicked, she has been apart of a great amount of broadway and off-broadway shoes, TV episodes, films, and performances. Growing up, she was always interested in performing. She sang gospel songs at church and participated in community plays. During her early adult years, she studied musical theater in her hometown at the Oklahoma City University. She then earned a Masters Degree in Opera Performance at OCU. She went to New York City to support a friend who was auditioning for a broadway role when she ended up auditioning herself and blew the producers away. Since then she has been apart of numerous broadway shows, films, and TV shows. Some of her more famous works include performing as "Sally" from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, "Olive Snook" on Pushing Daises, and "April Rhodes" in Glee (these three of her more well-known works have earned her Tony and Emmy Awards). Other works include Steel Pier, Epic Proportions, her own short-lived NBC comedy Kristin, and much more. She has even performed with various symphonies across the world and became the third musical theater performer in history to perform at the NYC's Metropolitan Opera in 2007.
This is a clip from when Kristin Chenoweth guest starred on Glee as "April Rhodes". Something I love about her is that when she performs, she performs with character. Her character is supposedly a loser, someone who's life is in shambles but is still optimistic. I feel as if she captured this in both her voice and her body language. Her range is incredible in the song along with her iconic high note that she hits at the end. She sings this with Lea Michelle, who is also an amazing performer.
This is by far my favorite broadway song and scene. Chenoweth's ability to perform and entertain is truly showcased here. This song is Popular from Wicked and Chenoweth's spin on it is what makes me love the song. Her range from singing to adding little adlibs is hilarious. With the lyrics it is sometimes as if she is just talking, but she is actually singing, therefore her ability to hear pitch is very good considering this is live. Though I have seen Wicked live with a different cast, I would do anything to watch Kristen Chenoweth perform this song!
I believe that Kristen Chenoweth's role as a performer is to entertain. Whether she is singing on broadway or performing a cover on a TV show, her voice is so powerful and distinguishable that it brings joy to people when listening. There have been many adaptations and different singers who took on the role of "Glinda" in Wicked, but I still prefer listening the Chenoweth's versions. Though her covers that she performs are works of others, her unique voice adds a new feeling to the music. She has also used her many experiences in performing to mentor others. Chenoweth uses her gift as an amazing performer to entertain others as well as pass down her knowledge to the next generation of performers.
Sources
“Kristin Chenoweth.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 5 Dec. 2019, https://www.biography.com/actor/kristin-chenoweth.
“Kristin Chenoweth.” IMDb, IMDb.com, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0155693/bio.
“Kristin Chenoweth.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Nov. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristin_Chenoweth.
Olive Snook! I used to watch that show and had NO idea what a talented singer she was. What always amazes me is how someone can be so creative in so many ways. She brought us so much laughter as Olive on a TV show and brought the beautiful of music in all her musicals. I liked your descriptions of her singing such as words like "tone color" and explaining crescendos and decrescendos. Your blog was a great lesson for me. Thank you.
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