Between cast members Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison and guest stars like Jonathan Groff, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel some of Broadway's brightest are getting their own second act on "Glee." Hollywood Crush caught up with Idina, who plays Shelby Corcoran, the glee club director for New Directions' rival Vocal Adrenaline, to talk about going from the big stage to the small screen.
Idina, who become a Broadway staple after being in both the original cast of "Rent" and "Wicked," knew she wanted to be part of the "Glee" phenomenon, too. "My husband (Taye Diggs) and I TiVo it every week and we were just so jealous, we couldn't believe that we didn't have a show like that when we first got out of 'Rent,'" she recalled to Hollywood Crush. "We just wanted to be a part of it in some way. I didn't think it would happen, and thankfully people in my camp got in touch with their peeps, and it happened!"
Even before making her "Glee" appearance, Idina's presence was on the show when Chris Colfer and Lea did their renditions of her "Wicked" showstopper "Defying Gravity" for an episode. Idina had nothing but high praise for the two stars. "I texted (Lea) after I saw it and just told her what a great job she did," Idina told us, adding, "I saw Chris on set, and I told him he should go and play it on Broadway....He's so adorable and sweet, I really love him a lot."
So will Idina (who tragically hasn't sung on the show yet) be revisiting any "Wicked" or "Rent" songs herself? "I love "Rent" songs, I sing them in my own shows and stuff, but Ryan [Murphy, the exec producer] likes to take things you wouldn't expect and surprise people." We'll be over the moon to finally hear what they are!
If you could pick other Broadway songs for the show, what would you want to hear? Are you happy Idina won't be singing her own iconic showtunes on "Glee"?
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