What is Idina Menzel like in person?

Has anyone here met Idina Menzel? And I'm not talking about a 30 second meeting at a stage door where she pretends to give a crap about your opinion of her performance. I'm talking about a REAL conversation with her at an industry event or cast party or something like that. She seems like a really nice grounded person. She also seems like she is wickedly funny. Anyone?

Also, would you say Idina is peaking right now?

Updated On: 1/8/14 at 11:03 AM

I could definitely see her as an introvert. She just seems like someone who doesn't let all her Broadway fame get to her head.

I saw her at a cocktail party at Edward Albee's loft a few years ago. She made a really big entrance on the arm of Rex Reed wearing a swan's down floor-length coat (she was wearing the coat, not Rex; Rex was in a thong), and belting a really big Eb. She said "hi" to many people, but very few approached her after that, as she spent most of the evening hunkered down by the fireplace gnawing on a dead squirrel. I saw Edward Hibbert step on her tail accidentally as he passed her, but she was very gracious about it, claiming it was her fault for not tucking it in. Mary Louise Wilson grumbled later that Menzel had bogarted the powder room for about 45 minutes, but that may have been exaggeration. She left the party with Patti (Lupone), which seemed a really cold-blooded thing to do to poor Rex.

^^^^ This is so true! I met her at a concert in 2012, and she kept telling me how nice it was to meet ME while I was trying to tell her how awesome SHE was! Incredibly humble and grateful to her fans.

"When I went to the stage door of If/Then in November, she made us until 11:30 to wait for her."

Wow, that sounds like you think she is obligated to come outside and talk to you. Her work was done. If she wanted to wait hours before coming out, it's her business.

Updated On: 1/8/14 at 05:39 PM

"it felt like I had to drive the conversation"

That's usually a good indicator that although she was being courteous and polite, she may not have been that interested in having a lengthy conversation with someone she doesn't know (which I am assuming by your need to introduce yourself) or after just finishing a number of conversations with others was wanting a little "down time" by herself.

Updated On: 1/9/14 at 03:03 AM

The more famous the artist, the more people there are who "need" to meet them. I can't understand why anyone would want to be just one more cow in the herd pressing their anonymous, insignificant attentions on a stranger, whether welcomed or not.

I've worked with her professionally several times. Can't think of a nice thing to say, other than "she sounds much better when she's not doing 8 shows a week."

I've never met her other than a brief encounter after one of her concerts where she was coming away from the stage door crowd and she crossed our paths. We just walked by and said "Great job" and she crossed our path and she looked up and smiled and said "thank you!"
I know people who have worked with her though. I've heard that she is silly, but she doesn't like big crowds. She tenses up around a lot of people. But she is very nice and down to earth. She just doesn't like to talk a lot at stage door. She knows that she has a lot of fans though, she she puts up with the crowds to sign for them.

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