What is Idina Menzel like in person?

[Gleeker]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 11:03am

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

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 11:09am

I'm curious as well. She definitely seems like your average person. All I have to offer is a 10 second meeting at the stage door of If/Then when she accidentally started signing over James Synder's autograph on my Playbill and said "OH SH*T" really loudly. She actually seems extremely introverted to me (as in will show up for events and such but remain in her head most of the time).

[Gleeker]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 11:16am

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.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 11:35am

Well, I'll give you a stage door story anyway. When I went to the stage door of If/Then in November, she made us until 11:30 to wait for her. But, she apologized and was still very nice :)

[newintown]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 11:40am

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.

[Gleeker]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 11:46am

Why would she apologize for that? She did nothing wrong.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 12:02pm

[veronicamae]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 12:26pm

I've met her many times, at length, being a fan who is also in her employ. We usually have a 20-30 minute meeting to discuss social media, projects, and "life in general" when I have the chance to catch a performance.

She's very quiet, extremely caring, and can be VERY silly and also quite self-conscious/shy/self-depricating. She also gives you her undivided attention when conversing - so much so that the intense eye contact can be unnerving (to a fan, anyway!).

That's just my own experience/feelings.

[kade.ivy]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 4:17pm

^^^^ 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.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 4:31pm

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

Weird, when I saw If/Then, they let the audience leave without forcing us to wait for her...

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 4:50pm

[Gleeker]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 5:23pm

LOL.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 1/8/14 at 5:39pm

"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

[JoshLovesRent]

Posted: 1/9/14 at 1:52am

I met Idina, Taye, and Anthony at the If/Then Cast Party, i waited until she wasn't speaking with someone, and i walked up to her and introduced myself. she was very quiet and shy, it felt like i had to drive the conversation but she couldn't have been more sweet and nice, shook my hand and had a nice chat. I hope to speak with her again at the Stage Door when the show comes to broadway.

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 1/9/14 at 3:03am

"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

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 1/9/14 at 8:42am

I really don't understand it when people do not pick up on hints when an actor is starting to get tired or needs to move down the line. On the rare occasions I do stage door, I always see at least one actor who is sort of stuck talking to someone who rambles on and the poor actor has to force themselves away while trying to drop hints that they need to go.

[newintown]

Posted: 1/9/14 at 8:48am

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.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 1/9/14 at 9:12am

I agree. It seems very...I don't know...uncomfortable. The only time I ever stage door is when the crowd is VERY small and I would like to tell an actor they did a great job. Even then, if the actor seems tired when they come out, I just leave because nowadays, I feel like a lot of actors would rather come out of the stage door when they are not feeling too sociable than they would leave a different door and gain a reputation for not coming out.
I know someone who says that they (and their fellow cast members) don't wanna get smacked on by the forums if they make it a habit of not coming out and signing. Sadly, it is becoming a thing where people are expecting the actors to sign something for them in addition to performing. Irks me to no end.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 1/9/14 at 2:29pm

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."

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 1/9/14 at 2:39pm

I learned very fast that having expectations for the stage door is ridiculous and to just enjoy the show and leave. The only stage door that I REALLY wanted to stay at (and did) was Big Fish because I was just in awe with Norbert and Kate, and Kate and my friend and I ended up having a lovely conversation. So unless I REALLY REALLY enjoy a performance, my friend and I just hang around to watch people go ape

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 1/9/14 at 4:22pm

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.