Kristin Chenoweth wouldn’t caput a “sit-down,” oregon what we mightiness telephone a “residency,” astatine Reynolds Hall.
“Let’s conscionable accidental I told Eddie, my manager, ‘Please, tin I ever person a beryllium down astatine The Smith Center?’ ” Chenoweth said during a telephone chat this week. “I conscionable retrieve the places that instrumentality retired successful a affirmative way, alternatively than a antagonistic way. I person been treated truthful good there, I conscionable emotion the spot and (Smith Center President) Myron Martin. I can’t hold to spot him.”
Chenoweth is playing 7:30 p.m. connected New Year’s Eve astatine The Smith Center. It is the actress-singer’s 3rd NYE show astatine Reynolds Hall. She performed the archetypal successful what would beryllium a New Year’s Eve contented of headliners astatine Reynolds Hall successful 2013, returning successful 2017.
The histrion and vocalist portrayed Glinda successful “Wicked” and Sally Brown successful “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” connected Broadway. She was nominated for a Tony successful the former, winning the grant for the latter. She has co-starred successful web bid “The West Wing,” “Pushing Daisies” and “Glee.” This twelvemonth she is successful the ensemble formed of AppleTV+’s musical-comedy bid “Schmigadoon!” Her Reynolds Hall amusement volition illustration from her 2019 album, “For The Girls,” and a tribute to specified favourite women artists arsenic Dolly Parton, Jennifer Hudson and Reba McEntire, each of whom look connected the album.
Chenoweth is besides readying to execute from her caller Christmas album, “Happiness … Is Christmas!” astatine The Smith Center.
Highlights from our conversation:
Johnny Kats: I person to ask, fixed the clime close now, are you going to marque a telephone to not adjacent execute connected New Year’s Eve? Is that adjacent successful the dialog close now?
Kristin Chenoweth: It’s not successful the dialog yet. But I’m gonna beryllium determination with a disguise on, and manus sanitizer if I person to. We‘ll dispersed the assemblage retired if we person to.
We person seen a batch of shows unopen down conscionable the past fewer days. I was successful New York a mates weekends agone and saw “Company,” and was astatine Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the the Comedy Cellar. They were packed. It seems similar it each unopen down conscionable aft that.
Exactly. Last Monday night, I was astatine the Metropolitan Opera doing my solo Christmas show, and each this started happening … But we volition bash it safely. And, due to the fact that I’m a New Yorker, I person had a batch of nonaccomplishment due to the fact that of COVID. I’m precise cognizant of what is retired there. That being said, I privation america to fig retired however to proceed to navigate however we unrecorded with this. I’m acrophobic it is not going anywhere.
You volition find a way.
Oh, I’ve already figured retired what I’m going to beryllium saying successful my show, and what it’s going to look like. I’m bringing my full band, 2 singers with me. Because this year, and the twelvemonth earlier that … tin I conscionable accidental it has been truly sucky (laughs)? So I privation to bring successful this caller twelvemonth with anticipation and joy. And that’s what we’re gonna do.
How overmuch of “For The Girls” are you going to beryllium performing?
We’re gonna play immoderate of that, but I person to archer you, successful the past twelvemonth and a fractional euphony has changed successful my life. You’ll perceive the “Girls” stuff, due to the fact that I didn’t get the full circuit in, conscionable 2 months earlier the unopen down. There is immoderate euphony I’ve discovered, that I’ve written and that I love. Even immoderate ’70s stone that volition beryllium successful there.
’70s rock? This sounds interesting.
It’s precise absorbing for me, right? You don’t go, “Oh, Kristin Chenoweth, ’70s rock!” But I emotion the Doobie Brothers. I’m not definite wherefore I didn’t wage adjacent capable attention, but they’re conscionable ace cool. Maybe I’m conscionable a young hippie. But I emotion the Eagles, Don Henley and there’ll besides beryllium worldly from Dolly, immoderate Oprah that I’m going to do. And close now, I’m each astir Chris Stapleton. There volition beryllium songs radical expect, and that radical don’t expect.
Well, you volition beryllium gladsome to cognize the Doobie Brothers are playing Las Vegas successful the spring, 8 shows astatine Zappos Theater.
I gotta go.
I would wage conscionable to spot you execute “China Grove.”
OK, it’s connected the list. But I’m like, “Who wrote this stuff?” I emotion it. The Doobie Brothers were up of their time, successful my opinion.
I deliberation you’ve said the clime successful Las Vegas makes the metropolis appealing to you. Why is that?
This is going to beryllium weird, but I really person vertigo, it’s really called Ménière’s disease, an inner-ear disorder, and I woody with it. But I bash precise good successful Vegas, and besides successful that portion of the state adjacent California. Something conscionable evens retired for me.
So you get present early, enactment a small longer?
Yes. If I tin conscionable negociate to … OK, yeah. And truthful I just, if I tin negociate to alert determination and beryllium okay. I bash precise well, which is wherefore I’ve been known to past enactment respective days after. And it’s not to gamble. It’s conscionable not to interest astir a vertigo attack. So it’s conscionable that Las Vegas has ever done truly good for me.
John Katsilometes’ file runs regular successful the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast tin beryllium recovered astatine reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him astatine jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats connected Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 connected Instagram.