Kristin Chenoweth's Five Best Performances of All Time

You may have seen her as Glinda in Wicked on Broadway, or perhaps more recently on The Muppets Show on ABC. The uber popular theater and television veteran Kristin Chenoweth is perky, hilarious, and of course, she sounds incredible live. She's currently on tour performing a mix of favorite her songs,...

By Michelle de Carion

January 7, 2016

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You may have seen her as Glinda in Wicked on Broadway or perhaps more recently on The Muppets Show on ABC. The über-popular theater and television veteran Kristin Chenoweth is perky and hilarious and, of course, sounds incredible live. Chenoweth is currently on tour performing a mix of her favorite songs — Broadway showtunes, pop standards, and music from her latest album, Coming Home.

Ahead of her upcoming stop in Fort Lauderdale at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts next week, we decided to comb her wealth of stellar performances over the years to compile her five best-ever. If you're not yet an ardent follower of this Tony and Emmy Award-winning star, here are five reasons you should be. These are Kristin Chenoweth's five best performances of all time.

1. “Popular” in Wicked
The musical Wicked shot Chenoweth into the superstar stratosphere when she hit those high notes and pranced in pink on Broadway, and "Popular" is perhaps her most famous song from that show. She was also nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Glinda, but she lost to her green costar, Idina Menzel.

2. “I Cain’t Say No” from Oklahoma!
This performance from the musical Oklahoma! is a tribute to Chenoweth’s roots: She was born in Tulsa and studied musical theater at Oklahoma City University. She also played Laurey in the fourth grade and Ado Annie in her freshman year at OCU. This clip is from a special performance celebrating the 60th anniversary of Roger's and Hammerstein's first musical production.

3. “My New Philosophy” in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Chenoweth won a Tony Award for her role as Sally Brown in the Broadway revival of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown in 1999. This song shows just how sassy she can be onstage.

4. “Glitter and Be Gay” in Candide
In 2004, Chenoweth played Cunegonde in the New York Philharmonic revival of the operetta Candide, directed by Lonny Price. This production was broadcast on PBS’ Great Performances. This clip below shows off her vocal chops and proves her master’s degree in opera performance really paid off.

5. “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret
In 2012, the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center renamed the theater after Chenoweth, calling it the Kristin Chenoweth Theatre. She was so honored, she chose to record her live album, Coming Home, there. This song is from the musical Cabaret and is on the CD. It was broadcast in her first televised concert special on PBS.

Kristin Chenoweth
8 p.m., Thursday, January 14, at Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale 33312. Tickets cost $30 to $150. Visit ticketmaster.com.

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