Kristin Chenoweth on Tour

Boston Opera House

6/8/12

Last Friday night, I was very fortunate to see the incomparable Kristin Chenoweth perform at the Boston Opera House as part of her new 19-city concert tour, which will end on June 24th in her hometown of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Directed by Richard Jay-Alexander, this concert is more than a program of songs; rather, it is a two act show supported by the talents of three back-up singers: Chelsea Packard, Tyler Hanes, and Will Taylor. 

The Boston audience LOVED her from the minute she walked on stage with her Dunkin Donuts cup, truly in the spirit of New England. Instead of performing the expected roster of song choices, her song selection encompassed a broader range of musical styles and genres than the audience may have anticipated. In a sense, Kristin shared a different side of herself than simply that of her characters in Wicked and Glee. Don’t worry, she still sang Wicked and Glee... but she also sang a whole lot more including, opera, country, and Broadway, which showcased the broad range of talents she possesses. 

Kristin sang several songs previously unknown to me that I came to love after her performance. One such song was “My Coloring Book” for its clever and metaphorical lyrics. After some research, I discovered this was one of the first songs that Kander and Ebb wrote together.  


Here is a clip of Barbra Streisand's recording of "My Coloring Book". 

Kristin made her myriad of Wicked fans very happy by singing two selections from the popular musical (no pun intended). Kristin Chenoweth has probably sung “Popular” thousands of times by now, and as I sat in the Boston Opera House, I wondered if she is at all..... sick of it?  Well, one way to give the song some variety would be to sing it in a different language... which she did.  And she did it pretty impressively too.  All I can say is, Kristin’s performance of “Popular” on tour is my all time favorite performance of “Popular” ever. Hysterical. 

And if you know all the lyrics to “For Good”, you may get the once-in-a-lifetime chance to take the stage with Kristin Chenoweth and sing Elphaba’s part. 

Other favorite performances included: “I Will Always Love You” country style, “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret and Glee, and “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” from Phantom of the Opera. The end of the first act culminated with her rendition of “Bring Him Home” from Les Miserables, which was beautiful. She also sang several great songs from her newest album, “Some Lessons Learned”.  


   

As I left the Boston Opera House last Friday night, it occurred to me that Kristin Chenoweth is not hugely successful solely because of her vocal talent and comedic timing, but also because she is true to her unique self both as a performer and a person. She is a one-of-a-kind talent. If you want to be entertained, check out her concert tour before June 24th!