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Kristin
Chenoweth
as Annabeth Schott |
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Tony Award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth’s career is quickly rising. She joins the cast of NBC’s four-time Emmy-winning series, “The West Wing” where she plays savvy media consultant Annabeth Schott.
A versatile singer, classically trained but equally at home in pop, old standards and Broadway musicals, she made her solo recording debut with the release of “Let Yourself Go” for Sony Classical. Rob Fisher conducted The Coffee Club Orchestra on the recording. Chenoweth’s next album will be released next year from Sony. The CD will be a country music album with a slant towards inspirational songs.
With numerous other projects on the horizon, Chenoweth recently starred in the hit Broadway production of “Wicked,” the back-story to “The Wizard of Oz.” Chenoweth plays Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. Variety’s review stated, “Chenoweth steals the show whole. She is allowed to be funny and is, spectacularly.” The New York Times review stated, “It’s amazing how Chenoweth keeps metamorphosing before your eyes and ears. Her voice shifting between operetta-ish trills and Broadway brass, her posture melting between prom-queen vampiness and martial arts moves, she evokes everyone from Jeanette MacDonald to Cameron Diaz, from Mary Martin to Madonna.” The performance earned a 2004 Tony Nomination for Best Performance by a leading Actress in a Musical.
Chenoweth recently wrapped production on “The Pink Panther” starring opposite Steve Martin, Kevin Kline and Beyonce Knowles that will premiere July 2005. She is currently in production opposite Nicole Kidman in Columbia Pictures’ feature film adaptation of the popular TV series “Bewitched” which will premiere July 2005 as well.
Chenoweth will then begin her new project as the lead as a spoiled rich girl in the independent movie-musical “Asphalt Beach”, written and directed by Peter Spears who made a splash at last year’s Sundance Film Festival with his standout short film “Ernest & Bertram.” Chenoweth has also begun work on Disney’s animated movie musical “Rapunzel” with acclaimed composer Jeanine Tesori. As if she weren’t busy enough, Chenoweth will star in the LA Opera’s original production of “Alice in Wonderland” for the 2006 season.
Chenoweth took the stage in a one night only concert at Carnegie Hall on September 10th 2004. She performed many of the old standards her audiences has come to love, and she added some more pop/country songs to her repetoire for the evening.
Chenoweth can also be seen on Sesame Street as Ms. Noodle and in Elmo's video/DVD “Elmo’s World: Happy Holidays !”. This is the first ever Elmo’s World Holiday special.
Last year, Chenoweth received rave reviews for her eagerly-awaited concerts for Lincoln Center’s “5th American Songbook” where she performed selections from her album. She also received critical acclaim for her performance in “City Center Encores! 10th Anniversary Bash.”
Chenoweth was in London for a theater production of “Divas at Donmar” for director Sam Mendes which opened to rave reviews. Following her triumph in London, Chenoweth appeared at the highly anticipated Actor’s Fund Benefit Concert of the musical “Funny Girl” in New York City.
Chenoweth was a part of ABC's “An American Celebration at Ford's Theater” with Kelsey Grammer, NBC's “Salute to the Olympic Winners, The Kennedy Center Gala” honoring Julie Andrews and an episode of “Frasier” on NBC.
Chenoweth continues to tour the country with her acclaimed concerts. She performed with the Kansas City Symphony, the Virginia Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra. Chenoweth also performed at the Hollywood Bowl and the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. In early 2003, Chenoweth performed with the Tulsa Symphony, The Washington Symphony, and the Boca Raton Symphony.
Acclaimed for her distinctive comedic gifts as well as her wide-ranging musical abilities, Chenoweth made her Broadway debut in a production of Moliere’s “Scapin” starring Bill Irwin, followed in the spring of 1997 by the Kander and Ebb musical “Steel Pier,” for which she won a Theatre World award. The next season, she appeared in the City Center Encores! production of “Strike Up the Band” and the Lincoln Center Theater production of “A New Brain.” During the 1998-99 season, she created the role of Sally in the first Broadway production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” sweeping the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards as the season’s “Best Featured Actress in a Musical.” Next, she starred in the Broadway comedy “Epic Proportions,” followed by acclaimed appearances in the television adaptation of the musical “Annie” (as Lily St. Regis) and in the leading role of the City Center Encores! production of “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.” Chenoweth has also performed leading roles at the Goodspeed Opera House and the Guthrie Theatre, and she was chosen by the late Jerome Robbins as the guest soloist in his “West Side Story Suite of Dances” at New York City Ballet. On television, Chenoweth also starred in her own series “Kristin,” for NBC.
A native of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Kristin Chenoweth studied at Oklahoma City University, earning a bachelor’s degree in musical theater and a master’s degree in opera performance. She performed in the stage revue at Opryland and won a “most talented up-and-coming singer” award in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, which resulted in a full scholarship to Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts. En route to Philadelphia, she auditioned for an Off-Broadway show and got the part. She decided to forgo her scholarship to pursue a career on Broadway; a short time later, she was accepting a Tony Award. Chenoweth resides in Los Angeles and her birth date is July 24.
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