GIAN ANDREA DI STEFANO

Kristin Chenoweth sings, dances, and acts—on Broadway, in venues like the Metropolitan and Sydney Opera Houses, on network TV—and now she brings her stunning voice and stage presence to Boston’s Symphony Hall, Sunday, April 30. She took some time from her tour to answer questions for Huffington Post.

Michael: Do you ever feel locked into performing the songs for which you’re especially well known, or do you still enjoy them? I’m talking about the songs from Wicked and Candide in particular.

Kristin: I still find ways to make them fun and different. I think I’m lucky to have songs that are associated with me, so I’ll just keep doing them!

Michael: You’ve done TV, movies, Broadway, concerts…how do you approach each new event with a sense of this-is-the-first-time? In other words, how do you avoid feeling bored or feeling, “Here we go again!”

Kristin: I never get bored. I love it. A new audience makes it a new piece, no matter what it is. I guess that’s what keeps me in the business.

Michael: Is there a song that you’d like to perform but you never have because it never felt right?

Kristin: I’d like to sing “The Impossible Dream” but it’s so associated with men and I’m scared to touch it after I saw Brian Stokes Mitchell sing it. It’s so incredible.

Michael: Are there dramatic roles that you’d love to play but haven’t so far? I could see you in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof!

Kristin: I’d love to play that role. I also think The Rainmaker might be fun… something different.

Michael: How do you choose the songs on your programs – you’ve got so much to choose from, whether it’s the songs you’re best known for, opera, Great American Songbook, Broadway, country…you probably have the greatest range of songs to perform. How do you get it down to size? How do you strike balances among the different types of works that you perform?

Kristin: I think for me it depends on where I’m at, what the venue’s like, who’s in the audience. I program my show accordingly. I also like to throw in surprises; that’s why the show is constantly changing. I think it’s important to keep challenging yourself so you don’t get bored. After all, if you’re a live performer and it’s what you do, why not change it up all the time? We are the ones born to do it, so we should!

Michael: You’ve opened up a few times in print and interviews about having been adopted and having seen that as a blessing. Does it ever seem that being adopted has made you work harder or made success more important (or more inevitable)? Sometimes people who are adopted or come from divorced or alcoholic homes (like me!) have a stronger sense of something to prove. Does this make sense?

Kristin: I think when a child feels they have something to prove, it’s usually not about adoption. It’s in their DNA – what are their interests? Have they been given good self esteem? Those are the questions that make me believe that I am lucky with my parents. Not everybody gets that, adopted or not.

Michael: When you’re touring, what do you do in your down time – rest up, sight-see, see friends? What will you do in your downtime prior to your appearance in Boston?

Kristin: I do a lot of resting because I’m always on the road and it’s really tiring. The travel is a killer. I do make a point to walk around the town. It gives you a little feel of the town and the people. I like to eat, shop, just see what it’s like. That’s really the most fun part of what I do. The rules are: there are no rules. If I have good friends in town, yes I’ll see them too. Truth is: I have to be quiet a lot (silent) to save my voice. Since Boston is one of my favorite places to go, you can bet I’ll be going to some of my favorite spots.

Michael: Do you ever pinch yourself, when you’re on stage at the Metropolitan Opera House, or Broadway, or the Sydney Opera House, and ask yourself, am I dreaming, or did a girl from Oklahoma really do all this?

Kristin: Of course I do. But I still do it before a performance no matter what town I’m in. I still can’t believe I get paid to do what I love to do. Whether it’s in a hometown concert or Carnegie Hall. That’s the truth.

For further information, www.CelebritySeries.org.

GIAN ANDREA DI STEFANO

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