Idina Menzel, voice behind Elsa from Frozen and Elphaba in Wicked, discusses how our dreams evolve, navigating challenges, and being less self-absorbed. She emphasizes the importance of understanding others, allowing our authentic voice to be heard, and living life free from judgment.

Idina Menzel, star of "Rent" and "Wicked," joins the show. She talks about life before fame, the painful end of "Wicked" on Broadway, and her showmance with Taye Diggs. They also discuss Broadway ticketing systems, Menzel's journey to "Wicked," the impact of "Rent" and "Wicked" on children, and Menzel's career journey.

Idina Menzel, an artist talking about her upcoming album, joins the show. Topics include eating dinner earlier, Froggy's experience as an empty nester, and Elvis' husband wanting to be sent to college. They also discuss the benefits of eating dinner early and the emotions of sending a child off to college.

Broadway legend Idina Menzel joins Ira and Louis to discuss her new album Drama Queen and her experiences on Broadway. The hosts also discuss topics such as pop star Kathy Dennis and LGBTQ+ music, the challenges of adapting movies into TV shows, what makes a performance worthy of an Oscar win, and the expectations placed on pop singers in terms of dancing. Film critic Kyle Turner also joins to discuss his book The Queer Film Guide and the process of selecting films for it.

What happens when you put a straight-up power ballad in the middle of a Disney movie? "Let it Go" happens, that's what. STRONG SONGS ON PATREON Strong Songs has a Patreon! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs LET IT GO On this episode, Kirk climbs to the top of a snowy peak and summons all his magical powers to figure out why Elsa of Arendelle's self-coronation song rocks as hard as it does, and what it says about the evolution of Disney musical numbers over the past 30 years. Band/Artist: Idina Menzel Album: Frozen Original Soundtrack, 2013 Composed by: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify ------ ALSO FEATURED: "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey from Escape, 1981 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify "Part of Your World" by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman from The Little Mermaid, 1989 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify "A Whole New World" by Alan Menken and Tim Rice from Aladdin, 1992 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify "When Will My Life Begin?" by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater from Tangled, 2010 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify "Defying Gravity" by Stephen Schwartz from Wicked, 2003 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify "How Far I'll Go" by Lin-Manuel Miranda from Moana, 2016 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify ------ NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe STRONG MERCH! Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com