Musical Monday

Someone please remind me when I am offered a leading role in Broadway musical NOT to star opposite Kristen Chenoweth. The bitch always steals the show.

She is too cute, too perky, too high pitched and to die for!

I first came across Kristen Chenoweth when I lived in Chicago. I was looking to expand my musical soundtrack / cast recording collection when I happened upon the cast recording for A New Brain.

In A New Brain Kristen played a Waitress and "Nancy D, the thin nurse." In the song 'Calamari' the main character (the cutie Malcolm Getz) and his friend are at a restaurant and the Waitress (Chenoweth) is singing off the fish of the day: "Caaaaaaaalamari! Which isn't a fish, but lives in the sea, as set in this dish, it happens to be the Fish... of the Day. OK!"

I loved this line so much that I played it on repeat... yes, that is right. I listened to this song over 100 times, just for that line. As pathetic as repeatedly watching 5 seconds of Hair just to see Nell Carter give a saucy look? Yes. Probably even more so.

Then I discovered You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and listened to 'My New Philosophy' approximately 2,500 times a day.

After that, I lost track of her Broadway performances... I know, I know, she had a TV show, but that doesn't count here on Musical Monday... Anyway, I lost track of her Broadway performances... It also didn't help that I moved to the underside of the world, where they still laugh at blackface minstrels.... yeah, I know, right?....

OK, so to start again, I moved to the most isolated city in the most isolated country in the world and lost track of Kristen Chenoweth's Broadway performances, until one day when a friend sent me the cast recording of Wicked telling me to immediately listen to 'Popular.'

Upon first listen of 'Popular' I immediately placed the CD player on repeat and proceeded to listen to it 6 million times.

Ms Chenowith has perfect musical and comedic timing. You know who else has perfect musical and comedic timing? Barbra Streisand.

Ms Chenowith also knows the power of a good pause and stare. You know who else is excellent at the "Pause and Stare"? Bea Arthur.

To sum up, our Kristen is a mixture of Babs and Bea, without being anything like Babs and Bea.

Despite her immense talent, what is cool about Kristen is that she is who she is and no one is going to change that.

As today's treat, from PBS Great Performances of "Candide," the clip below features Ms Chenowith, as Cunegonde singing "Glitter and Be Gay"

PS - I have the clip repeatedly playing on my computer.