Idina Menzel Takes Her Orchestra on Tour of UK in October

Tony Award winner Idina Menzel has announced a London residency that will followed by a U.K. tour later this year.

The announcement comes about a year after a highly acclaimed concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall, and the shows will kick off with a week-long residency in London at West End’s Apollo Theatre on October 8-14. After that, she will play Usher Hall in Edinburgh on October 16 and then the Palace Theatre in Manchester on October 17.

Each concert will be backed by a 25-piece live orchestra, and will feature songs from the many productions Menzel has been involved with throughout her extensive career. Some new material and personal favorites are also expected.

Menzel is perhaps best known for originating the role of Elphaba in “Wicked” on Broadway. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the role, and also was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. She also played the same role in the original West End production of the musical.

Additionally, Menzel has become widely known in recent years for her guest starring role as Rachel Berry’s mother on “Glee.” In the show, she plays the coach of the Vocal Adrenaline singing group.

The actress first came to prominence in her first Broadway appearance, which was originating the role of Maureen Johnson in “Rent” in 1996. She went on to be nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical that year. She also reprised the role in the 2005 film version of the musical. Her next film project will be Disney’s upcoming animated feature, “Frozen.”

Menzel has released four solo albums throughout her career. The most recent, Live: Barefoot at the Symphony, was released in March of this year. The live album was recorded in Toronto on her previous international symphony tour.