Idina Menzel’s Net Worth: Her Broadway Debut and How She Became a ‘Wicked’ Star
Many know Idina Menzel as the voice behind Elsa from the Disney animated movie “Frozen.” But before she “Let It Go,” the singer and actress played another well-known character: A certain wicked witch from a place called Oz.
Menzel starred in the long-running Broadway musical alongside another massive Broadway talent: Kristin Chenoweth. The two have remained friendly through the years and reunited back in 2018 for the Wicked 15-year reunion.
What is Idina Menzel’s Net Worth? Here’s how she went from Wicked Witch to Disney-fied Snow Queen — and back again.
Idina Menzel on Broadway
Wicked was a major production for Menzel and the rest of the original cast and crew. The show is still running on Broadway, though Menzel is no longer a part of the production.
Menzel’s adventures in Oz weren’t her first flight on the Broadway stage. She played Maureen Johnson as part of the original Rent cast (the show opened in 1996). Menzel reprised the role for the 2005 movie musical release. This was her first major role.
She became a Tony-winning performer when she won Lead Actress in a Musical in 2004 for her role as Elphaba.
Idina Menzel’s net worth
Menzel’s career didn’t end when her time in Wicked did. She went on to perform in a few stage shows, played Rachel’s mom on Glee, and — as you probably already know — starred alongside Kristen Bell in one of Disney’s most successful films of all time.
Did you know the movie was so successful that it became its own franchise — preventing Anna and Elsa from qualifying for Disney Princess status? It’s fine. A movie that makes more than a billion dollars is going to give its Disney-affiliated stars plenty of opportunities to earn a living.
Menzel continued to lend her voice to Frozen‘s Elsa in various video games and film shorts (she also reprised the role of Elsa in a Frozen sequel). This, combined with her theater work and albums, leaves her with a decent — and likely growing — net worth.
As of 2021, Celebrity Net Worth estimates Menzel to be worth $16 million.
Idina Menzel’s ‘Wicked’ audition
“Making it” on Broadway means aspiring stars could go through hundreds — if not thousands — of auditions throughout your career for various shows and roles. It’s highly unlikely anyone who goes through that process again and again would remember most of them.
Menzel remembers one of the most important ones.
In a conversation with Wicked producer Marc Platt, Menzel recalled crying after her audition for the musical — even though she obviously ended up getting the part.
“I went in and auditioned and auditioned again,” she said, “and I got out of there, and I cried [thinking], ‘I hope they hire me.’”
Apparently the audition — and Menzel herself — was memorable in a good way. Platt told her, “I remember, actually, your audition … Every wonderful actor/actress on Broadway came in and auditioned, and [then] Idina came in.”
It was decided then and there that she would be the one to play Elphaba. She played the character from October 2003 through the end of 2004. She also played her in the West End production of the show overseas.
