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From NorwalkPlus.com Entertainment
Kristin Chenoweth effortlessly transitions between stage, television and film with the captivating grace. Chenoweth is currently shooting the pilot for David Kelley’s NBC legal drama “Legally Mad,” where she will play “Skippy Pylon,” a cheerful and brilliant attorney who nonetheless exhibits flashes of psychosis. She will also be joining the cast of Fox’s animated comedy “Sit down, Shut Up” as the voice of science teacher, “Miracle Grohe,” alongside Jason Bateman, Henry Winkler and Will Forte which will debut this spring. She also has an upcoming appearance on the new Fox comedy, “Glee,” which will premiere this spring. Chenoweth has written an uplifting candid, comedic chronicle of her life so far which will be released by Touchstone, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, in April 2009. She also wrapped filming the independent film, “Into Temptation,” directed by Sundance filmmaker Patrick Coyle opposite Jeremy Sisto. Chenoweth was last seen starring in the ABC series “Pushing Daisies,” where she was recently nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. “Pushing Daisies” was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award for “Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy.” Her recent Christmas album, “A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas,” was released to rave reviews. She was also seen in the hit Warner Bros. film “Four Christmases.” She can be heard as the voice of the fairy, Rosetta, in Walt Disney Picture’s “Tinkerbell.” Chenoweth starred in Kern and Hammerstein’s rarely seen 1932 musical “Music in the Air,” the second Encores! production of New York City Center’s 2008-09 season. She starred in “Stairway to Paradise,” an original Encores! production celebrating the great Broadway revue. Commemorating the centennial anniversary of the first Ziegfeld Follies, Chenoweth concluded New York City Center’s 2007 season with beloved Broadway numbers from the early 20th century. Chenoweth was seen in the season finale of ABC’s hit comedy “Ugly Betty.” She played an orthodontic technician who loves romantic comedies and becomes overly involved in her patients’ lives – including Betty’s (America Ferrera). Chenoweth starred in the critically successful and highly lauded limited-engagement of “The Apple Tree” at Roundabout Theatre Company’s Studio 54. She also had the honor of playing a sold-out solo concert at the famed Metropolitan Opera House. Many remember her show-stealing, Tony-winning performance in “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” and her triumphant star turn when she originated the role of Glinda the Good Witch in “Wicked,” which earned her a leading actress Tony Award nomination. Chenoweth also performed in the Broadway comedy “Epic Proportions” and in the Kander and Ebb musical “Steel Pier,” for which she won a Theatre World Award. Chenoweth also performed in an Off-Broadway production of Molière’s “Scapin” for the Roundabout Theatre Company. Television fans know her as Annabeth Schott on “The West Wing,” the librarian, Marian Paroo, in ABC’s movie version of Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man,” and Lily St. Regis in the television adaptation of “Annie” and Mrs. Noodle on “Sesame Street.” She also starred in her own series “Kristin” for NBC. Moviegoers have seen her in “Deck the Halls” with Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick, “RV” with Robin Williams, “Bewitched” with Nicole Kidman, “Running with Scissors” with Annette Bening, and “The Pink Panther” with Steve Martin. Her film credits also include a cameo in “Stranger Than Fiction” with Emma Thompson. She starred alongside Cheryl Hines and Jeff Daniels in the animated film “Space Chimps” for Twentieth Century Fox. She is currently developing a feature film based on the life of Dusty Springfield. A veteran of the concert scene, Chenoweth took the stage in a solo sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall in 2004 and continues to tour the country. She performed her solo concert at Sam Mendes’s acclaimed Donmar Warehouse as part of the “Divas at Donmar” series. The show received glowing reviews. Following her show in London, Chenoweth has had numerous collaborations with various symphonies, including The New York Philharmonic, Boston Pops, National Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony. One of her proudest accomplishments was having the privilege to perform Bernstein’s “Candide” at Lincoln Center with The New York Philharmonic. Other performances include her sold-out Los Angeles solo debut at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, an evening at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, and the Washington National Opera’s 50th Anniversary Gala with Placido Domingo. In addition to her recent Christmas album, she has released two previous albums entitled, “Let Yourself Go” and “As I Am.” Playhouse Information Celebrating its 79th season in 2009, the venerable Westport Country Playhouse is creating extraordinary, quality productions of new and classic plays. The Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 36 of which later transferred to Broadway, most recently the world premiere of “Thurgood” and a revival of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” with Paul Newman, and in earlier years “Come Back, Little Sheba” with Shirley Booth, “The Trip to Bountiful” with Lillian Gish and “Butterflies Are Free” with Keir Dullea and Blythe Danner. The list of actors, directors and other theater artists who have worked and continue to perform on the Playhouse’s legendary stage reads like a "Who's Who" of the American theater. They include, in recent years, Karen Allen, Matthew Broderick, Kristin Chenoweth, Jill Clayburgh, Jane Curtin, Richard Dreyfuss, Philip Seymour Hoffman, James Earl Jones, Eartha Kitt, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, Christopher Plummer and Gene Wilder; and in past years, Olivia de Havilland, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Helen Hayes, Gene Kelly, Liza Minnelli, Gloria Swanson and Jessica Tandy. For its artistic excellence, the Playhouse received a 2008 Westport Arts Award for Theater Achievement, a 2005 Governor’s Arts Award, a 2000 “Connecticut Treasure” recognition by then Connecticut Lieutenant Governor M. Jodi Rell, numerous Connecticut Critics Circle Awards and a grant from The National Endowment for the Arts, among other significant honors. The Playhouse was designated as an Official Project of Save America’s Treasures by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is entered on the Connecticut State Register of Historic Places. Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, the Playhouse enhanced it rich history as a summer venue into a year-round, state-of-the-art producing theater, which has preserved its original charm and character. Last year, 85,000 attended or participated in Playhouse programming. In addition to a full season of theatrical productions, the Playhouse presents educational programming and workshops; a children’s theater series; symposiums; music; films; and readings of short fiction, classical works and new plays. Westport Country Playhouse serves as a treasured home for the theatrical arts, its audiences and its artists. For the State of Connecticut, it is a true cultural landmark. The Playhouse is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. For reservations or more information on the benefit concert by Kristin Chenoweth, call the development office at (203) 227-5137, x138. Westport Country Playhouse is located at 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Information about the Playhouse is available at www.westportplayhouse.org. © Copyright by NorwalkPlus.com © Copyright by NorwalkPlus.com. Some articles and pictures posted on our website, as indicated by their bylines, were submitted as press releases and do not necessarily reflect the position and opinion of NorwalkPlus.com, Norwalk Plus magazine, Canaiden LLC or any of its associated entities. Articles may have been edited for brevity and grammar. |
