Idina Menzel found more fame from Frozen and its hit song 'Let It Go' than she ever did onstage (with apologies to Broadway fans) so the musical star is going to keep the on-camera mojo going by starring in Happy Time, a forthcoming TV series being produced by Ellen DeGeneres.
The show will focus on Menzel's character (yet unnamed as production is unlikely to start before summer), who is a celebrity tired of pretending to be happy in public for the sake of publicity. We hope this isn't a giant metaphor for DeGeneres's life...we like her happy. The show will be written by Randi Barnes and produced by DeGenres, Jeff Kleeman and Barnes again (from Deadline).
No doubt theatre fans are still seething from our comments that Menzel has profited more from her role as Elsa in Frozen-although it's true-so it should be noted that Menzel is still one of the most sought-after stars on Broadway after acclaimed and award-winning roles in hits such as Wicked and the original run of Rent. Following the success of Disney's animated film, she took up the lead role in If/Then, a new musical that will shut down on March 22 after just more than a year in production. Aside from starring in the film version of Rent, she also became a recurring character on Glee.
Based on the announcement from DeGeneres's A Very Good Productions, it seems that we won't be seeing her in any new projects on the Great White Way anytime soon.
Menzel doesn't have any film projects lined up in the immediate future (aside from the animated short sequel Frozen Fever), although she will perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl tonight in Glendale, AZ.
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