Kristin Chenoweth may not be on Broadway right now, and she’s still on hiatus from her popular ABC sitcom Pushing Daisies, but she’s one busy lady. On May 6, she performs a solo concert with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; on May 18, she helps Encompass Opera Theatre celebrate the birthday of Apple Tree composer Jerry Bock, and on May 20, she’ll join Marvin Hamlisch, Raul Esparza, and the New York Philharmonic for the Broadway Showstoppers concert at Avery Fisher Hall. In between her preparations for all these events, she took a few minutes to chat via email with TheaterMania.THEATERMANIA: You’re heading to Chicago soon? Does that city hold any special memories for you?
KRISTIN CHENOWETH: I remember we opened You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown in nearby Skokie, and Chicago became one of my favorite cities.
TM: What was it like working with Jerry Bock on the Broadway revival of The Apple Tree?
KC: There isn’t a kinder, gentler soul. He was always the one after each show with tears in his eyes. I’m grateful he’s in my life and that I get to celebrate his birthday with him with year.
TM: You’re getting to sing a lot of great stuff in Broadway Showstoppers, including “Glitter and Be Gay.” What are you most looking forward to?
KC: I’m most excited about singing “Ice Cream,” from She Loves Me. I’ve always wanted to do that role, so at least now I get to sing the song!
TM: I hear you’ve decided to write your memoirs. Tell me a little more about the book?
KC: I hope people laugh and are inspired at the very least when they read it. But it’s not a “tell-all” — it’s more of a “this is how I got where I am so far.”
TM: Are you really thrilled that Pushing Daisies got picked up for a second season?
KC: I’m so proud of that show; it is so unique and has its own special voice. My character, Olive is growing, and you’ll see her really reach to find what she’s looking for. The writers are the best on TV right now.
TM: Later this year, we’ll see you back on the big screen opposite Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn in Four Christmases. Was it fun to film?
KC: Yes, it was. I play Reese’s sister, who is a little bitter that things turned out for her the way they did, since she was “Miss It” in high school, and the roles are reversed now. I loved working with those two actors, as well as Mary Steenburgen, who plays our mom. We laughed all the time on the set.
