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Tony Award-winning vocalist Idina Menzel will perform at the Wisconsin Union Theater in Madison on Nov. 2. -

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Idina Menzel, one of the original cast members of "Rent" and "Wicked," is coming to the Wisconsin Union Theater in early November.

"We're incredibly excited that they've chosen to bring Broadway's best to Madison," said Sarah Marty, general manager of Four Seasons Theatre Company. Four Seasons is a presenting partner with the Wisconsin Union Theater for Menzel, who will bring her "I Stand" tour to Madison on Nov. 2.

"It's wonderful to add these 'greats' to the many others who have graced the Union Theater stage," Marty added, "and it's exciting for theater fans who don't get the chance to see these artists on stage in New York.

Menzel's powerful voice won her her first professional theater job as the original Maureen Johnson in Jonathan Larson's "Rent," which opened on Broadway in 1996. She reprised the role in the film of "Rent" in 2005.

In 2003 Menzel created the role of Elphaba in the wildly successful Stephen Schwartz musical, "Wicked," which is still running in New York. Last year she played Patrick Dempsey's fiance in the fairy-tale film "Enchanted" (2007).

In Madison Menzel will perform selections from "I Stand," her third -- and newest -- album, as well as some of the musical theater tunes for which she is best known. The tour began in June in Santa Barbara, Calif.

A recent review of her June performance in New York by the New York Times' Stephen Holden stated, "The picture of Ms. Menzel that emerged was of an entertainer with a phenomenal voice in search of a coherent stage personality. Vocally she suggests a robust Diana Ross with 10 times the stamina and lung power; the resemblance is mostly in her vinegary timbre, especially in high notes."

This summer, Menzel headlined the Powerhouse Theatre's reading of Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's musical "Nero." Sater and Sheik are the authors of the Tony-winning "Spring Awakening." Sheik and "Spring" cast members are set to come to the Wisconsin Union Theater in early March 2009.

Programming for the theater is decided in part by the Wisconsin Union Directorate Theater Committee. This show will likely sell out early, so for more information and to buy tickets, visit www.uniontheater.wisc.edu.