Idina Menzel to Perform Live with the Columbus Symphony, 6/23

Tony Award-winning actress, singer, and songwriter Idina Menzel, star of Broadway's Wicked and the original stage production of Rent, will perform her brand new live show with the Columbus Symphony on Saturday, June 23, as part of the 2012 Nationwide Insurance Picnic with the Pops season.

Menzel reached superstardom on Broadway with her Tony Award-winning performance as Elphaba, the misunderstood green girl in the blockbuster Wicked, and in her Tony-nominated role as Maureen in the revolutionary RENT. She has also reprised her role on "Glee," FOX's smash hit television series, as Shelby Corcoran, Rachel's biological mother.

Amazing audiences worldwide with her captivating live performances, Menzel is touring in support of her new CD/DVD entitled Idina Menzel Live: Barefoot at the Symphony, performing a diverse repertoire of classic pop and musical theater favorites with a fresh spin on contemporary songs.

The 2012 Nationwide Insurance Picnic with the Pops presents Idina Menzel at the Columbus Bicentennial Pavilion in the Columbus Commons (160 S. High St.) on Saturday, June 23, at 8pm. Tickets are $23 for adults when purchased in advance by phone at 614.228.8600, online at www.PicnicWithThePops.com, or in person at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office (39 E. State St.). Adult tickets are $25 at the gate on the night of the show. Tickets for children ages 3-14 are always $8 regardless of when or where they are purchased. Children 2 and under are free.

Central Ohio Kroger Ticketmaster locations will offer Picnic with the Pops tickets at a discounted price of $20 for adults. The $8 children's tickets are also available for purchase at these locations.

On March 6, she released a CD/DVD entitled Idina Menzel LIVE: BAREFOOT AT THE SYMPHONY led by legendary composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch and filmed at The Royal Conservatory's beautiful Koerner Hall in Toronto, Canada. It began premiering on PBS stations on March 3.

Menzel also premiered Wicked in London's West End to rave reviews and received a Theatergoers Choice Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Her talents garnered a Drama Desk Award nomination, as well as a Drama League Award nomination for her role in See What I Wanna See directed by Ted Sperling at The Public Theater. Menzel also appeared in ABC's television series "Private Practice."

Film credits include Disney's romantic fable, Enchanted, where she appeared opposite Susan Sarandon, Patrick Dempsey, and Amy Adams; Rent, in which she reprised her role as Maureen; and a co-starring role in Robert Towne's Ask the Dust, opposite Selma Hayek and Colin Farrell.