by Jorge Molina
Today, Tony, Emmy and Grammy-winner (that’s right, she only needs an Oscar to EGOT; get on it, Hollywood) and human ray of sunshine Kristin Chenoweth turns 50 years old. To honor her career, her legacy, and that impossibly high pitch matched only by her charisma, let’s take a look at 50 roles and appearances that she has gifted the world in almost three decades of work, in no particular order:
1) Her Broadway debut in an adaptation of Moliére’s Scapin as Hyacinth in 1996.
2 & 3) Her two most iconic Broadway roles: A featured Tony-winning turn as Sally in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown in 1999, and the Best Actress Tony-nominated performance as Glinda, the Good Witch in the world phenomenon that was Wicked in 2003.
4) Her many renditions of the Wicked classic “For Good” in her tours, in which she usually pulls someone from the audience to duet with her, or invites a special guest like Anna Kendrick or Lea Michele.
5 & 6) Her other recognized Broadway turns, including playing Fran Kubelik in the 2010 revival of Promises, Promises (a musical adaptation of Billy Wilder’s The Apartment) and her Tony-nominated role as Lily Garland in the 2015 revival of On The Twentieth Century.
7-9) Her less well-known theater performances, like Precious McGuire in Steel Pier in 1997, Louise Goldman in Epic Proportions in 1999, and a triple turn as Eve, Princess Bárbara, and Passionella in The Apple Tree in 2006.
10) Her rendition of “Glitter and Be Gay” from Candide in a 2005 concert with the New York Philarmonic, which is definitive.
11) Her 2014 PBS special Coming Home, recorded in her hometown of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
12) Her 2016 revue concert “My Love Letter to Broadway”, which includes renditions of musicals from My Fair Lady and Oklahoma, to The Little Mermaid and Les Misérables.
13 & 14) Two of her earliest television appearances in TV musical adaptations as Lily St. Regis in 1999’s Annie (directed by Rob Marshall) and Marian Paroo in 2003’s The Music Man.
15) A starring role in her eponymous NBC sitcom Kristin, which ran for only six episodes on the summer of 2001, about a young secretary trying to make it in show business.
16-19) One-episode TV bit roles and appearances, on everything from Ugly Betty as Diane in 2007 and Hot in Cleveland as Courtney Prince in 2012, to Younger as Marylynne Keller in 2017, and Mom as Miranda earlier this year.
20-24) Truly memorable recurring characters: Annabeth Schott in The West Wing from 2004 to 2006; Emmy-nominated April Rhodes in Glee from 2009 to 2014; Peggy Byrne in The Good Wife in 2012; Easter in American Gods in 2017; and Lavinia Peck-Poster in THE underrated comedy gem Trial & Error, whose second season started airing last week.
25) Another starring role in ABC’S GCB on 2012, which was criminally cancelled after only ten episodes.
26) Of course, her Emmy-winning performance (and my particular favorite which I'd list among the top TV performances of all time) in Bryan Fuller’s two-season wonder Pushing Daisies, from 2007 to 2009, as hopelessly devoted waitress Olive Snook.
27-29) Her voice work in the Tinker Bell film franchise as Rosetta, Bojack Horseman as Vanessa Gekko, Rio 2 in 2014 as Gabi, and 2017’s The Star as Abbi.
31-36) Perennial bit comedic roles in big-studio romantic comedies, like Bewitched as Marie in 2005, The Pink Panther as Cherie in 2006, RV as Mary Jo Gornicke in that same year, Four Christmases as Courtney in 2008, You Again as Georgia King in 2010, and Hit and Run as Debbie Krieger in 2012.
37) Her strangest and most against-type choice of role, as Jennifer Lopez’s vice principal best friend in the erotic thriller The Boy Next Door in 2012.
38 & 39) TWO performances at the Academy Awards; the first performing the nominated song “That’s How You Know” from Enchanted in 2008, and the closing song “Here’s to the Losers” alongside host Seth MacFarlane in 2013.
40 & 41) Appearances in both Sesame Street and The Muppets revival in 2015.
42) Her rumored and yet still unannounced starring role as Tammy Faye Bakker in a musical based on the life of the Christian evangelist singer.
43 & 44) Two scene-stealing villain roles in recent TV musicals: Disney Channel’s reimagining of their classic characters and their offspring in 2015’s Descendants as Maleficent, and the NBC live musical production of Hairspray, as Velma von Tussle.
45) The 2009 memoir A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages, where she describes her early life and childhood with detail, as well as the first years of her show business career.
46-47) Many appearances in TV games shows and competitions, from Match Game and Hollywood Game Night, to her turn in Drag Race’s All Stars 3, during the Snatch Game episode, in which she was the first guest judge to actually compete in that challenge.
48) Co-hosting the 69th Tony Awards alongside Alan Cumming, which earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Special Class Program.
49 & 50) The utter delight, shock, joy, and overwhelming emotions of both of her major acceptance speeches, during her Tony Award win in 1999, and her Emmy win in 2009.
“I’m unemployed right now, so I’d like to be on Mad Men…”
What is your favorite Kristin moment or performance?