JOHN RUSSO
Whether she’s turning heads under stage lights or neon lights, new Nashville resident Kristin Chenoweth knows about popular (see: countless TikTok videos from around the world set to her trending Wicked song).
Fans know her from a host of movies and television shows; as a New York Times-bestselling author; and as the Great White Way’s original Glinda the Good Witch, but these days you just might see Emmy and Tony Award-winner Kristin Chenoweth making her mark on a different Broadway.
Splitting her time between New York City and Nashville, the decision to put down southern roots was a move long overdue for Chenoweth and her guitarist fiancé Josh Bryant. But long before she met her musician beau, Chenoweth began her Nashville love story back in 1988 when the Oklahoma native got her first taste of the town working as a singer and dancer in Opryland’s “Way Out West” show the summer after her first year of college.
“I didn’t want to leave. I had just completed my freshman year at Oklahoma City University and my father said, ‘You’ve got to go back to school.’ I said, ‘Oh no, no, I’m not going back.’ He said, ‘Yeah, yeah, you’re going back.’ I said, ‘No, thank you, though.’ He drove his car to pick me up and said, ‘You’re going back to school, kid,’” Chenoweth laughs. “My first love was Nashville.”
After many years living in New York City and Los Angeles, Chenoweth returned to Nashville in 2011 for a few joy-filled months to record her album Some Lessons Learned. Again, she was met with the same ‘I’m never leaving’ feelings she’d experienced that first summer here. But work and obligations called, and Chenoweth returned to the hustle and bustle of her bicoastal life—until the pandemic struck.
“Going through COVID I just thought, ‘I don’t want to spend any more time in places that I don’t need to be in. I want to make a home somewhere that I want to make a home,’” she says. “Josh is a guitarist in Nashville, and he loves it, so we decided to buy a place. We move between New York and Nashville now and I just love it so much.”
Although she is relatively new to town, Chenoweth has wasted no time getting involved in the community and bringing her signature sunshine spirit to her new home. This April she hosted and performed at the 2023 Symphony Fashion Show—the beloved annual fundraising event for the Nashville Symphony. Chenoweth jumped at the opportunity to support a cause that is near and dear to her.
“When they approached me to do this, I wanted to be a part of it and have a chance to sing with the Nashville Symphony again. I have sung with them three times now and I love that symphony. I think they’re one of the top in our country and that’s a fact. Believe me, I judge a town by their symphonies now,” she says. “I love the Schermerhorn. I think it’s gorgeous. Every time I go, I just feel at home. The musicians are world class, and I’m a big fan of designer Brandon Maxwell whose collection was presented, but I also love what [the event] stands for: the support for their education and community programs that they have. They do a lot of things that I believe in.”
JOHN RUSSO
Chenoweth is also bringing her star power to Nashville’s own Broadway district with her eagerly awaited June 16 – 17 performances of Cabaret on Stage at TPAC presented by Studio Tenn and TPAC. The hardships the performing arts face to survive are not lost on Chenoweth, from lack of government funding nationwide to individual hurdles theaters are met with at a local level. So, when the opportunity arose for her to perform at TPAC there was no question she would say yes—free of charge and from the heart. And straight from Chenoweth herself, audiences can expect nothing short of a full-fledged show.
“I actually love cabaret. I don’t do it very often because the venues I play are usually larger, but I said I would love to do this because I want to see TPAC survive, and do well, and flourish.”
Amid her move to Nashville, Chenoweth has stayed as busy as ever. Earlier this year she released her new book, I’m No Philosopher, But I Got Thoughts: Mini-Meditations for Saints, Sinners, and the Rest of Us. Despite already having a New York Times bestseller under her belt with her 2009 memoir, Chenoweth actually didn’t plan to write another book—even when her literary agent suggested it. But once she started reflecting on how her past experiences affected her in positive ways, negative ways, and every way in between, inspiration struck and resulted in a tome she deems her most personal yet.
“I decided to use my old journals and current ones to write this book and it’s some meditations and things that I learned from screwing up. Every chapter says, ‘Thoughts on...’ and there are thoughts on loss, friendship, harmony, love, anger, and depression. I didn’t even know when the book came out that they were going to put it in the self-help category. I was like, ‘What? I’m not a doctor!’ But I think it might help people understand that no matter where you are in this journey of life or who you are, all of us have crap to deal with and sometimes we deal with it in not the best way. Sometimes we deal with it great, but to look back and learn from the past is a beautiful thing,” Chenoweth says. “It was a joy to write, and I think it might be my best book.”
There are also plenty of new experiences on the horizon for Chenoweth that she is eagerly awaiting. She recently announced her return to the beloved place where it all began, Broadway, where she will be both starring in and helping to produce a new musical, The Queen of Versailles. Based on a 2012 documentary of the same name, Chenoweth has been cast to play socialite billionaire Jacqueline “Jackie” Siegel in the production that reunites her with Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz.
“It’s a pretty powerful story,” says Chenoweth. “I do a lot of TV and film, but I always love to come home to Broadway because that’s where I got started. It’s the first love for me and that’ll be a whirlwind.” With a surplus of experience and expertise to share, Chenoweth is also looking forward to helping shape the next generation of talent with her Broadway Bootcamp held in her hometown of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma this July. And Chenoweth is certainly a mentor any aspiring star would be lucky to have in their corner. For proof, look no further than one of the biggest names in music and close friend of Chenoweth, Ariana Grande, who is stepping into Chenoweth’s iconic role of Glinda in the upcoming Wicked movie. As someone who is so emblematic of Wicked and all its notoriety, Chenoweth is not only thrilled to see the movie, but she can’t wait to see how Grande makes the role her own.
“When you do a film from something that’s existed before, you have to change it to make it work for film. I can’t wait to see how the director Jon Chu has made that transition,” says Chenoweth. “I’ve known Ariana Grande since she was 10 years old, so the fact that my little nugget is playing the role that I created is a full circle moment, and I just can’t wait to see how she puts her stamp on the role. I know that she’s having a blast shooting it and I’m just really proud of her.”
JOHN RUSSO
With all the buzz surrounding what is sure to be a blockbuster release, Chenoweth’s song “Popular” has resurfaced and reached new heights of (you guessed it) popularity. The iconic track swept social media, inspiring everyone from original fans to a new generation hearing it for the very first time to make their own videos to Chenoweth’s powerhouse vocals. It was a trend that was as surprising to Chenoweth as it is heartwarming.
“I found myself lip syncing to myself!” Chenoweth laughs. “That was really fun, and I think that’s one of the reasons I love music and entertainment because of how it touches people and how it stays alive. When you’re looking at an album, or a movie, or TV show, that is on the record forever and that’s a legacy thing. At this point in my life, I’m looking back and saying, ‘Wow I did do that, and people still respond to that,’ so that’s kind of cool. I was really touched. I enjoyed watching everybody’s versions.”
Having such an undeniable legacy attached to her name already, Chenoweth is looking forward to embarking on a beautiful new beginning creating another type of legacy alongside the love of her life. With so much to look forward to this year both personally and professionally, marrying her soulmate comes in at the top of the list.
“I just am so lucky to have found a guy that matches me, and I match him, so we can’t wait to [get married]. It’s going to be pretty small, just our families and stuff, so we can’t wait to do that. This year is going to be a good year, I have a lot to look forward to,” she says.
But in between it all, Chenoweth plans to take time to slow down and soak up her first summer in Music City since she was a teenager by doing all the things that make Nashville feel like home. “I’m such a creature of live theater and live music. I’m going to find live music whenever I can. That’s going to be the biggest thing. I’ve been going at a very fast pace for about 30 years, and one of the things I want to do is spend some quality time with Josh and just chill out. I’m a regular girl. I like to go to the mall; I like to eat out. I found a new spot in Franklin called Perry’s; I’m obsessed. I found some beautiful women-owned jewelry stores; I’m obsessed with Consider the Wldflwrs,” Chenoweth says. “If I feel like going to Marsh House at the Thompson Hotel and eating a biscuit, walking around, going shopping, and going to hear my friends and Josh play music, that’s what I’m going to do. For me that’s the greatest gift, because I have not had free time in a long time.”
Which goes to show that despite everything this multi-hyphenate has on her plate, sometimes there is a little rest for the wicked.