Kristin Chenoweth talks about Broadway, ‘Glee’ and her new album

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Each New Year’s Eve, the folks at Walt Disney Concert Hall put on a pair of holiday concerts and hire a pop star or musical group to entertain the audiences. Past performers who have rung in the New Year include Pink Martini, Belinda Carlisle, Rufus Wainwright, Lyle Lovett and last year’s Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. This Friday, the honor falls to Kristin Chenoweth, the ‘Wicked’ veteran and current star of ‘Promises, Promises’ on Broadway.

Friday’s concerts, at 7 and 10:30 p.m., will feature Chenoweth performing show tunes, numbers from TV’s ‘Glee’ and brand new songs that will appear on her latest album to be released in 2011. The actress said in a recent phone interview from New York that she’ll be joined on stage by a small band as well as backup singers and dancers.

‘The music will be stuff people will want to hear [on New Year’s Eve], but half of the program is new music that will be on my next record,’ explained Chenoweth. The album is a country-pop collaboration with Diane Warren, but Chenoweth said she penned some of the songs herself.

The Tony- and Emmy-winning star will be missing four performances of ‘Promises’ in New York to make her L.A. engagement. But she is scheduled to be back for the final performance on Sunday afternoon.

‘I have had so much artistic growth in this part,’ she said about her role as Fran Kubelik in ‘Promises.’ ‘It’s been so wonderful for me to play her. I did extend my stay in September -- I’m sad to see it go but I think we’re all ready to put it to bed.’

Next year, Chenoweth will be returning to Fox’s ‘Glee’ in the role of April Rhodes, and is expected to film her guest appearances in the spring. She’s also preparing a new TV series pilot written for her by Ryan Murphy of ‘Glee.’

Read our full conversation with Kristin Chenoweth.

-- David Ng

Photo (top): Kristin Chenoweth. Credit: Courtesy Los Angeles Philharmonic

Photo (bottom): Kristen Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at the ‘Promises, Promises’ curtain call at the Broadway Theatre in New York. Credit: John W. Ferguson / Getty Images

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