BWW Reviews: Kristin Chenoweth Dazzled at Eccles Center

New Year's Eve 2012 will always be a memorable one for those who attended the "Evening with Kristin Chenoweth" at the Eccles Center in Park City. The sold-out concert, presented as a fundraiser for The Park City Performing Arts Foundation, was a thoroughly entertaining showcase of the Tony and Emmy winner's spectacular and unique voice.

Ms. Chenoweth, who performed with piano accompaniment (provided by musical director Mary Mitchell Campbell), dazzled the audience with a repertoire that was part Broadway standards and part contemporary country. The eclectic mix of songs highlighted the ease with which she can move from legit opera to power belt to character comedy.

In addition to fan-favorite songs such as "Taylor, the Latte Boy," "The Girl in 14G," and Wicked's "Popular," Ms. Chenoweth performed a handful of touching ballads, including two from her recent country album, "Some Lessons Learned." To appease the more traditional concertgoer, she sang her own operatic renditions of "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from The Phantom of the Opera and "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables.

Ms. Chenoweth's distinctive personality, well known to viewers of television programs such as Pushing Daisies and Glee, came out in full force as she gushed about how much she enjoyed her time in Park City, despite sore muscles from her time on the slopes. She also showed a more vulnerable, emotional side as she introduced songs dedicated to her adoptive parents and to the victims in Newtown, Conn.

The satisfying evening came to a fitting close as Ms. Chenoweth sang a tender version of "I Will Always Love You," urging audience members to make a difference in the world and wishing all a happy new year.

For more information about and to purchase tickets for future shows at the Eccles Center, call The Box Office at 435-655-3114 or visit www.ecclescenter.org.

Tyler Hinton is an avid theatre-goer and a big fan of Broadway musicals. He has a BA in Communications from Brigham Young University (BYU) with an emphasis in Public Relations and a minor in Theatre Studies. In the past, he has written for the BYU Daily Universe and the Connersville (Ind.) News-Examiner. He has also written and directed a handful of shows.

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