Kristin Chenoweth at Deer Valley

Last night I got to hear Kristin Chenoweth perform with the Utah Symphony as part of the Deer Valley Music Festival.  She was supposed to perform with the orchestra last summer but she had to cancel due to an injury but she promised to return.  It seems like I have been waiting all year for this concert and I almost didn't go.  As I was driving through the canyon, a torrential rain started pouring down along with lots of thunder and lightning.  As much as I wanted to see Kristin Chenoweth, I didn't really want to sit in the rain but I decided to wait in my car for a little while to see if it would stop before the concert started.  Luckily it did and, even though my blanket got a little bit soggy, I managed to stay relatively dry.  Chenoweth came out wearing a giant orange rain poncho and that set the tone for the rest of the evening.  She was absolutely hilarious!  She mentioned that she had an album of standards coming out in the fall and sang a few songs from it, including "I Get Along Without You Very Well" which she said was her favorite song.  When she sang "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart," she sat on the laps of and kissed several of the musicians saying that no one on the stage was safe from her!  She sang a lovely rendition of "Desperado" with the full orchestra and then finished her first set with "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables which was amazing!  She frequently pointed out several of her friends in the audience and admonished us not to bother them during the intermission!  When she returned to the stage she performed "Popular" from Wicked (she originated the role of Glinda on Broadway) and she asked everyone to get out their phones to film her, pulled someone up to the stage for a selfie, and then live streamed on Instagram.  It was so funny!  She brought a musical theatre student from BYU ("I'm a cougar, too!") to the stage to sing "For Good" from Wicked with her and this girl was amazing.  Chenoweth loves mentoring young performers and she told her that she had a feeling she would make it big!  Next, she sang "The Man That Got Away" from her forthcoming album and then a mash-up of "You Were Always on My Mind" and "Losing My Mind" from Follies which featured a lovely solo by principal cellist Rainer Eudeikis.  She wondered aloud if Willie Nelson and Stephen Sondheim had ever met!  She sang a stirring rendition of "How Great Thou Art" after talking about the importance of her faith and, for the encore, she sang a sultry version of "I Will Always Love You."  This was a wonderful concert and I am so glad that the rain stopped so I could enjoy it!