Kristin Chenoweth: "For the Girls"

Should you see her on Broadway in the next few days? Yes, yes, you should. Sexy and strange and vulnerable, in ways that may make you think of Bernadette Peters. A few thoughts:

*Chenoweth does--randomly, shockingly--compare her work to "Capturing the Friedmans." She says she had planned an album with a different theme, then veered in the "celebrate women" direction. And she says this is like "Friedmans," which began as a story about a kooky clown, then became a brutal documentary about pedophilia. This is easily the most bizarre and most startling analogy I've ever encountered. I will continue to think about it.

*Chenoweth did *not* win the Tony Award for "Wicked," but do you know who likely thinks this is an error? Ben Brantley. See the original "New York Times" review.

*The great highlight was Chenoweth's cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" (a surprise). Chenoweth was reverent and visibly moved. "I did my best, it wasn't much; I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch. I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you..." There's something haunted and sad within Chenoweth (as there is within Bernadette Peters).

Delightful!

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