Idina Menzel to Play London's Royal Albert Hall; Promises to Perform Barefoot

Tony winner Idina Menzel will perform at London's Royal Albert Hall on October 6 accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Tony winner Marvin Hamlisch, according to UK's The Daily Mail. The concert engagement comes weeks before Menzel will set out on a North American tour accompanied by local symphonies in each city.

Menzel even insists she'll perform barefoot. "It really grounds you," she told the newspaper. "I feel more like myself when my feet are bare. Sometimes you can lose sight of yourself, especially if you're on stage with an orchestra.You see someone like Beyonce dancing around and think maybe there's a certain gene she has to remain sexy in high heels. But for me, I think it's sexier when I'm relaxed and calm...without the heels."

A Tony winner for creating the role of Elphaba in Wicked, Menzel’s theater credits include a Tony-nominated performance as Maureen in the original production and movie adaptation of Rent and off-Broadway productions of The Wild Party and See What I Wanna See. She was featured on TV's Glee and headlined the 2009 London concert version of Chess, which was broadcast on PBS. Menzel also reprised her Wicked role when the show made its West End debut.

Menzel recently made her debut with the New York Philharmonic in a benefit concert alongside Hamlisch.