Miss Kristin Chenoweth.

Little Ronnie Craig that's the part I play here I am in Paris, France.

My parents used to listen to me sing myself to sleep as a child, to Judy Garland, especially Barbra Streisand.

Julie Andrews.

So they always said, is it is it us, or is she really good?

Like, they're not musical at all.

I'm not really sure where it came from.

Oh, bracelets.

Love balloons.

Can they dry my tears?

Can they blind my eyes to shame?

Can the brightest approach shield me from approach.

And the purest diamond you have for my name I'm yet to force these trinkets.

Sorry, darling.

Oh, I know so bad myself I miss a star.

By far my hands like this.

Waiting to hear it here is a mess.

If I'm not pure.

At least my jewels are enough.

Enough.

I'll tell you a story.

And this is the honest truth.

I don't think I've ever told this story in an hour in an interview, but, I was part of the, very elite group when I was a little girl and Tulsa Ballet's junior dance theater.

And I would say that was probably my very beginning, acting, because we did The Nutcracker every year, and we were always the mice or the rabbit.

Well, finally I got tall enough to be a rabbit to fit into the costume, and, there's once at one point, there are two rabbits on stage while the Sugar Plum Fairies dance, which I thought was pretty great.

You know, you're seven years old, you're up there with the primo ballerinas, which is what I wanted to be at the time.

And one of the girls dropped her.

There was like.

They carried, like, a little wreath and nobody knew what to do.

The stage was clear, waiting for the Russian dancers or whatever to come on.

And the stage was, in the middle of the stage.

Was this wreath.

And I popped up as the rabbit and hopped out there and put it in my mouth and hopped off and got it.

People clapped and that feeling for the first time of applause, I went, hey, I really like this feeling.

Yeah, I think I'm gonna do this for the rest of my life.

000.

The nominees for Best Featured Actress in a musical are Greta Boston for it Ain't Nothin but the Blue.

Kristin Chenoweth for You're a Good Man.

Charlie Brown.

Valerie Pettiford for Fosse.

And Mary Testa for On the Town.

I didn't think I would win.

There was so much hype and all that.

The magazines and papers were predicting that I would win.

It made it worse because I thought, you know, it's always that build up.

And then what if you don't win?

So I had myself completely convinced that I wouldn't win.

In fact, I didn't even plan a speech.

That night I had to do my number from the show.

They asked me to perform the song that I did, in the show on the Tonys, right before the category that I won for was announced.

Why are you telling me?

Why are you telling me I like it?

That's a good philosophy.

Why are you telling me?

Why are you telling me?

Why are you telling me my new philosophy?

The teacher gave a D on last week's homework.

She said, miss Sally Brown, your grades are going down.

I could have told you philosophy and philosophy, miss B, I'm.

She looks c a d a d. Why are you telling me?

And that's my new philosophy.

That's your new philosophy?

Why are you telling me my new philosophy?

So I had to change into my gown backstage in, like, 14 seconds, and I never really had a moment to slow down.

Like, I just remember getting zipped up and hearing my name.

And the 1999 Tony for Best Featured Actress in a musical goes to Kristin Chenoweth.

You're a good man Charlie Brown.

This is Ms.

Chenoweth.

First Tony award.

I've never changed my clothes so fast.

My last.

I have two families to thank BD Wong, Alana Levine, Roger Bart Stanley, Ryan Mathis, and Anthony Rapp.

I love you guys like brothers and sisters.

Michael mayor, I work for you any time.

Andrew Lippa for writing me a great song.

All the producers that believe in our show Clark Gessner, Charles Schulz, Jay Bender, my agents at Richard Bauman and Associates, mom and dad, he drove me to many, many hours of ballet and dance classes.

I hope you feel it's worth it now, my brother, you sat through all those recitals.

You're the man for doing that.

My fiancé.

Mark, I love you.

Thanks for holding my hand through all of this.

My mentor, Florence Birdwell from Oklahoma City University for teaching me how to sing.

Thanks to the voters.

Love you guys.

I mean, it ranks right up there with my top, one of my top nights of my life.

My family was there.

A lot of my friends watched, I got a television deal out of it.

It was an amazing, amazing night.

But again, for me, all that aside, it it was nice being recognized for my art, for being an actress.

I've never really been in it for an award.

It's just nice to be recognized by my peers.

Peers that way, you know, it's not you know, I didn't oh, my teacher, the usher.

When?

This is my my mentor, Florence Birdwell.

Come here.

I'm interrupting your lesson intro.

Hello?

Hello.

I love my picture.

You got in a frame on my piano.

I love it and love you.

I love you.

Fantastic.

Your friend.

I don't see you in math.

I know it's hard to put into words, and I guess the best description I can give about her is she's not my family by relation or by blood, but she is my family.

This very nice meeting you.

You can't buy good bye, dear.

Did we say this is the effect that Florence has on?

Oh, yeah.

Tomorrow.

Okay.

Well, Sit down.

Dylan, this.

You know, the wonderful thing is I don't even care about that camera.

No, I don't need it.

I'm just so happy to see you.

You are.

You just part of my heart.

You know?

You know.

I'm so happy to see you.

We do.

We want to.

Is it any possibility?

And you leave, Sunday morning early.

I have to sing this weekend.

I'm sure you now at the president's place at that little house on Pennsylvania Avenue.

So from the moment I auditioned here, when I was a lad before where I was a senior in high school.

So this week I knew this woman was who I wanted to study with.

I could tell.

And she said to me, then when I after I got done singing, she goes, you're going to get a scholarship to this school.

And I'm going to tell you something right now, you're going to have lots of lows and lots of highs, but you're going to learn a great amount.

And at the time I didn't really understand it, but I understand it.

I understood it a lot when I graduated, and I understand it even more now in real life.

She's just she's everything.

She's my mentor.

She's the person that taught me, not only how to sing technically, but really.

And that a lot about life too.

Well, of your heart.

Hey, watch out there.

See what you do with that in a. Did I have to watch what you said, Jenny?

It's gender.

Your gender.

You're the answer.

Yeah I'm here because I would rather teach than eat.

Teaching is everything.

The teaching of voice.

And I will say teaching of anything perhaps.

But in the teaching of voice it is everything.

It's, it is indeed mathematics.

It's science, it's religion, it's psychology of the first water.

It's honesty.

It's the ability to communicate, which is, I think, one of the most difficult things to teach.

It is one fish.

I wish you had told someone to love me as we roll.

Hey.

I looked still and looked to her for guidance on everything and I think that she said to me, you don't really have what it takes.

I would have listened because that woman knows and.

You know, you guys are going to be here today, tomorrow.

How you do?

Good afternoon.

I just had my rehearsal with Jan.

I'm standing in my way for most of you is coming in the hallway.

I've been doing concert work all over the country and, some with with Philharmonic and some with just my band.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet me.

So.

My pleasure.

Where's the other John?

Thank you so much, John.

So you say, you know what?

It'll be so much easier when I introduce you guys to, I kind of like it like this.

I like the piano.

We might want to scoot the piano a little bit this way.

I'll be doing not everything from my album, but mostly stuff that people will know.

And then we do a Gershwin medley.

The first number is piano only, and it's crush.

I think it says crush.

Watch over there, over me or something like that.

And piano.

Since tomorrow I have to go to the white House.

Tonight I will get no sleep.

I get on a plane at 6:00 in the morning to be at rehearsal in Washington at 1230.

I have a reception at the white House from 4 to 6, and then at 8:00 is the broadcast.

We're taping it, and it'll air in a couple weeks on ABC.

So tomorrow's tonight is going to be exciting and fun and great, but tomorrow's a day I'm really worried about because I'm tired.

You know, it's always more nerve wracking, I think, to come home because the people actually know you really know you.

You're here.

So, I'm nervous and.

But I'm also.

It's an excited nervous.

When she was here.

Those see you.

Her name was get this Christie doll.

Critic.

So when she got to, I go to New York.

I said, listen here, you're you're not going to go up to New York and be called Christina with this talent.

So put an end on that.

So it's K-R-I-S-T-I-N.

Kristin Chenoweth, and she did.

Go.

Great love.

Idiot.

Stop.

Okay.

For that Robert Kick is right there.

The two that you love.

And when New York has to play.

So sweet.

I know.

I'll take your help.

And, you know.

Another wonderful thing from the minute I first, she first walked into my studio following the minute dance with you.

I knew she had it.

I never had to teach her how to sing a song.

She has it.

She's got up there.

No, I have not going to the dance with you.

I just hope you know when I've done the concerts and tomorrow night.

What I really want people to walk away with is just a sense that they've been taken away from their daily life for one hour and enjoyed themselves.

I just want people to walk out smiling.

Kristen.

You ready?

Okay, I wish me luck.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Tony Award winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth.

Might be the perfect time.

What should I be, the sweet pea?

Should I do it?

Switch up here.

What's up?

If I stick to time, I have enough.

It's time for the tent.

Will I sleep?

You're not sure?

Up.

Should I be sweet and sing the spring on roses?

Should I be?

I wish I could be hiding from me.

If I am sweet.

You may turn on your garments and it is I'm.

I'm sleeping.

I know more than I need to know.

I give you what I suppose you like it.

I bring your heart and spoil it all with money.

I'm.

So I believe we should.

I sing sweetly.

Oh.

Oh.

Just kept on first night in the.

That I didn't know that it's gonna happen.

It's like I need.

Sweets.

It's hard time.

Time.

I'm bringing on more firepower.

I like the sound of that.

I thought you might praise you.

Meet your new agent.

Portia is pleased to meet you.

It's like being put into a really, like an engine of a really nice car that knows how to work that that is a machine.

And you just better hop on and go with the flow because they know what they're doing on that show.

You, we've met several hundred times.

It's an honor to be on it, because the writing's exceptional.

Even in this 11th season or whatever season that they're in, the writing is still top notch.

The actors obviously are great.

They made me feel completely included.

Part of the group.

I'm honored that they want me to continue.

Coming back, I, I guess it's called a recurring role.

I've only shot one so far, but we're trying to work out my schedule when I will be back.

As Frazier's new agent.

I was thinking we could have that meeting next Tuesday.

We have met.

I guess the best part about it is working with Kelsey, because he is classically trained actor who appreciates theater people.

So we come from the same background.

You're saving a few, but he likes for you to just play and ad lib and he encourages that, which, there was a scene where they had they were in the locker room, they had towels around.

And I ad libbed legs together.

I said, sit down and listen up.

And.

Legs together.

And he loved it.

And I said, I'm sorry.

I don't know how you feel about me ad libbing.

And he said, keep it.

It's great.

So he encourages that.

And I like that.

I have, Tyler Sanders here, which I thank you the way you were wonderful today.

When you go back to New York, it's hectic because I'm not just a singer.

You know, I'm an actress who works in television.

I'm going to do a movie coming up.

I have concert career.

So it's it's not just about concentrating in one area.

Where do you get this?

Off the computer?

Yeah.

What's your name?

What's been hard for me because I'm a I'm a person that likes to be in control, and I have to.

I had to learn to give up control issues.

I've had to hire assistants to help me so that I can get things done.

And I'm usually just start the drums before you.

Yes.

And then I might like to go by.

So it's an open vamp.

Yes.

Okay.

And I'm so thankful.

And I know that there are so many people who struggle.

So what I was not prepared for was the business part of that show business work.

You know, it doesn't matter if you sing a song that everyone does it.

You have to.

As you guys know, you're actors.

You have to make your own, and you have to make it as, special in your own unique way as you can, because that's what's going to make you stand out.

All the best.

Cities I go in, I usually speak to the universities, but it's great to be able to do it, especially in Oklahoma, because, you know, we don't get a lot of people coming back home or people coming in and saying, this is how it happened for me.

If you're in New York or wherever you're at Los Angeles and you get a callback, you treat it as in your class, go home, work on it, and if you go, oh gosh, I have to learn this by tomorrow, do it.

Because you know what?

There's ten other people that are doing it too at home, learning it, making it their own.

And, don't be afraid to fail to go in.

Do the best you can.

That's all anyone can ever ask of you.

Once you reach a certain amount of celebrity and you know, I have just a little bit of celebrity compared to a lot of big time celebrities.

But, I'm out there and I, I know when people are just trying to, blow smoke and I'm.

And then there's my real friends and they they're, they came from here.

So sitting on this stage I'm remembering.

Yeah.

A lot of productions I was in.

But I'm also remembering the fun times that I had.

It was definitely the funnest time of my life.

Oh, you guys, it is so good to see you You're just awesome.

You're so awesome.

Get over here.

Over here.

I sleep now.

That's what's really important.

And, you know, I got to say this, I'm so proud and I'm so glad that I was raised here because it gave me a sense of, family and values that you.

I think, well, me being the person that I am really helps me.

And in show business keeps me, reminds me what's really important.

Come here.

Oh, my.

I I'm so grown up.

This is not brain surgery.

What we do, this is called entertainment.

And I think it's important to do it because people need it in their life, especially right now.

You know, Mr.

President, I'm an Oklahoma girl, sort of from your neck of the woods.

And like you, my career brought me east.

And you've been working up on that big house up on Pennsylvania.

And I have been living in the heart of the Big Apple in a really cute apartment that's.

I just moved in to 14 G. So cozy, calm and peaceful.

Heaven for a mouse like me.

With quiet by the Lee school pets are banned and parties too.

For a lot of weeks I ask myself, why do I do entertainment?

What's it for?

I now know what it's for is to give people joy so.

And to challenge me as an as an as the artist.

So.

But it is not everything in my life my friends and my family, my niece and nephew, that's really what it's about.

And my fear of change.

That's why it shine a light.

I change my diet all time just for 43.