Voice Lessons written by Cara Mentzel

We know the lyrics to the songs of Defying Gravity and Let It Go. We know that powerful singing voice behind those songs is Idina Menzel, the singer who stared on Broadway’s hit show Rent as the original Maureen Johnson, who then played as the original Elphaba in Wicked, and also stared in the original cast of If/Then. But did you know that Idina Menzel has a little sister? That’s right! Cara Mentzel, the author of Voice Lessons, is Idina Menzel’s little sister!

            Cara Mentzel tells her story of her life growing up with her big sister; Idina Menzel mainly in New York after their parents got a divorce. She also talks about her childhood being raised by her parents and her early childhood memories and growing up watching her sister taking the spotlight with her singing.  When Cara grew up, she attended University of Colorado where she studied Biological Psychology and met the love her of life, Jon. While at University of Colorado, Cara went to visit Idina in New York, when they were in Idina’s apartment, Idina handed Cara a script for a new off- Broadway show that she was auditioning for called Rent, little did the girls how popular that show would become on Broadway.

            After graduating from college, at the age of twenty-three Cara became a mother to a boy that she and Jon named Avery. After Avery was born, Cara and Jon had another baby boy together named Jacob. Sadly after being married for a short time, Jon’s abusive behavior led their marriage to a divorce, Cara was a single mother of two little boys.

            Since Cara is a little sister to a well-known Broadway superstar,  she saw the Broadway opening shows for Rent, Wicked, and If/Then. Not to mention when Let It Go was introduced to the world when Disney’s movie Frozen was released in 2014. Idina Menzel was nominated for an Oscars for “Best Original Song” and she invited Cara to go as her date. Since Cara attended Broadway shows and the Oscars, she has stories of living through the moment when her sister is in the spotlight. For example, remember at the Oscars in 2014 when actor, John Travolta, mispronounced Idina’s name on live TV? When you’re sitting on the couch watching Idina Menzel singing Let It Go, you wouldn’t have noticed all the chaos that happed backstage. But hey, Cara got to see the whole world in rage when John Travolta didn’t know how to say Idina’s name. In the end, Idina returned the favor that next year by mispronouncing his name and the whole world laughed.

            Over all, Voice Lessons was a great book that I enjoyed reading. I can relate to Cara on a personal level since I have an older sister that can sing better than I and we (Cara and I) both love Idina Menzel. Also, I love the stories that Cara shared that means a lot to her and Idina. So, if you are a huge Idina Menzel fan, like how Cara Mentzel and I are, then I definitely suggest that you read Voice Lessons.

Mentzel, Cara. Voice Lessons: A Sisters Story. New York, NY: St. Martin's, 2017. Print. 

Trivia Questions: 

1) Why did Idina Menzel drop the "T" in her last name Mentzel? 

2) Cara went to a drama camp one time and auditioned for the musical Guys and Dolls, what part did she get to play? 

3) True or False:

When Cara birth her two baby boys, she had a natural home birth?