by William Ruhlmann Kristin Chenoweth went from strength to strength in the late '90s and early 2000s, beginning with an award-winning stage career on Broadway that later expanded into television roles and a recording contract. The photogenic soprano grew up in Broken Arrow, OK, and attended the nearby Oklahoma City University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in musical theater and a master's degree in opera performance. She also won a "Most Talented Up-and-Coming Singer" award in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, which entitled her to a full scholarship at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. Before matriculating, however, she auditioned for an off-Broadway production of Dames at Sea and landed the part, which prompted her to relocate to New York and turn professional instead. She followed Dames at Sea with a stint in the long-running off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks, played leading roles at such prestigious regional theaters as the Goodspeed Opera House and the Guthrie Theatre, and served as Jerome Robbins' guest soloist in his West Side Story Suite of Dances at New York City Ballet. Chenoweth made her Broadway debut in Scapin, then moved on to the John Kander-Fred Ebb musical Steel Pier, for which she won a Theatre World Award. Additional awards were earned for her work in the 1999 Broadway revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, which earned her the Tony Award for best supporting actress (along with similar accolades from the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle). In the 1999-2000 season, she appeared in the Broadway comedy Epic Proportions and an ABC-TV adaptation of the Broadway musical Annie, while also starring in the City Center Encores! production of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (February 10-13, 2000). On May 29, 2001, Chenoweth's first album as a solo vocalist, Let Yourself Go, was released by the Sony Classical label. Her NBC-TV situation comedy, Kristin, had its premiere several months later, cementing Chenoweth's star power across several media formats. On the loosely autobiographical show, Chenoweth played Kristin Yancey, an Oklahoma native who comes to New York City to make it in show business (unlike the actress herself, however, the character has to settle for an office job). Chenoweth embarked on her first national tour that summer, accompanied by the Seattle Men's Chorus, but she returned to Broadway soon after, having landed the role of Glinda in the soon-to-be award-winning musical Wicked. Debuting in 2003, the show was a massive success that boosted Chenoweth's profile even further. A recurring role in the television show The West Wing followed in 2004, and Chenoweth also furthered her music career with albums like As I Am and the holiday-themed A Lovely Way To Spend Christmas.