PRIOR to her Wembley appearance, musical powerhouse Idina Menzel made a stop at the BIC as part of her World Tour which takes in Southeast Asia, Europe, Canada and the United States.

Menzel is most recently known as the voice of Elsa in Frozen and for the iconic Oscar winning song Let It Go.

She also won huge acclaim as the original Elphaba in Wicked both on Broadway and in the West End. Having previously performed in Rent, Hair, TV's Glee and in Disney's Enchanted, Menzel's credits go on and on.

Friday's performance opened with the infamous Defying Gravity then moving into a jazzy version of the classic “Don't Rain on My Parade”.

“I sang this song for Barbra Streisand once, it was terrifying!” joked Menzel.

Cole Porter's “Love for Sale” segued into “Roxanne”, followed by songs from Joni Mitchell and Ethel Merman, along with some of her own compositions.

The powerful Always Starting Over from her recent Broadway show If/Then and the most suprising song choice of the evening – a rendition of Creep by Radiohead – both received huge applause.

Although admitting “I've got a little cold”, Menzel's vocal performance did not disappoint for a second. She made it an intimate “Evening with” type affair by telling witty anecdotes and wandering among the audience, kicking off her shoes half way through and not bothering with fancy sets or costume changes. When you have a voice as awesome as Menzel, you really don't need all the showbiz trappings.

Menzel later invited a few audience members to sing with her on stage including little Frozen-costumed Erin.

A personal highlight was the a cappella version of For Good, quite a feat in a venue this big, but of course Let It Go was the much anticipated show stealer for most.

With encores of a song she wrote for her son along with Tomorrow from Annie - “a song I used to sing when I was a little girl” - tonight was a sheer delight.

It was a shame the venue was quite empty in places but perhaps the hefty ticket prices, a little unrealistic for a venue like the BIC, put people off.

Idina Menzel has come a long way from the teenager who sung at bar mitzvahs and weddings in Long Island to pay her way through college. And with a voice and talent like hers, it is utterly deserved.

Stephanie Hall