by FRANK O’DONNELL

Odds are pretty good you know Kristin Chenoweth.

She’s been in movies, on TV, and in Broadway shows. For those theatrically-inclined, she’s probably best known as Galinda the Good Witch from the blockbuster Broadway hit, “Wicked.”

For many, she’s become the standard against which all other Galindas are judged. That doesn’t faze her. All she has to say is, “I did my best, and I love it.”

Kristin will be performing this Saturday, April 16 at the Providence Performing Arts Center’s Annual Gala. The show is called An Intimate Evening with Kristin Chenoweth.

“This show is all kinds of music,” says Kristin. “Musical theater, operatic, country and Gospel. It’s everything I love to sing. From Kander and Ebb to Jerome Kern, to Jodi Marr.”

Kristin has been on the road since last August with this show. She says it’s made her happy. “And a better singer. I love the material and am getting a chance to say things I want to say through music.”

Kristin’s been singing since she was very young. “I remember singing a solo in church when I was about eight and the congregation got up and applauded. I loved it. I loved singing about God too. It never occurred to me to have a life without music. It was also at that point I knew my purpose.”

I asked her if there was one big thing on her bucket list that no one’s asked her to do yet. “There are so many things I haven’t been asked to do. I’m not holding my breath because if it all ended tomorrow I would be so blessed and lucky for everything so far.”

What does she consider her biggest challenge? Staying healthy, she says. “I travel a lot for work. I do all kinds of work. And it takes a toll. I’m constantly hand-sanitizing my whole body.”

Ask what she considers her career high, and she can’t say. “Certainly the ‘firsts.’ Broadway, Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, the Met. I still pinch myself all the time and wonder if it’s real.”

And before we go, the one question that no one ever asks. That would be, “’What’s your least favorite song?’ I can honestly say I have no idea. I love all music. I love rap – I’m just no good at it.”

Kristin Chenoweth performs in the PPAC Gala on Saturday, April 16. For complete information, visit www.ppacri.org or call 401.421.ARTS.