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Jan. 30, 2015 / 4:32 PM

Idina Menzel to star in Ellen DeGeneres comedy

The singer last appeared on television as Rachel Berry's (Lea Michele) birth mother on "Glee."

Idina Menzel will star on a new Ellen DeGeneres-produced comedy series. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

1 of 5 | Idina Menzel will star on a new Ellen DeGeneres-produced comedy series. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Idina Menzel has been cast on Happy Times.

The 43-year-old singer will portray a celebrity who decides to stop pretending to be happy on the new single-camera sitcom. Randy Barnes wrote the series and will co-executive produce with Ellen DeGeneres and Jeff Kleeman.

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DeGeneres and her production company, A Very Good Production, will develop the series with Warner Bros. Television. The project will begin filming in the summer, and is expected to debut during the 2015-2016 season.

DeGeneres served as executive producer on her talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and will produce new NBC comedy One Big Happy. The television host celebrated her 57th birthday this week, and celebrated with Justin Bieber, Sam Smith and Kanye West on Thursday.

.@KanyeWest @JustinBieber @SamSmithWorld #BirthdayShow #Backstage #Incredible pic.twitter.com/21EvcXFSgn
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 29, 2015

Menzel is known for portraying Maureen Johnson in Rent, and voiced Queen Elsa in Disney film Frozen. She also played Shelby Corcoran on Fox series Glee, and will perform the National Anthem at Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday.

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