{"id":1379,"date":"2025-02-09T12:23:25","date_gmt":"2025-02-09T17:23:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/?p=1379"},"modified":"2025-02-09T12:25:15","modified_gmt":"2025-02-09T17:25:15","slug":"the-towering-return-of-idina-menzel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/the-towering-return-of-idina-menzel\/","title":{"rendered":"The Towering Return of Idina Menzel"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Tony winner is back on Broadway in Redwood<\/em>, and she’s once again flying.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is something poetically fortuitous about Idina Menzel<\/a> returning to Broadway in a musical called Redwood<\/a><\/em>. While she may only stand at 5\u20196\u201d, her presence is colossal. Perhaps it\u2019s her iconic career (Rent<\/a><\/em>, Wicked<\/a><\/em>, If\/Then<\/a><\/em>, Frozen<\/em>) that elevates her in a room. Or perhaps it\u2019s her unmistakable voice: resonant, soaring, and layered with emotion. And after nearly a decade away from Broadway, she\u2019s bringing that voice and undeniable stage presence back to the stage in Redwood<\/em>, a musical she co-created with longtime collaborator Tina Landau<\/a> and composer Kate Diaz<\/a>. Opening this month on February 13 at the Nederlander Theatre<\/a>, for Menzel, Redwood<\/em> is more than a return\u2014it\u2019s a homecoming.<\/p>\n

The show follows Jesse, a woman whose life is altered after an earth-shattering event\u2014who then\u00a0chooses to escape into the unknown. When she finds herself at the foot of the Northern California redwoods, Jesse takes a chance and starts climbing. Much like her character in the show, Menzel describes her first encounter with the majestic giants years ago as almost spiritual. In the spring of 2024, during the show\u2019s own-of-town run at La Jolla Playhouse<\/a> in California, Menzel was given the rare opportunity to climb a redwood and into its canopy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was an extraordinary experience for me,\u201d she says, from her dressing room at the Nederlander (the same dressing room she used 29 years\u00a0ago in\u00a0Rent<\/em>).\u00a0\u201cGetting to feel a real connection to the world in a very different way. It felt like being in a sanctuary. There\u2019s a unique silence there and you feel like a pea. You feel so small but in the best way. It\u2019s humbling and freeing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Menzel explains that at the heart of Redwood<\/em> is the redwood tree itself, which she sees as a metaphor for resilience, community, and growth. \u201cRedwoods thrive because of their root systems,\u201d she explains. \u201cThey interconnect and hold each other up. Even after fires, they regenerate. Their cones release seeds only when exposed to heat. It\u2019s a beautiful symbol of how we can turn loss and hardship into strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strength will also be explored for Menzel as she is once again bringing a gravity-defying element to Broadway. Partnering with Bandaloop, a pioneering aerial dance company, Menzel will again perform hundreds of feet in the air while suspended on climbing harness. Her stage partner is a gigantic recreation of a redwood trunk that the production has named Stella. Though she\u2019s no stranger to challenging roles that require flying (she did originate Elphaba in Wicked <\/em>after all), this experience is entirely new.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never really been afraid of heights, but there\u2019s a difference between thinking that and dangling 300 feet in the air,\u201d Menzel laughs. Her training began with the basics. \u201cYou start with the harness, learning safety checks and how to feel comfortable,\u201d Menzel explains. \u201cThen it\u2019s climbing\u2014getting a feel for the wall or, in our case, the tree. From there, you learn to swing, bounce, and essentially dance in midair. It\u2019s incredibly liberating, like returning to your childhood.\u201d The sense of childlike\u00a0wonder permeates the production. Menzel describes the dancing as a blend of physicality and playfulness. \u201cIt\u2019s like being a kid climbing a tree again, but with more grace\u2014and a harness,\u201d she laughs.<\/p>\n

The process has been grueling but rewarding, she says. \u201cIt\u2019s all about your core and your obliques,\u201d she notes. \u201cThe team is so protective of our bodies. They make sure we stretch, stay hydrated, and listen to ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The collaboration with Bandaloop has been particularly meaningful. Though her first experience with the troupe involved a surprise scaling off a three-story building for her first dance rehearsal, Menzel now counts them among her closest collaborators. \u201cThey\u2019re extraordinary human beings. They made me feel safe and confident, and that trust is essential for what we\u2019re doing on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Redwood<\/em> also represents a chance for Menzel to stretch\u00a0her artistic wings in new ways\u2014this is her first time co-writing a musical. Menzel was first inspired to create Redwood<\/em> 15 years ago, when she first heard a story about a climber, Julia Butterfly Hill, who lived in a redwood tree for 738 days. She then called Landau. The project languished until the pandemic shutdown, when the two found a composer.\u00a0The decision to work with Kate Diaz, a composer new to Broadway, was intentional.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted someone fresh, someone who wouldn\u2019t follow the traditional formulas,\u201d Menzel explains. \u201cKate has this incredible ability to write catchy, melodic songs while also scoring for the cinematic scope of the redwoods. She\u2019s brought a unique energy to the project.\u201d<\/p>\n

The music is expansive yet intimate\u2014mirroring the ethos of the show. The work with Diaz has made Menzel reflect on her start in Rent<\/em>, working with late composer Jonathan Larson<\/a> back when he was an unknown. \u201cIt\u2019s always been about new work for me. I\u2019ve been so lucky to have roles where the writers cater to my voice and my essence. I wanted to pay that forward with this show, with a new composer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Menzel\u2019s Broadway return carries weight beyond the performance itself. Her career has inspired countless young performers, many of whom grew up listening to her as Elphaba in Wicked, <\/em>Maureen in Rent<\/em>, or Elsa in Frozen<\/em>. \u201cI\u2019m incredibly touched by that,\u201d she says, visibly emotional. \u201cIt\u2019s humbling to know my work resonates across generations. But I always tell people\u2014and remind myself\u2014to strive for authenticity. Be yourself. That\u2019s what makes you stand out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Menzel\u2019s embrace of vulnerability and imperfection, and how she\u2019s been able to find strength in those moments\u2014that is no doubt a key reason why she remains a beloved performer among Broadway fans. \u201cWhen you\u2019re authentic, it endears you to people,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt creates a reciprocal relationship with the audience. That\u2019s where the magic happens.\u201d That magic\u2014and the soft, quiet, spiritual healing energy of\u00a0giant redwoods\u2014is what Menzel, a towering giant of Broadway, will surely bring to the Nederlander this season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Tony winner is back on Broadway in Redwood, and she’s once again flying. There is something poetically fortuitous about Idina Menzel returning to Broadway in a musical called Redwood. While she may only stand at 5\u20196\u201d, her presence is colossal. Perhaps it\u2019s her iconic career (Rent, Wicked, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1380,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[87,81],"class_list":["post-1379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","tag-87","tag-redwood"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Idina-Menzel-01-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Srnq-mf","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1379"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1382,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1379\/revisions\/1382"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idina-here.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}