REDWOOD Announces May 18 Closing Date

Posted on by Heather

Sad news! Redwood will end its Broadway run on Sunday, May 18, 2025 after playing 127 performances, including 17 preview performances. Tickets through the end of the run are on sale at the Nederlander box office and on BroadwayDirect.

Idina had this to say on Instagram:

Creating @RedwoodMusical with @TinaLandau and @KateDiazMusic has been my proudest professional accomplishment. It is an all-female-led team, who are fearless risk-takers and gorgeous human beings. I will be eternally grateful to our stunning cast whom I love so friggin’ much. I’ll be singing Kate’s music for years and years to come. You are all my family. Making music and telling this beautiful story with you has been the highlight of my career. In fact, being back in NYC with the entire Broadway community at the Nederlander, of all places, is my “little Idina’s” dream come true over and over again. Thank you to our entire crew.

We’ve made something exquisite that the Redwoods would be so proud of. Our heartwood is love abounding, sad yet stronger than ever. Our roots will connect us for miles and miles and we will hold each other up beyond the sadness of a show closing to the complicated scary world we are living in. And lastly. Let’s remember the Redwood has lived through fires, through pain, and through the most challenging times in history… and is still standing tall. That’s what I will do. So join us in the canopy one last time before May 18th. Because, like the roots, we need connection.

In keeping with one of the show’s messages of tikkun olam (repairing the world), Redwood partnered with several organizations to help raise awareness and funds to support the themes depicted in the show. Through these partnerships, the show helped raise more than $2,000,000 for these social impact organizations, including $1,500,000 for Save the Redwoods League, $250,000 for A BroaderWay, $180,000 for Broadway Cares and $40,000 for Julia Butterfly Hill’s nonprofit Circle of Life. In addition, through a collaboration with Redwood Empire Whiskey, more than 400 trees were planted in the month of April and separately, more than 50 redwood trees were planted at the Gateway to Big Basin Redwoods State Park in honor of the show’s cast and crew.

If you can’t make it to NYC before May 18, the Original Broadway Cast Recording will be released digitally on May 13th, the CD will be released on June 13 and the vinyl will arrive on July 25! Pre-order all versions here.

If you have the chance to see the show, don’t miss out. Idina is INCREDIBLE. I promise you’ve never seen her like this and the show is so beautiful and touching. It’s such a cathartic theater experience and something I personally really needed. I’m so proud of her for starting with a seedling of an idea and making it all the way to the Nederlander Theatre for audiences around the world to experience it.

REDWOOD Announces Cast Album!

REDWOOD Announces Cast Album!

Posted on by Heather

 
Redwood has announced that their Original Broadway Cast Recording will be released digitally on May 13th! The CD will be released on June 13 and the vinyl will arrive on July 25! Pre-order all versions here. One of Idina’s big numbers, “In The Leaves”, is streaming now and they also released a music video, which you can watch above. This is one of my favorite parts in the show and so incredibly special to watch live!

Here’s the official tracklist, which also includes some of the beautiful instrumental parts of the show:

1. Drive
2. The Trees
3. Climb
4. Little Redwood
5. The Stars
6. Big Tree Religion
7. Back Then
8. The Ascent
9. Great Escape
10. Roots
11. Little Redwood (Reprise)
12. Looking Through This Lens
13. In the Leaves
14. Becca’s Song
15. No Repair
16. The Fires
17. The Rain
18. Still
19. Finale

Redwood tickets are available through the official ticket seller, BroadwayDirect, or at the Nederlander box office! There is a digital lottery via Broadway Direct with a limited number of $54 tickets available for each performance, beginning at 10 am ET and closing at 4 pm ET the day before each performance. There is also an in-person rush policy, with a limited number of tickets available for purchase at the time of box opening each day for $44.00 each, based on availability, on a first-come first-served basis.

P.S. Idina has been SUPER busy promoting the show and I’ve added lots of photos to the gallery. Make sure you’re following me on Instagram & Twitter to stay up-to-date on all her appearances and interviews. I’m also regularly updating the REDWOOD Playlist on my Youtube channel!

Here are some of the recently added photo albums:

Idina Menzel Extends Broadway Run in REDWOOD

Posted on by Heather

Very exciting news! Idina Menzel has extended her run in Redwood, and will now star in her new Broadway musical through August 17, 2025! Tickets were previously on sale through July 6.

Redwood is a transportive new musical about one woman’s journey into the precious and precarious world of the redwoods. Jesse (Idina) seems to have it all — a successful career and devoted family — until a life-altering event drives her far from everyone and everything she knows. When she finds herself at the foot of the redwoods in Northern California, a chance encounter and a leap of faith will change her life forever. Redwood explores the lengths — and heights — one travels to find strength, resilience and healing.

You do not want to miss the chance to see Idina break your heart and belt while performing upside down aerial choreography. The NY Times named the show a “Critic’s Pick” and called Idina “an awe-inspiring force of nature” while Variety called her performance “stunning”. I’ve already seen it a few times and I love it! I can’t wait to go back!

Tickets are available through the official ticket seller, BroadwayDirect or at the Nederlander box office! If you’re not sure where to sit, I posted some seating tips with photos on my Instagram.

I’ll leave you with this new commercial featuring a studio version of Idina’s “In The Leaves”:

REDWOOD Promo Recap!

Posted on by Heather

It’s been a very busy few weeks for Idina Menzel! REDWOOD began previews at the Nederlander Theatre on January 24 and will officially open on February 13. (Get tickets here & don’t forget to use code FIRSTLOOK for specially-priced tickets.)
 
 
 
A couple of weeks ago she appeared on CBS Sunday Morning to discuss the show. You can watch the portion that aired, which also includes some footage from the show & rehearsal, here. There is also her extended interview- which is also worth a watch – here. I’ve also got a Redwood playlist on Youtube that includes her miscellaneous video interviews.

Idina also stopped by TODAY to perform “In The Leaves”:

 
While there, she spoke with Jenna and Kelsea Ballerini. Last week, she stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Idina also did a number of print interviews and new photoshoots!

The New York Times:

How does she square her considerable accomplishments with her persistent angst? “I’m getting a little tired of my self-deprecation,” she said. “In a way, it’s been a crutch. It’s a way of naming a shortcoming in my life before someone else can say it. But I also recognize that it makes me vulnerable, and that being vulnerable is so important to being a great performer and being able to connect with your audience. Making mistakes and being fallible are the things that draw people to you.”

Parade:

“When I played Maureen, I didn’t know all the stuff that comes along with the theater community and the politics and the awards. I had no idea about all of that because I was kind of preoccupied with wanting a record deal and writing my own music and wanting to be a rock star for a minute,” Menzel explains. “Maureen was just full of all of that levity and abandonment and rebelliousness and my humorous side and my sexy side. Then unfortunately, like I said, [as] you become more and more known, you start to go inward and become a little bit more fearful.”

“Being here [at the Nederlander],” she says, “I miss her, and it’s wonderful because I am trying to channel that again.”“was an extraordinary experience for me,” she says, from her dressing room at the Nederlander (the same dressing room she used 29 years ago in Rent). “Getting to feel a real connection to the world in a very different way. It felt like being in a sanctuary. There’s a unique silence there and you feel like a pea. You feel so small but in the best way. It’s humbling and freeing.”

Playbill:

[Climbing a redwood] “was an extraordinary experience for me,” she says, from her dressing room at the Nederlander (the same dressing room she used 29 years ago in Rent). “Getting to feel a real connection to the world in a very different way. It felt like being in a sanctuary. There’s a unique silence there and you feel like a pea. You feel so small but in the best way. It’s humbling and freeing.”

Vanity Fair:

The show is Menzel’s first time working with an all-female creative team. “It’s a relief to be able to support each other in being extremely powerful, speaking our minds, and not having to apologize for that, while also being very sensitive and empathetic individuals who look out for each other.”

Redwood First Look Event

Posted on by Heather

On Friday, January 10 I had the incredible opportunity to attend a First Look event for Idina Menzel’s new musical, REDWOOD! I posted a lot from the event on Instagram but I still want to document it here. The event took place at the Nederlander Theatre in NYC where everyone involved is hard at work putting the show together. The orchestra was packed with tables, computers and equipment & it was pretty incredible to see how many people are involved and how complex it is behind the scenes. Tina Landau, the writer, co-conceiver & co-lyricist, warned us that everything we were about to see was very much a work in progress.

The orchestra

We made our way to the mezzanine and got settled in row A. If you’re reading this, I’ll give you a little tip on sight lines! There is a railing in front of Row A that may partially block your view. I am 5’1″ and it was in my way unless I scooted forward in my seat. I was told they took that into account while staging and most of the action won’t be blocked.

The stage

Here’s a look at the stage! There are over 1,000 LED screens set up in a circle and extending to the mezz to immerse the audience in the production. Even the stage floor will be part of the action and respond to the actor’s movements during certain parts of the show.

We got a preview of the show’s groundbreaking visuals and I can’t say enough amazing things about it. We previewed the point in the show where Idina’s character, Jesse, is awed by the redwood forest. The audience will see the forest from Jesse’s perspective and the visuals will shift as Idina moves on stage. They warned us that they are only about 50% finished but I was floored. It’s hard to explain how absolutely stunning they were. In row A of the mezz, I felt immersed in the forest. If you’ve ridden Soarin’ at Disney, it reminded me of that. (I am very prone to motion sickness and there’s a note about that on the ticket page, but I felt OK though there is definitely the illusion of movement.) A particularly striking moment that stuck with me was how they simulated light streaming through the trees. The entire scene was incredibly beautiful. I can’t wait to experience it live in the theater with the actors on stage and the communal feeling of awe in the audience.

Zachary Noah Piser (Spencer) and De’Adre Aziza (Mel) popped on stage to introduce us to the other star of the show, the giant Redwood tree named Stella, then Melecio Estrella from Bandaloop took the stage to discuss the cast’s vertical choreography(!) and how they are ensuring everyone’s safety on stage. Most of the actors, including Idina, will actually climb Stella throughout the show. There are no stage tricks here, all of them had to learn how to actually climb. There is even a point in the show where Idina climbs, sings and performs tree choreography!

When you see the show, you may note that when the actors are ready to climb, they will go through a safety check. During their pre-Broadway run in La Jolla, the checks were seamlessly part of the songs, so I imagine it will be the same in NYC. After the overview, Khaila Wilcoxon (Becca) and Michael Park (Finn) performed a very cool climbing and vertical choreography demonstration.

Sheet music for “The Stars”

Then, it was time for Idina and composer/co-lyricist Kate Diaz to take the stage! Idina performed a new song called “The Stars” where Jesse is asking the stars for help. I have anxiety and I could relate to the lyrics from that lens but I was too excited to remember more details. BroadwayDirect shared a very short clip on Instagram, though! Also, here’s the sheet music! Again we were warned that things are constantly changing and shifting, so we’ll see if this version appears on stage when previews begin on January 24. One other note about the music – there are a number of new songs since the show was in La Jolla, so expect a lot of changes if you saw it there.

Finally, they introduced the entire cast and Idina spoke for a few minutes. It’s such a big moment for her! Fifteen years ago she was inspired by the redwoods and reached out to Tina Landau to collaborate on a musical and now here they are, about to open the show on Broadway. It’s an incredible achievement and I can’t wait to be there.

Watch her speech here:

 
If you still don’t have tickets (or you want more!), you can buy specially priced tickets to Redwood here. Tickets are currently on sale through July 6.

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