Idina Menzel on ‘Redwood’ Broadway Musical and Climbing Trees on stage

Idina Menzel is not stranger to fly high above the Broadway scenes, and she made her rising return (literally) Thursday evening with the new musical “Redved. “

The show marks her first Broadway role since 2014’s “IF/THEN” and Menzel also collaborated “Redwood” with Tina Landau, who wrote the book. It follows Jesse, a mother who struggles with her son’s death after an unintentional overdose. To process her grief, she drives from New York to California’s Redwood forest to escape the big city and her feelings. There she becomes friends with two arborists who let her climb on a tall Redwood tree on her own to process her trauma and reconnect with his wife.

The most exciting moments in the musical circle around Stella, the Redwood tree that is central to the story – and the stage. Menzel and casting doctrine have a harness to rise more than 20 meters up in Redwood, just as real tree climber would.

“We had to practice first and learn to get into harness and be certified for climbing. The first time we did it in technology was so fun, Menzel said Amount At the “Redwood” opening on Broadway’s Nederlander Theater. “We think it’s really exciting and liberating in the show.”

Just like Elphaba in “Wicked” Menzel seems to defy gravity and belt songs as they swing, jump and turn upside down from the tree. It was a lot of practice to make climbing perfectly, and no one reported any cases or close calls.

“There’s no fake flight here. There is no one lifting anyone. The actors learned it. Idina and the actor went out to Oakland and climbed on a Redwood tree to learn it. They are real tree climber and that’s what you see On stage, Landau said. “We have done really well with the height and vertical choreography and dance. There is a really intense security culture. We have a saying,” we move with the speed of trust. ” , gentle and no accidents. ”

Landau and Menzel originally had the idea for the show 15 years ago and then join during the pandemic to bring it to life. They brought composer Kate Diaz, who debuted in theater, to write the songs. The rollist also includes De’adre Aziza, Khaila Wilcoxon, Michael Park and Zachary Noah Piser, who plays Jesse’s Late Son.

“Idina Menzel is the kind of artist who puts everything in everything she does,” Piser said. “This was even a pace longer than that because she collaborated with parts of it. You can say in the way that she performs that she cares deeply. It is an intangible thing that affects all chemistry for everyone. You feed that love and care and collaboration. ”

See more pictures from the opening evening for “Redwood” below.