Idina Menzel isn't taking 'Redwood' for granted

The Tony Award-winning actress makes her Broadway debut as a writer on this original musical, which she co-conceived with director Tina Landau over many years.

Idina Menzel is branching out. Since making her breakout Broadway debut as Maureen in the musical Rent in 1996, the actress has won a Tony Award for originating the role of Elphaba in Wicked, become a Disney princess by voicing Elsa in the Frozen films, and now, returned to the very stage where she debuted, the Nederlander Theatre, to headline the original new musical Redwood.

"It's been the greatest collaboration of my life to give birth to this idea with [director and co-creator] Tina Landau and our composer, Kate Diaz, who's a first-time Broadway composer," Menzel said at Redwood's opening night.

Menzel may be a Broadway veteran, but Redwood is a first for her, too, as she makes her debut as a writer. She and Landau, who have known each other for decades, co-conceived the musical's story of a woman named Jesse who suffers a tremendous loss, abandons her life in New York, and seeks escape and, eventually, solace in California's redwood forests.

The pair have been developing the idea for 15 years, but it was only last year that Redwood grew into a fully staged production, making its world premiere at California's La Jolla Playhouse in February 2024 before transferring to Broadway this January.

"It's an extraordinary thing not to be taken for granted, to actually have a show that comes to fruition and makes it to Broadway," Menzel said. "It's just been one of the greatest accomplishments in my life."

She's soaking up every moment of Redwood and wants audiences do the same when they attend. "I hope that they feel a true connection to one another," she said, as Jesse heals by forming a community with other people and with nature.

As it happens, trees and Broadway are natural bedfellows in that way, too. Redwoods are bolstered by other redwoods, their roots interlocking beneath the dirt to provide support. That communal spirit is "a synonymous thing with our world in the theatre," Menzel said. "We like to connect with each other, move each other, hold each other up."

Visit our spring preview page to learn more about all spring 2025 Broadway shows and discover more content.

Photo credit: Idina Menzel in Redwood on Broadway. (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)