Listen: Idina Menzel Sings “Great Escape” from Redwood

Listen: Idina Menzel Sings “Great Escape” from Redwood

Posted on by Heather

Billboard exclusively premiered a live version of “Great Escape” from Idina Menzel’s new musical, REDWOOD! Idina also spoke with them about the show, which has its sights set on Broadway(!!).

“Ever since Rent, I have made it a priority to originate roles and shine a light on new work. It takes lots of patience and fortitude, but there is truly nothing as rewarding as seeing your kernel of an idea fully realized with a group of people you love and admire so deeply.”- Idina Menzel

You can read the full interview on Billboard.com. They also shared some exclusive backstage photos on Instagram:


I got to see the show this past weekend and LOVED it. I posted some non-spoiler thoughts and photos on Instagram. Great Escape was one of my favorite songs and the staging is spectacular. It’s definitely a WOW moment. I was really blown away by the show and how she got to use all the facets of her voice and show not just musical range but also acting range. It’s amazing that the show now exists when it was just an idea in her head years ago. What an accomplishment! All the kudos to her, Tina Landau and Kate Diaz.

REDWOOD is currently running at La Jolla Playhouse until March 31 and though the run is sold out, they do release tickets from time to time, so keep checking back. Check back in a couple of weeks because in April I’ll post a detailed summary of the show for those who weren’t able to see it. Detailed synopsis of REDWOOD.

Redwood Opens at La Jolla Playhouse

Posted on by Heather

Idina Menzel’s newest musical, Redwood, officialy opened at La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, CA on Sunday! Idina plays Jesse, a successful woman who seems to have it all, but inside, her heart is broken. Finding herself at a turning point, Jesse leaves everyone and everything behind, gets in her car and drives. Thousands of miles later, she hits the ancient forests of Northern California, where in the presence of the magnificent, towering redwoods, Jesse finds strange and powerful connections, an unexpected sense of community, and a chance at healing.

Per The San Diego Union-Tribune, Idina “gives a multi-hued, tour de force acting performance that is brittle, unfiltered, anxious, impulsive, heartbreaking and quite funny. Her famously robust voice delivers over and over in the intermissionless two-hour musical, where she never leaves the stage. But Menzel also imbues her songs with great delicacy, heart and emotion.”

BroadwayWorld says, “It must be an emotionally and physically exhausting character to play, but Menzel does it with ease and of course that unmistakable voice.”

Redwood is running through March 31 at the Potiker Theatre and also features De’Adre Aziza, Michael Park, Nkeki Ob-Melekwe, and Zachary Noah Piser. The show is sold out but tickets can become available daily, so keep checking back! You can also follow La Jolla Playhouse on Instagram as they post ticket releases in their stories.

I’ve also added some photos to the gallery:

REDWOOD Tickets On Sale Now!

Posted on by Heather

Tickets to see Idina Menzel’s new musical, REDWOOD, are on sale now! The show will run from February 13 – March 31, 2024 at the Potiker Theatre in La Jolla, CA. Demand has been so high that the run has already been extended, so get your tickets ASAP!

Idina spoke to Variety about the show back in January when it was announced, but has been pretty tight-lipped about it since. Today she said, “I’m ready to share it with you now. It’s very special to me.”

Idina plays Jesse, a successful businesswoman, mother and wife. She seems to have it all, but inside, her heart is broken. Finding herself at a turning point, Jesse leaves everyone and everything behind, gets in her car and drives… and drives. Thousands of miles later, she hits the ancient forests of Northern California, where a chance meeting and a leap of faith change her life forever. In the presence of the magnificent, towering redwoods, Jesse finds strange and powerful connections, an unexpected sense of community, and a chance at healing.

Credits:
Book by Tina Landau | Music by Kate Diaz
Lyrics by Kate Diaz and Tina Landau
Conceived by Tina Landau and Idina Menzel | With additional contributions by Idina Menzel
Directed by Tina Landau

The rest of the cast has not been announced yet. Get all the available details and tickets at LaJollaPlayhouse.org.

Wicked Celebrates 20th Anniversary!

Posted on by Heather

Idina Menzel attended Wicked’s 20th Anniversary Celebration at the Gershwin Theatre in NYC last night! Idina and Kristin Chenoweth watched the show together in the audience and appeared on stage during the curtain call.

I’ve added lots of photos to the gallery and created a Youtube Playlist for the interviews that pop up.

Red Carpet / The Show

Portraits

Celebrate Wicked’s 20th with a Limited Edition Idina Playbill!

Posted on by Heather

WICKED is celebrating its 20th anniversary today! The show celebrated with two special shows yesterday: a PINK matinee and a GREEN evening performance. The Green show featured an exclusive Idina Menzel Playbill and it’s available to purchase now on Playbill.com! They are also selling the special Wicked 20th Playbill and Kristin Chenoweth’s Pink show Playbill. Happy shopping!

 

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