The Star-Power of Idina Menzel Can’t Save ‘Redwood’
Idina Menzel returns to Broadway in "Redwood," a schmaltzy, shallow musical with little nuance.
A woman in search of meaning and closure gazes upward in a forest as streaks of sunlight bathe over her. She is Tony, Obie, and Drama League Award winner Idina Menzel, who graces the Playbill cover of Broadway’s newest musical, Redwood.
Over the course of two intermission-less hours, Menzel — who is also the show’s co-conceiver and collaborator — plays Jesse, a stereotypical high-strung New Yorker who belts songs, drives from Manhattan to California, talks excessively about grief, experiences flashbacks and memories of her deceased son, Spencer (Zachary Noah Piser) fights with her wife, Mel (De’Adre Aziza), and befriends two tree scientists, charming them in song with the following request:
I can hold a tree pose/I can do a downward dog/’Cause I did yoga once at my old synagogue/and I don’t have a fear of heights/I work out all the time/So what I’m really trying to say is: Would you ever let me climb?
Obviously, the scientists, Finn (Michael Park) and Becca (Khaila Wilcoxon), enjoy botany more than clever lyrics. Reluctantly, Jesse’s wish is granted. Unfortunately, the audience’s hope for a better show goes unfulfilled.
Since humankind began, nature has been an endless source of fascination, strength, and wonder. Books solely on the subject could fill an entire library, and there is no deficit of movies and television shows about the great outdoors. Even a basic walk through the park can be rejuvenating and soul-reviving.
These universal discoveries on nature’s healing and restorative properties are personal and unique but leave their mystical qualities inexplicable. And when they are, it takes more than a two-hour musical to do so, and certainly one that is not as bland as Redwood.
Book writer Tina Landau, along with Menzel, did in fact pull from real events that influence the piece. Julia Butterfly Hill, an activist who lived in a tree for over two years in the nineties to protest logging practices, was the major inspiration behind it.
On a darker and much sadder note, Spencer is modeled after Landau’s nephew, who passed away from an accidental drug overdose. Piser, an up-and-coming Broadway star who consistently delivers great vocals and performances, offers what is perhaps the show’s finest moment with the life-affirming “Still,” a reminder to appreciate the time we have on this earth regardless of the trials and tribulations we face. In our current politically and socially dark climate, it’s helpful.
Yet none of the other supporting characters feel fully fleshed out or relatable. Mel is the hip, busy, and frazzled New Yorker — a cookie cutter stereotype of everyone who lives there. She’s a photographer who can’t seem to understand why Jesse can’t come to terms with her sorrow.
Together, they sing elementary lyrics:
I hate how/We’re strangers now/I thought we were a team/Now our life seems like a dream.
Becca, Jesse’s new West Coast “frenemy,” also has little depth. “I couldn’t find a helmet that fit me,” she says. “You see, no one even thinks that black climbers exist, so why would they make a helmet for black hair?” Through much of the show, Becca expresses her justifiable anger for the system, but it all feels forced. Only when she speaks of losing her home in a wildfire do we see vulnerability.
Finn is the crunchy granola type that most of us have encountered at a health food store, a yoga retreat, or a party where pot edibles are shared. The fact that both of them grant permission for Jesse to climb seems implausible.
But Jesse is the real reason for Redwood to exist. It’s been decades since Menzel made her Broadway debut as Maureen in Rent, coincidentally at the same theater where she is currently performing. Since then, she’s become a global phenomenon, largely in part due to her roles in Wicked and for infusing life into Elsa in the animated film, Frozen.
Although modest in stature, she is a commanding force as she swings and climbs, and her voice and acting remain intact and strong. At times, though, it’s difficult to audibly determine if she is off-pitch, or if she is hitting the actual notes composed by Broadway newcomer Kate Diaz, whose score rarely finds soaring melodies or variety.
With the exception of one large redwood featured prominently on stage, Jason Ardizzone-West’s set is as sparse as Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. It is Hana S. Kim who elevates the show with video designs sprawled across enormous white screens. As cool as they are, one must question when exactly Broadway set design turned into an “IMAX Experience.”
Redwood isn’t the worst show you’re likely to see this year; it simply feels sluggish and undercooked, even with the star power of Menzel behind it. With so many other Broadway options, it’s better to find something more deeply rooted in substance.
Redwood (★★☆☆☆) is playing at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre, 208 West 41st Street, in New York City. Tickets are $79 to $269.50. Visit www.redwoodmusical.com.
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