Tony winner Idina Menzel is not afraid for audiences to hear her hit a sour note, or at least she said as much on a recent visit to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The Wicked and Rent star was there to talk about being back on Broadway in Redwood (now in previews at the Nederlander Theatre), and the two talked about the struggles of doing eight-performance weeks.
"If you hit a real big clunker, and you're center stage in your big 11 o'clock number, it's very humbling," Menzel says. "It's very terrifying and embarrassing sometimes. I've also learned that mistakes kind of endear yourself to an audience, and audiences are excited to see you screw up."
True mistakes are probably rare for this stage favorite, though Menzel is most associated with the kind of exciting vocals that have her living at the absolute extremes of the voice, which is to say, sometimes things happen. Luckily, it sounds like she's found that audiences are on her side no matter what.
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The other good news is Menzel's role in Redwood has a fantastic understudy who's ready to step in if Menzel is not able to make those high notes happen. Menzel paid tribute to Redwood understudy Jessica Phillips on Instagram after she went on in Menzel's Redwood role last weekend.
Standbys and understudies are critical to our industry and it is an honor to have so much talent supporting our production," Menzel writes.
Menzel co-conceived Redwood with director, book writer, and co-lyricist Tina Landau. The show is now in previews at the Nederlander Theatre, where opening night is February 13. Menzel stars as Jesse, a woman who finds herself at a crossroads in a Northern California redwood forest after a life-altering event.
The cast also features De'Adre Aziza as Mel, Michael Park as Finn, Zachary Noah Piser as Spencer, and Khaila Wilcoxon as Becca. Standbys Daniel Brackett, Bradley Dean, Veronica Otim, and Jessica Phillips round out the company. Casting is by The Telsey Office's Patrick Goodwin.
“I made my Broadway debut at the Nederlander Theatre in Rent almost 30 years ago, so to be returning there with Redwood is very emotional for me as it feels like a real homecoming,” Menzel said in an earlier statement. “It has been such a gift to collaborate with Tina and Kate on this show, and I’m so proud to bring it to Broadway.
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The production also features scenic design by Jason Ardizzone-West, video design by Hana S. Kim, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Scott Zielinski, sound design by Jonathan Deans, vertical movement and choreography by Melecio Estrella of BANDALOOP, and orchestrations and arrangements by Diaz, all reprising their work from the La Jolla world premiere. New for the Broadway bow is music supervisor Tom Kitt and music director Julie McBride.
Redwood is produced on Broadway by Eva Price, Caroline Kaplan, and Loudmouth Media.
Visit RedwoodMusical.com.
