Redwood @ the Nederlander Theatre

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The Play: Redwood, a new musical that strains to weave together a mother’s grief over the death of her son, a cautionary tale about ecology and a mystical reverence for the majesty of the titular tree

Music by: Kate Diaz     Lyrics by: Kate Diaz and Tina Landau      Book by: Tina Landau, with additional contributions by Idina Menzel   Directed by: Tina Landau

One good thing: The giant tree that scenic designer Jason Ardizzone-West has created is impressive and the surrounding forest that Hana S. Kim's video projections conjure are incredibly immersive but I’m giving props to Idina Menzel for putting her star-power behind a wholly original musical, for once again belting out high notes while dangling high up in the air, and for conveying something of the soul-rattling emotions of the grieving process (I saw several men wiping away tears at my performance)  

One not-so-great thing:  Both the book and lyrics are plagued by a case of the p’s (pedantry, pedestrianism, predictability) and despite a couple of crowd-pleasing power ballads the music isn’t repeat-play worthy

 

 


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