REDWOOD To Close May 18, 2025- Page 2

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 12:21pm

Looking at grosses in combination with the Tony nominations, I sadly predict that Real Women Have Curves and BOOP! are not long for this world either.

[binau]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 12:26pm

TotallyEffed said: "binau said: "I kind of love what I’ve heard from ‘still’, ‘in the leaves’ and ‘the great escape’. I’m sad I might not get to see the show."



Don't be. It's horrible."

Mmm the word of mouth is terrible, not just here but you can see it all over reddit too. I suspect that this is the ultimate killer of the show. If people were having the best time and thought Idina was unmissable we'd see it in the numbers...

[dan94]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 12:39pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "The people who signed off on that house are Seaview, Sonia Friedman, and Bill Damaschke. No slouches, but nobody's immune to a flop.  ... I agree that the St. James feels way too big for this thing, and its budget & running costs are also higher than REDWOOD."

Certainly not slouches, but people who all should know better. On a purely common sense level, they couldn't put together that she's 4ft11 and they need a house with 2 levels instead of 3? What is she going to look like from that balcony?

It is a higher running cost/budget, and I get they needed something bigger than a typical thousand seat house. The St James was the only option? They couldn't get any other theatre? Promises Promises at its best came up about 200 seats short of being sold out in a similarly sized house. And she had a costar who was arguably a bigger star than her on that. I don't see how this will work out.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 12:52pm

dan94 said: "On a purely common sense level, they couldn't put together that she's 4ft11 and they need a house with 2 levels instead of 3? What is she going to look like from that balcony?"

This is quietly one of the funnier things I've read on here in a long time, thank you.

Maybe they could lean into the height thing. Make the set even bigger and only cast costars of Tim Hughes or Herschel Sparber height?

I don't think anyone complained about her height in the Gershwin, and that house is even bigger than the St. Jim. Height is the least of the worries.

Updated On: 5/2/25 at 12:52 PM

[blaxx]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 12:53pm

A D lister won't sustain a Broadway show on her name alone.

 

[MB124]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 12:58pm

blaxx said: "A D lister won't sustain a Broadway show on her name alone.

"

The way you get off on consistently chiming in just to sh*t on Idina Menzel should be studied. 

[blaxx]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 1:01pm

MB124 said: "blaxx said: "A D lister won't sustain a Broadway show on her name alone.

"

The way you get off on consistently chimingin just to sh*t on Idina Menzel should be studied."

 

It's facts, love. No one will ever think again they can throw any mediocre crap at her and audiences will flock to see it anyway.

 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 1:19pm

Theatrefanboy1 said: "Thoughts that Chess will announce an opening at the Nederlander for the fall?"

 

IF (and that's a big if) CHESS ever happens, it'll be at a Shubert house.

 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 2:57pm

I thought Redwood was pretty bad, and if anything, this serves as an example of how modern NYT reviews are meaningless to audiences. The creatives were way too in the weeds on this one, or just thought the physical beauty of the production would carry the day. Dunno. Swing and a big miss. (Feels unfair that none of the design elements were Tony nominated-- its a physically gorgeous show).

But the hostility to MENZEL is odd. No one thinks shes a Clooney or a Denzel, but shes a name that the majority of people have heard of, and is particularly well known for musical theater. Why do we not give her credit for continuing to work on original works with various creatives? We all know she could easily take a check belting out a song or two in a revival, but she keeps throwing herself into these marathon performances in original new works. We want MORE OF THIS, do we not? 

In other words, yes Redwood was a flop and a bad show- but kudos to them for trying and heres hoping they keep trying and the next one succeeds.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 3:05pm

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 3:10pm

Well I see after all these years some folks on this board still love to hate Idina. Alas.

 

i will admit—am (obviously) a huge longtime fan of Idina’s and will see anything she does—but I have not caught this show yet. The only thing appealing to me about it is that it’s Idina’s idea and she’s in it. 
 

I love Idina’s ethos and sense of humor as an artist (the latter of which doesn’t seem to be present in the show—or at last that’s my impression from the show’s marketing), and I love that she is determined to do new works.

 

I hope she is able to find collaborators who are better suited to her next time. She obviously struck gold with Rent and Wicked (and then Frozen) and I think part of that is just working with better writers and collaborators who might push her outside of her comfort zone. In Rent she was a scene stealer and FUNNY (which we seem to forget she is) and in Wicked she was playing something deeply aligned with her ethos, but not playing a version of her real life self & that was a good thing. She’s charismatic and a great storytelling when not playing a character, but frankly she does that better in a concert setting, and often with writing her own music, and a limited run one woman show would be fantastic.

 

But yeah, in terms of new shows—someone who pulls her away from herself into a character that heightens some of her strengths worked brilliantly twice. I’d love to see something like that from her again. 

 

Will obviously be catching this before the 18th! Sad for the folks who put so much time into this to close before the Tonys even happen. 

 

 

[Kad]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 3:12pm

JSquared2 said: "Theatrefanboy1 said: "Thoughts that Chess will announce an opening at the Nederlander for the fall?"



IF (and that's a big if) CHESS ever happens, it'll be at a Shubert house.

"

It's not an if at all- it is when. They've got their leads and just shot their key art, an announcement is coming in the next few weeks.

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 3:47pm

The Sweaty One claimed the cast is Lea Michele (as Florence), Ramin Karimloo (as Anatoly), Aaron Tveit (as Freddy), and Solea Pfeiffer.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 3:52pm

People's sad obsession with some internet loser is hilarious and confounding. Gross.

I love Idina’s ethos and sense of humor as an artist (the latter of which doesn’t seem to be present in the show—or at last that’s my impression from the show’s marketing), and I love that she is determined to do new works.

I agree with everything you said. Idina is lovely and I love her championing new works. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. The people who insult her or call her a D list star have a lot of problems. This cast is wonderful but it's not surprising this very sad show didn't catch on. And many people had an issue with an affluent white woman just being able to take a year off and live in a tree. Just sayin'. Congratulations to all involved, mounting new works on Broadway is always an achievement. 

Updated On: 5/2/25 at 03:52 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 3:55pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "The Sweaty One claimed the cast is Lea Michele (as Florence), Ramin Karimloo (as Anatoly), Aaron Tveit (as Freddy), and Solea Pfeiffer."

Well.. Michele and Tveit are definitely correct.

[inception]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 4:32pm

Kad said: "
It's not an if at all- it is when. They've got their leads and just shot their key art, an announcement is coming in the next few weeks."

AND

"Well.. Michele and Tveit are definitely correct."

I'm still frigging jet lagged from returning home from Amsterdam, but booked my airfare & hotel for November. Let's hope it starts previews before Thanksgiving .

On the topic of Menzel.  I like her a lot, and they did try to throw some jokes in this show.  Just too much didn't work.  They had almost a year to fix those parts, but didn't. It didn't have to deal with issues like addiction & grief in such a superficially. ( edit that makes no sense, I was trying to say,  "deal with those issues so superficially" The book felt like a plate of spaghetti thrown against the wall.  But, then they bent over and scooped everything that didn't stick back up off the floor & onto the plate.

Updated On: 5/2/25 at 04:32 PM

[Robbie2]

Posted: 5/2/25 at 11:25pm

morosco said: "Deadwood."

 

LOL that's what everyone calls it in the industry!

[binau]

Posted: 5/3/25 at 3:19am

Does anyone know if the archive has recorded this? 

[MorrisLACat]

Posted: 5/4/25 at 5:38pm

Tina Landau is not a good director.  "A Transparent Musical" (Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles; 2023) was also directed by Landau.  That was another flop.

 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 5/18/25 at 2:27pm

Would love to hear reports from those at closing today!

Sidenote — I would now love to see Zachary Noah Piser play Johnny Cade. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 5/18/25 at 5:32pm

Speeches after the performance by Idina and Tina Landau:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJzy2hePnq6/?igsh=bWRjZTRvcWlpb2Fp

[merle57]

Posted: 5/18/25 at 8:35pm

When a show does not work, it is important to thank the artists who worked so hard to create the show. So thank you to all the artists who worked on Redwood. It's heartbreaking to love a show and know it does not work despite all your efforts and love.  

Plays and musicals can stubbornly refuse to gel and resist coming together despite years of workshops, great creative teams,  and strong performances by gifted artists. 

 I have seen flawed shows that just refused to work despite all the rewrites, all the restagings, all the show doctors, all the replacement cast members, all the ghost writers. Great stars have given excellent performances in shows that disappointed or flopped. Good writers have written wonderful moments but could not find the key to bring those moments together in one workable play.

So let's celebrate the artists who have tried to enchant, tried to move, tried to challenge, tried to create magic. It's sad when a show closes because it doesn't work. It is even sadder when the audiences just don't come. 

 

Updated On: 5/18/25 at 08:35 PM

[morosco]

Posted: 5/18/25 at 9:02pm

The show wasn't very good but everyone involved should be applauded for creating a completely original musical that's not based on a some popular movie or another jukebox/celeb musical format. Completely original musicals are always welcome.

[binau]

Posted: 5/19/25 at 2:41am

Any reports from the last performance? The material is kind of fitting for a final celebration/funeral/catharsis...in fact according to the cast recording Idina's last words she sings are "I'll Carry You With Me". Surely she must have been crying by this point. 

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 5/19/25 at 8:14am

Poor Stella.