Latest news with #Menzel
West Australian
27-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Colourful QR codes spark community input for Kununurra's future
Kununurra residents have been left scratching their heads by the mysterious coloured circles that have appeared on footpaths around town. The colourful dots with a large K and a QR code on them are not a strange new public art display. They are a playful tactic by the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley to get residents involved in creating a new master plan for the town centre and Lake Kununurra foreshore. Residents are being encouraged to scan the QR codes with their phones which will take them to the Kununurra Reimagined website where they can access online surveys and register for public forums about the master plan which will begin next week. Shire president David Menzel said the community's voice was essential to shaping places that reflect Kununurra's identity and future. 'We want to create a town centre and foreshore that are vibrant, welcoming and functional — places people are proud of. This is your opportunity to influence how that happens,' he said. Cr Menzel said everyone was encouraged to get involved. Whether they are young people, retirees, parents, First Nations peoples, long-time locals, newcomers, business owners or visitors. The project has major financial backing with the State Government committing $327,000 for the town centre revitalisation and the Federal Government contributing $2 million for planning the foreshore redevelopment. Urban design and placemaking experts, Hassell Studios, has been appointed to lead the creation of the master plan and will kick off community engagement with a series of forums from June 3-5. A further six forums will be held across the next year to ensure broad and ongoing input from the community. Next week's forums will be Tuesday June 3, 4-6pm at Hotel Kununurra, Wednesday June 4, 5-7pm at Hotel Kununurra and Thursday June 5, 5-7pm at Waringarri Radio. To register for a forum, track progress or contribute online, visit .
New York Times
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Idina Menzel's ‘Redwood' to Close Following Tony Nominations Shutout
'Redwood,' a musical starring Idina Menzel, will end its Broadway run on May 18, an unexpectedly early closing announced just 24 hours after the show failed to garner any Tony Awards nominations. The show's producers, Eva Price, Caroline Kaplan and Loudmouth Media, which is Menzel's production company, announced the closing on Friday morning, acknowledging in a statement that 'we had of course hoped for a longer run.' It had been scheduled to run at least until Aug. 17. 'Redwood' was among 13 Tony-eligible shows that did not receive any nominations on Thursday. And although it had started off well at the box office, the show faced a worrisome decline in weekly grosses last month. It is the first production to decide to close following the Tony announcements, but it is not likely to be the last — several musicals are exhibiting signs of weakness at the box office at a very competitive and challenging time for Broadway shows, when it has become increasingly difficult for shows to become profitable because the costs of producing have risen. 'Redwood' is a passion project for Menzel and her main collaborator, Tina Landau, who conceived the show with the actress and then wrote the book and directed the production. Kate Diaz wrote the music and collaborated with Landau on the lyrics. It had an initial production last year at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. The musical is about a New York City gallerist, who, grieving the death of her son, drives cross-country and winds up in a redwood forest, seeking some kind of solace while tree-sitting. The set features enormous LED screens that are used to depict the landscape, and Menzel and several of her co-stars perform part of the show while climbing a large prop tree. The show was named a Critic's Pick by Jesse Green of The New York Times, who wrote, 'You have to admire the guts it takes to have put a deeply serious show about trauma and resilience on Broadway right now.' But other critics were less impressed; the reviews were mostly mixed to negative. The producers said that, during the production's run, the show helped raise more than $2 million for charities, much of it in support of redwood forests. 'Redwood' began previews at the Nederlander Theater on Jan. 24 and opened Feb. 13. At the time of its closing, it will have had 127 performances. It was capitalized for up to $16 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission; that money has not been recouped.
Boston Globe
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
From broadcast news to Broadway producer
Today, she's a three-time Tony Award winner Then on Feb. 13, Price and her fellow producers opened the brand-new musical 'Redwood,' about a woman who flees to a Northern California redwood forest to embark on a restorative journey. The show, which Broadway producer Eva Price. Courtesy ART artistic director Diane Paulus, who directed 'Jagged Little Pill' and collaborated with Price on its development, praises her as an industry 'mover and a shaker' and a 'tireless and dedicated' producer. 'She gives artists the space and flexibility to spread their wings,' Paulus said. 'But she's also hands-on when you need her, ready to roll her sleeves up and solve problems.' Advertisement That problem-solving skill is vital in Price's role as a producer. On any given show, she's responsible for her productions' financials, raising money from investors, securing theaters, selling tickets, developing marketing plans, press strategy, and awards campaigns, ensuring the whole company's health and safety, and much more. Tucked into a plush green seat inside 'Redwood''s home at the Nederlander Theatre, steps from the stage, Price said that becoming a Broadway producer 'wasn't the dream. I didn't even know what a theater producer did.' She'd acted in theater at Chelmsford High School and was the president of the drama club, but as a student at George Washington University she planned for a career in political communications. After graduation, she worked for Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, but when Gore lost the election she took the advice of a mentor and moved to New York to break into television news, where her job entailed everything from assigning coverage as the 9/11 attacks unfolded to waking up news anchor Peter Jennings when Pope John Paul II died. 'My 'Sliding Doors' life would have brought me to D.C. to work at the White House,' she said. With 'Redwood' — conceived by Menzel and director Tina Landau, with a score by songwriter Kate Diaz — Price says she was drawn to the story of a female protagonist, fierce yet psychically fraying, escaping the pain and turbulence of her life after suffering a terrible trauma. 'It's inspired by the idea of what it would take to leave everything behind and feel healing and resilience by connecting with nature and being above it all for awhile. It stuck in my soul and in my heart, and it was a story I just had to produce,' she says. Advertisement 'Redwood' marks a kind of homecoming for Menzel. The Nederlander is the theater where the Tony-winning actress made her Broadway debut in 1996 in the groundbreaking musical phenomenon 'Rent.' 'I love full circle moments,' Price said. 'I wanted the show to be in a theater that has meaning.' In an email, Menzel raved about Price's 'fearless producing style' and 'willingness to take risks,' adding, 'She's a badass Jew who doesn't take no for an answer.' The environmentally-themed show features visually stunning projections, with massive LED screens that immerse the audience deep inside the redwood forest and above the treetops. A towering redwood replica stands at the center of the stage, and Menzel and her castmates defy gravity while climbing the tree, and even swinging from it, during the show. Those innovations dovetail with Price's m.o. as a producer known for risk-taking and envelope-pushing ideas. She's always been drawn, she said, to 'the idea of walking into a theater and experiencing the unexpected.' After all, she produced Beth Wohl's nearly wordless play, 'Small Mouth Sounds,' set at a silent retreat, and the unsettling 2019 reimagining of 'Oklahoma!' that channeled America's fear of outsiders with an immersive, in-the-round staging, blood-soaked finale, and ominous live-video sequence. When Price first decided to take a shot at producing, she was in her mid-20s and had come out of the closet only a few years before, so she was fearless — and a little naive about what the job would entail, which probably helped. 'I was not scared of anything. If I knew then what I know now, no way would I have done this. I didn't know how hard, how impossible, how heartbreaking it can be,' Price says. Advertisement She got her feet wet producing a small-scale show called 'Joy' with some friends for a short run in 2005 in the West Village. Then she partnered with some producers to take off-Broadway's 'The Great American Trailer Park Musical' on tour. 'We produced it in-house, taught ourselves how to be general managers. I didn't really know how to do any of that,' she says. She learned 'by doing — and by failing.' As a producer, 'You're part psychologist, part coach, part rabbi or priest, part parent, and part boss. And you wear all those hats, from support system to tough love to problem solver,' Price says. One of her early high-profile successes was Carrie Fisher's one-woman comic memoir show 'Wishful Drinking,' which had a pre-Broadway tour that came to Boston in 2008 before landing on Broadway in 2009-10. 'That got my taste buds going for how to do this,' she says. She continued to cut her teeth as a co-producer on Broadway shows like 'The Addams Family,' 'On Your Feet!' 'Dear Evan Hansen,' and 'Angels in America.' She was part of the lead producing teams for '& Juliet' and 'Peter and the Starcatcher' on Broadway, off-Broadway shows like 'Cruel Intentions' and smaller-scale tours like Two of her productions came to Boston last fall — Joey Soloway's Emmy-winning television series and Advertisement Price credits her success to her ability to compartmentalize, and her passion. 'I think a theater producer has to lead with their passion because it's such an emotional and visceral art form.' How does she decide what shows she wants to produce? 'It's a trifecta of head, heart, and gut, but it's pretty gut-related,' she explains. 'When a show connects with people, makes [them] think and feel a certain way, it is the most fulfilling art form on the planet.' For Price, when your job doesn't feel like work, 'that's when it's the most meaningful. And so often the work we do in the theater doesn't feel like work. It feels like joy, it feels like heart, it feels like truth, it feels like life. So to work in an art form that hits all those points is incredibly gratifying.'
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Idina Menzel Has 'Frozen' Reunions as Kristen Bell and Josh Gad Visit 'Redwood' on Broadway (Exclusive Details)
The cold didn't bother Kristen Bell and Josh Gad this weekend, as the two actors braved the winter weather in New York City to visit their former Frozen costar Idina Menzel in her new Broadway musical. Photographer Bruce Glikas captured the sweet reunions backstage at the Nederlander Theatre, the stars each hugging Menzel and sharing their congratulations with the Tony Award winner. "It was nothing but love," a source tells PEOPLE of the visits. "Idina was so happy to see them and they were praising her on how much they enjoyed her performance. You could see they really love each other." Sadly, Bell and Gad came on different days. He was there for the matinee on Saturday, Feb. 15, while Bell attended the evening performance on Sunday, Feb. 16. Related: The Cast of Frozen: Where Are They Now? While all three didn't have a group get-together, they'll all be stepping back into their Frozen roles for the upcoming third and fourth installments of the franchise. Bell and Menzel voice sisters Anna and Elsa, respectively, while Gad is the voice of Olaf, their childhood snowman brought to life by Elsa's magic. Fans first met the characters when Frozen premiered in 2013. A sequel, Frozen II, was released in 2019. Not much is known about the plots of Frozen 3 and Frozen 4, though Jennifer Lee, who wrote and directed the first two, will be back again. The third film is set to be released on Nov. 24, 2027. "I've heard a little bit and I can tell you guys, it's pretty mind-blowing what's coming," Gad teased of the film on The View back in November 2023. "It's pretty exciting." Related: Josh Gad Explains Why Frozen 3 Won't Be Released Until 2027: 'No One Wants to Rush This' Related: Idina Menzel Reaches New Heights — and Defies Gravity — in Touching Broadway Musical Redwood Menzel doesn't just star in Redwood — which opened on Feb. 13. — but she also co-conceived it with director Tina Landau. Landau penned the musical's book and lyrics while newcomer Kate Diaz composed the music. In the musical, Menzel plays Jesse, a grief-stricken mother who flees to the forest after the death of her son. Connecting with the redwood trees helps her confront her trauma and eventually, begin to heal. A slew of standouts star alongside Menzel, like Tony Award nominee De'Adre Aziza (Passing Strange), Emmy winner Michael Park (Dear Evan Hansen), Zachary Noah Piser (Dear Evan Hansen), and Khaila Wilcoxon (Six). The cast also includes Daniel Brackett (Aladdin), Bradley Dean (The Last Ship), Veronica Otim (& Juliet) and Jessica Phillips (Dear Evan Hansen). But perhaps the most awe-inspiring characters in Redwood are the trees themselves, displayed on LED screens that wrap the theater. The set design by Jason Ardizzone-West and Hana S. Kim's projections transport audiences to Northern California. Adding to the rich experience is the moody lighting by Scott Zielinski and the layered outdoor sounds crafted by Jonathan Dean. Related: George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Sarah Snook and All the Celebrities Leading Broadway's Starriest Season Yet Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Redwood marks Menzel's return to the boards for the first time since 2015's If/Then. She's also back in the Nederlander, where she made her Broadway debut in Rent nearly 30 years ago. "Honestly, it's been very emotional, like a homecoming," Menzel told The New York Times in January. Opening night proved to be another homecoming. The special evening brought out Menzel's original Rent costars Anthony Rapp, Wilson Jermaine Heredia and Fredi Walker. They all posed with Rent director Michael Greif on the red carpet. Tickets for Redwood are now on sale. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Idina Menzel on Her ‘Exhilarating' Broadway Return in ‘Redwood' and Swinging From a Tree 20 Feet Above the Stage
Idina Menzel is no stranger to flying high above Broadway stages, and she made her soaring return (literally) Thursday night with the new musical 'Redwood.' The show marks her first Broadway role since 2014's 'If/Then,' and Menzel also co-conceived 'Redwood' with Tina Landau, who wrote the book. It follows Jesse, a mother struggling with the death of her son after an accidental overdose. To process her grief, she drives from New York to California's Redwood forest to escape the big city and her feelings. There, she befriends two arborists who let her climb a towering Redwood tree on her own to process her trauma and reconnect with her wife. More from Variety 'Redwood' Review: Idina Menzel Hits the Heights in a Heartfelt Broadway Return Inside the 'Wicked' Surprise Cameos: How [SPOILER] Landed Back in Oz 'You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah' Director on Working With Adam Sandler's Daughters in Netflix's New Teen Movie The most exciting moments of the musical revolve around Stella, the Redwood tree that is central in the story — and the stage. Menzel and the cast wear harnesses to ascend more than 20 feet up the Redwood, just like real tree climbers would. 'We had to practice first and learn how to get into harnesses and get certified for climbing. The first time we did it in tech was so much fun,' Menzel told Variety at the 'Redwood' opening at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre. 'We find it really exhilarating and liberating in the show.' Just like Elphaba in 'Wicked,' Menzel seems to defy gravity and belt out songs while swinging, leaping and twirling upside-down from the tree. There was a lot of practice to perfect the climbing, and nobody reported any falls or close calls. 'There's no fake flying in here. There's nobody lifting anyone. The actors learned it. Idina and the cast went out to Oakland and climbed on a Redwood tree to learn it. They're real tree climbers and that's what you're seeing on stage,' Landau said. 'We've done really well with the height and vertical choreography and dance. There's a really intense culture of safety. We have a saying, 'We move at the speed of trust.' So it's been very safe, slow, gentle and no accidents.' Landau and Menzel originally had the idea for the show 15 years ago, then reconnected during the pandemic to bring it to life. They brought on composer Kate Diaz, who made her theatrical debut, to write the songs. The cast also includes De'Adre Aziza, Khaila Wilcoxon, Michael Park and Zachary Noah Piser, who plays Jesse's late son. 'Idina Menzel is the kind of artist who puts everything into everything she does,' Piser said. 'This was even a beat further than that because she co-conceived parts of it. You can tell by the way that she performs that she cares deeply. That is an intangible thing that affects the overall chemistry of everyone. You feed off that love and care and collaboration.' See more photos from the opening night of 'Redwood' below. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Grammy Predictions, From Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar: Who Will Win? Who Should Win? What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025
