Broadway Breakdown: Matt Reviews REDWOOD

Host: Matt Koplik
Date: February 14, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Matt Koplik reviews the new Broadway musical, REDWOOD, starring Idina Menzel and directed by Tina Landau. Matt provides an in-depth critique, covering the show’s story, performances, score, technical elements, and its place in the broader context of musical theater. He discusses his own expectations, parallels to other works, and why the show ultimately failed to impress him both emotionally and musically.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Immediate Impression and Spoiler Warning

• Matt gives a spoiler warning for listeners who want a general sense of his feelings without specific plot details.
• Immediate verdict:

  "I did not care for Redwood. I did not find it to be terribly good." (05:28)

2. Production Details and Cast

• Cast includes Idina Menzel, Deidre Aziza, Zachary Noah Piser, Michael Park, and Kayla Wilcoxon.
• Tina Landau is both director and book writer, co-writing lyrics with Kate Diaz (composer).
• Matt notes the overall lack of pre-opening buzz and intentionally went in “very open minded.”

  "All everyone really knew was that it had to do with Idina Menzel and trees..." (03:00)

3. Technical Elements and Staging

• Heavy reliance on projections; Matt found them mostly unconvincing, comparing them to theme park aesthetics:

  "A lot of the projections kind of reminded me... of Pandora. ... It just was very obviously fake and not in a way that was impressionistic and on purpose..." (07:08)

• Aerial work is incorporated (climbing trees), but technical aspects are described as unimpressive.

4. Performance Review

• Idina Menzel: Still sick during the performance, but acting is described as nuanced and introspective.

  "She finds a lot of quirky nuances and she has really great deadpan dry delivery. ... She can rawly expose herself on stage and not make it feel indulgent." (11:50)

• Vocal performance suffered due to illness, highlighting weaknesses in material instead of covering them with powerhouse vocals.
• The rest of the cast is described as strong despite roles not being well written.

5. Plot Breakdown

[Main plot segment starts ~13:50]

• Jesse (Idina Menzel) is an art gallery owner fleeing from grief and guilt after her son’s death from an overdose.
• She isolates herself in a national park, becomes fixated on climbing a redwood ("Stella"), and forms tentative connections with scientists Finn (Michael Park) and Becca (Kayla Wilcoxon).
• The story unfolds with Jesse's flashbacks to family life, the strains of trying to help her son, and her fraught marriage to Deidre Aziza’s character.
• Resolution comes through a vision/hallucination in the tree during a forest fire, where Jesse’s son absolves her of guilt and encourages her to move forward.

  "He sort of absolves her of all of her guilt and she moves on. And she calls Diedre and she's like, I'm ready to come home and I want to talk about our son and maybe we can start again..." (29:18)

6. Personal Connection and Critique of Emotional Payoff

• Matt shares parallels between Redwood and his own screenplay, Knowing Eric, emphasizing the complexity and ambiguity of parental guilt after loss.

  "There is something to be said for acknowledging the fuck ups you've done... You are a piece of the puzzle, but you are not the whole puzzle." (41:20)

• He criticizes Redwood for its overly neat emotional catharsis:

  "It is very squeaky clean. It ties it up with a ribbon. ...I’m a big fan of living in the gray area... and it just bothered me that was how we resolved that plotline." (40:32)

7. Writing and Structural Issues

• The musical is described as “choppy,” with filler songs that lack purpose, development, and dramatic arc.
• Songs often serve little dramatic purpose or could be replaced by dialogue.

  "There are a lot of songs that just feel like padding and have no build... Half of the songs aren't necessary." (48:02)

• Score by Kate Diaz (her first musical) criticized for lacking understanding of musical theater storytelling.

  "It’s a score that just sort of sits there. Songs just sort of happen, and they'll often end with Idina holding a big money note." (59:30)

8. Broader Context: Outsiders Writing Musicals

[Discussion begins ~55:00]

• Matt discusses the Broadway trend of hiring composers with no musical theater experience:

  "There's always been this fetishization of taking people outside of the musical theater world... and sometimes it works out like Sara Bareilles in Waitress..." (56:20)

• He points out that REDWOOD’s creative team lacks deep integration with musical theater craft, contributing to its problems.

9. Comparisons to Other Musicals

• Matt contrasts Redwood with Fun Home as a successful intimate musical centered on grief, showing how thematic focus creates emotional resonance.
• He notes the pitfalls of originality without strong structure and the difficulty of writing new, integrated musicals.

10. Notable Songs and Moments

• The song “Still” is Matt’s favorite, but sung in the context of the scene he finds most problematic.

  "The song I liked the most is from the scene that I have the biggest issue with. ... it has the best lyrics of the show." (01:13:41)

• Examples of misplaced humor and extraneous musical numbers (e.g., a rap birthday flashback) that undermine pace and focus.

11. Design and Sound

• Lighting and orchestra sound design are praised; vocal sound design is criticized for making lyrics hard to understand.
• Projections again likened to 1970s theme park rides, lacking artistry or realism.

12. Tony Chances and Industry Placement

[Timestamps 01:18:00+]

• Minimal Tony Award prospects predicted; Matt doesn’t foresee nominations for Best Musical, Score, or Idina Menzel, due to a crowded and competitive season.

  "I don't really see a world where Adina gets nominated...There's simply too much." (01:19:45)

• Possible set/design nomination, but unlikely.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On projections:

  "It just almost looks like a CD ROM graphic." (01:15:40)

• On the musical’s emotional arc:

  "You gotta walk with [the things you’ve done] forever. You don’t necessarily define yourself by that... But it doesn’t erase them." (42:15)

• On musical structure:

  "If this is Jesse’s story and her arc, everything’s got to stem from that." (01:10:15)

• On the writing of songs:

  "A couple of pretty compositions does not a good score make." (01:01:51)

• On humor:

  "Sometimes the humor that they go for, it's for the sake of trying to break the tension. But it's a joke that doesn't make sense or it's a joke that ruins the flow." (01:17:18)

Useful Timestamps

• 03:00 – What the audience knew about Redwood going in
• 07:08 – Review of the projections and technical design
• 11:50 – Matt’s take on Idina Menzel’s acting choices/styles
• 13:50 – Main plot summary begins
• 29:18 – Climax/Resolution and son’s vision scene
• 40:32 – Critique of the cathartic “absolution” ending
• 48:02 – Structural flaws and issues with the score
• 56:20 – Trend of non-musical-theater composers; Broadway context
• 59:30 – Matt’s assessment of the score
• 01:13:41 – Matt’s favorite song and its context
• 01:15:40 – On the look of projections
• 01:19:45 – Tony predictions

Overall Tone & Final Assessment

Matt Koplik’s review is characteristically passionate, direct, and irreverent—alternating between playful snark and empathic analysis. He underscores the importance of storytelling craft in musical theater and doesn’t hesitate to critique REDWOOD for falling short musically, structurally, and emotionally, despite admiring the intentions and efforts of those involved. He encourages listeners to see it for themselves—but with managed expectations.

For more Broadway analysis and opinion, follow Matt’s Substack and join his Discord (links in the episode description).