Idina Menzel is ready for Wicked and her big return to Broadway!
At the 77th Tony Awards on Sunday, Menzel opened up about the upcoming Wicked film adaptation and her return to Broadway in a new original musical.
While talking to ET’s Rachel Smith, Menzel expressed her enthusiasm for Wicked finally being brought to the big screen. "So excited. I've just been so proud of it, and it's gonna reach a whole other audience," she said.
Menzel is equally thrilled about starring in the new Broadway musical Redwood. "It's a show that I conceived of with Tina Lando. Years ago already, and we're so excited that it's gonna come to fruition," Menzel shared. "It's about a woman at a crossroads at her life. Gets in a car in New York and escapes everyone. Finds herself cross country. Finds herself at the foot of the mystical Redwoods."
Redwood, featuring music by Kate Diaz, will premiere in February at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego before transferring to Broadway in 2025. Menzel will lead the cast as Jesse, a grieving mother who takes a cross-country road trip to find solace in the redwood forests of Northern California. Additional details are expected to be announced later.
This will mark Menzel's first return to Broadway since starring in If/Then from 2014-2015. She is best known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked, as well as voicing Elsa in Frozen.
Amid the 77th Tony Awards on Sunday, a 30-second promo for the upcoming big-screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical aired and leaned into the show-stopping vocal talents of the film's stars -- Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
The trailer -- which featured unconnected but beautifully shot snippets from the film -- largely served as a showcase for Erivo and Grande's stunning voices and effortless abilities to hit some epic high notes.
Featuring familiar snippets from some of Wicked's most famous numbers -- including "Popular" and "Defying Gravity" -- the teaser was a short but sweet taste of the audible feast fans are excitedly waiting for when the movie is released in theaters.
Director Jon M. Chu is bringing the beloved musical to the big screen in a two-part adaptation of Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's beloved Broadway musical. The show is a prequel story to The Wizard of Oz, with the plot following the early years of the Wicked Witch of the West, named Elphaba (Erivo), and Glinda the Good Witch aka Galinda (Grande).
As it turns out, Elphaba wasn't always so wicked, and Galinda wasn't always so good. Before the twister brought Dorothy into their lives, the pair were unlikely roommates-turned-friends at school -- but heartbreak, opportunity and circumstance ultimately pulled them apart and set them on the adversarial paths.
During Sunday's Tony Awards -- held at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City -- Erivo took to the stage alongside Menzel.
Idina Menzel and Cynthia Erivo
The pair was tasked with presenting the final category of the night, Best Musical, and Menzel couldn't hold back from expressing her adoration for Erivo.
"I'm just gonna go off script real quick to say how excited I am to see what I know is going to be an amazing performance in that movie that you're doing," Menzel said, beaming as she referred to Wicked.
"I love you," a bashful Erivo replied with a smile.
"And I just wanna say Green Girl power!" Menzel added with a laugh.
The adaptation also stars Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, the love interest who finds himself caught between Elphaba, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh as their reigning headmistress, Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
The Wicked adaptation is scheduled to be released in two parts. Wicked: Part One hits theaters on Nov. 27, 2024, while Wicked: Part Two will be released on Nov. 26, 2025.
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