Theater Review: Redwood

                                     Redwood

There’s something about trees – especially California redwoods – that is calming and even healing.

At least that’s the contention of playwright Tina Landau’s musical “Redwood,” which just opened at La Jolla Playhouse.

The plot is wild and busy and is mostly about a very unhappy Jewish woman named Jesse (Idina Menzel), a successful businesswoman who is trying to escape an unnamed tragedy by getting in her car and fleeing to California’s redwood forest. 

There we meet several other characters, who presumably have their own problems. There’s photojournalist Mel (De’Adre Aziza), a woman of color and photo-journalist from New York. And Becca, (Nkeki Obi-Melekwe), half Jewish and an expert tree climber, described as “made of steel.” There’s the woodsman Finn (Michael Parks), in his sixties, a redwood canopy botanist, who can really climb a tree. And there’s a fourth actor (Zachary Noah Pisar) who plays four characters: the fun-loving 23-year-old Spencer – Jesse’s son from a long-ago dissolved marriage – and three other briefly seen characters.

These characters move around, meet or don’t meet, sing or don’t sing (this is a musical, after all), but all is done within sight of the real star: the magnificent background of these fabulous trees, wonderfully filmed, surrounding us all with their beauty.

As Jesse begins to relax in the woods, she also begin to make make connections with the other characters, and they talk about the Jewish concept of Tikkum Olam, referring to actions intended to repair and improve the world.

This fits right in with Jesse’s intention to make things better. One thing she does is climb up to a spot on the redwood where she stakes her claim, sits down and makes herself at home. There she can actually stroke the redwood.

“Redwood” is a most unusual play, executed brilliantly in a visual feast that literally surrounds the audience. You couldn’t escape if you wanted to (at least, not without seriously inconveniencing other audience members), but you won’t because this is such a wondrous treat with humans and trees getting along and making life better for each other.

All the actors are excellent, though I sometimes had trouble understanding Menzel’s Jesse. Many of the musical numbers (music by Kate Diaz; lyrics by Diaz and Tina Landau) are unusual and sometimes difficult to understand, but they have interesting titles like “Climb” and “No Repair.”

The five-person backstage orchestra (conducted by Haley Bennett) supports the singers well. Congratulations also to music supervisor Kimberly Grigsby.

“Redwood” is a play like no other I’ve seen. If you’re up for the unusual, “Redwood” is for you.

The details

“Redwood” plays through March 31, 2024 at La Jolla Playhouse’s Sheila dnd Hughes Potiker Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive in La Jolla.

Shows Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 7 p.m.; matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Most tickets have been sold, but you might try calling (858) 550-1010.