The new musical “Redwood,” which recently opened at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway, certainly lives up to the title, featuring the magnificent giant redwood tree that seamlessly moves on and off-stage as needed. In fact, it may be one of the best characters, given the name Stella, in this long, tedious and banal musical which was conceived by its star the iconic Idena Menzel and the stalwart Tina Landau who penned the book. The lyrics by Ms. Landau and Kate Diaz border on insipid, with absolutely no inspiration, and certainly do nothing to move whatever plot there is forward. The music by Ms. Diaz is repetitive and seems to be written to accommodate the strong belting vocals of the cast, which results in a loud, bland score. No one will leave the theatre humming a tune. The songs that wallow in self-pity do nothing but repeat feelings and emotions that have already been revealed and established, but without a doubt are written to showcase Ms. Menzel’s outstanding vocal and awesome Broadway belt. Also, the direction by Ms. Landau is sluggish, sometimes frantic, as flashbacks move quickly providing no exposition or explanation.

The plot revolves around Jesse (Idena Menzel), a middle-aged woman from New York, who owns an art gallery, and is married to her wife Mel (De’Andre Aziza), who is a photojournalist. In the frenetic opening scene Jesse is driving, it seems to get away from something or someone, but it is not clear. As she drives there are many flashbacks that are playing out around her, but it is unclear where she is going or why she is running away. There is visual reference to her son Spencer (Zachary Noah Piser) in several flashbacks but absolutely no exposition about the character. When the chaos stops, we find Jesse lying asleep beneath a Giant Redwood tree in the middle of the forest in California. She is discovered by Becca (Khaila Wilcoxon), and Finn (Michael Park), who are canopy botanists collecting samples to study carbon sequestration. This is where Jesse becomes infatuated with the giant redwood tree and badgers Finn to let her climb, which Mel insists cannot happen because it is against protocol. We still don’t know why Jesse is there. Finn gives in, Jesse climbs, then wheedles her way into sleeping overnight on the platform up near the canopy. During this time, she forms a relationship with the tree, naming her Stella, and with Becca when they finally have a decent conversation. Fire breaks out, Jesse is spared and inspired by revelations about her journey she receives.

Themes of love, loss, grief and acceptance are present but not explored in enough depth to make any difference in the thin plot. The structure adds to the confusion and lacks a sufficient dramatic arc. The character of Jesse seems to be the protagonist and antagonist, by being her own worst enemy. The entire cast is excellent but cannot overcome the weak material which makes it difficult to develop dimensional characters. Scenic design by Jason Ardizzone-West in conjunction with the Video design by Hana S. Kim, similar to IMAX projection, is impressive and brings the redwood forest to life. Lighting design by Scott Zielinski is natural and realistic whether driving down a highway at night or basking under the canopy of the forest. When the audience finally understands what Jesse is trying to escape, it is too little, too late. The tree climbing techniques and execution are impressive, but the acrobatics are unnecessary. No matter how high the characters climb that mighty redwood, or how freely they fly in their harness, this musical does not come close to defying gravity.