When composer/songwriter Kate Diaz was asked to write songs for the new Idina Menzel musical Redwood she was on a hike in Griffith Park, a bucolic oasis in the Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles.
Written and directed by Tina Landau, Redwood tells the story of Jesse, who after suffering a devastating trauma, escapes her high octane life in New York in search of some kind of salve. During Jesse’s journey she discovers renewal and healing in the Northern California Redwoods and the people who cherish and nurture them. “It was actually kind of perfect that I was out in nature when I heard the news,” says Diaz who had never written a musical, let alone for Broadway.
The month before that hike, in January 2021, Diaz received an email from Landau. The director, writer and lyricist whose credits include Mother Play, SpongeBob Squarepants and Superior Donuts had done a deep dive trying to find young female composers who were not steeped in a musical theater background to write songs for Redwood.
“Tina had found my music online and asked if I’d like to demo to be the composer/co-lyricist,” says Diaz who has been writing songs and playing guitar since she was eight-years-old. “She sent a synopsis, a description of the immersive set design, and a bunch of photos of tree-climbers in the redwoods.”
As Landau tells it she fell in love with Diaz’s music and her gift for blending pop, rock, indie styles. Plus Diaz, who scores TV and films, has a cinematic sensibility that were key for the instrumental sections where moments could be expressed with music alone. Inspired by an aerial photo that Landau sent of a woman standing in the canopy of a redwood tree Diaz wrote the demo song “Great Escape.” She sent it in “fingers crossed,” says Diaz.
The moment they heard “Great Escape” Landau and Menzel knew they found a kindred spirit in Diaz and had their composer. “Great Escape” not only stayed in Redwood, it remained embedded the show’s foundation. As the lyrics go:
“Open arms, I’m ready to release/In my heart, I’m suddenly at peace/If I’ve found my reverie/Then I’ll never want to leave.
‘Cause from here/I can see it clearly/It’s nature’s remedy/Far away, from the pain/I’ll stay/And I’ll make my great escape.”
Now playing at the Nederlander Theatre, Diaz marvels at having the opportunity to write for Menzel and the rest of talented cast including De’Adre Aziza, Michael Park, Zachary Noah Piser and Khaila Wilcoxon. “This is the first project where I have written songs for characters in order to develop their stories and express their emotions,” says Diaz who is not only Redwood’s composer and co-lyricist, writing lyrics alongside Landau, she is also the show’s orchestrator/arranger. “It was so cool to work with the actors in rehearsal because I got to see them bring their characters to life as they learned the songs and made them their own.”
To borrow from John Muir who wrote about our connection to trees, “When one plants a tree they plant themselves. Every root is an anchor, over which one rests with grateful interests, and becomes sufficiently calm to feel the joy of living.” And Diaz hopes that people find that same sense of peace and joy after experiencing Redwood. “I hope people find our show uplifting,” she says. “I hope they feel inspired to go out and connect with nature themselves.”
Jeryl Brunner: Is it true that you listened to Idina Menzel’s entire song catalog when you were preparing your “Great Escape” demo?
Kate Diaz: Yes. Before I wrote “Great Escape” for my demo, I listened to Idina’s whole catalog so I could write specifically for her voice. Her range is huge of course, but I wanted to make sure I was writing for all parts of it—from her big belt notes to her emotional lower register. For each scene, Tina and I would talk about what the song needed to accomplish in terms of developing a character or the story, and Tina would send me poems, images, and references for inspiration.
Brunner: What kind of guidance did Tina Landau and Idina Menzel give you when working on Redwood? And what surprised you about Idina?
Diaz: In terms of guidance, it was sometimes comical when theater-specific concepts came up like “11 o’clock number” or “button,” and Tina and Idina would have to explain things to me that are second nature to them. I had never written a musical before, so I learned a lot about theater from both of them. And, I will always remember when Idina first came to my apartment so I could record her vocals. I was a little nervous, but she was so humble and down to earth, and I love that about her.
Brunner: The Redwood score is so eclectic. How would you describe the songs?
Diaz: The songs for each character have a slightly different texture musically, but the score, overall, is a hybrid of indie pop/rock music and cinematic orchestral scoring. It plays a lot with scale. There are small moments of personal reflection but also soaring moments when the main character experiences the grandeur of the trees. In addition to songs, Redwood also has many instrumental score moments that are important to the storytelling. There are scores that have the weight of songs, and a few instrumental themes that I have weaved into the songs and underscores throughout the show.
Brunner: You write for film and TV and are also a singer. How does being so versatile and having all these edges nurture you?
Diaz: Switching between different mediums and genres keeps my creativity and inspiration flowing because each context makes me approach writing the music from a slightly different angle. And writing songs and scores for narrative always makes me write things I wouldn’t have otherwise.
Brunner: What was the challenge of writing a musical for the theater?
Diaz: The challenge unique to theater is that every aspect of the show evolves right up until opening night. Anything, from new choreography, script edits, or increased time necessary for an actor to change costumes—all these changes can require musical tweaks. And it’s been surprisingly satisfying because as the composer and orchestrator I got to work with so many departments other than music. Theater is a team sport.
Brunner: What songwriters inspire you?
Diaz: I have so many influences, but I had a major Beatles phase growing up, which led me to start writing songs in the first place. I watched interviews of them talking about songwriting on YouTube and decided to try it myself. In high school I was really inspired by Sting’s orchestral album “Symphonicities” and also started listening to a lot of film composers, especially Thomas Newman, Jon Brion and Max Richter.