Through the new show, the Shelby Corcoran depicter on 'Glee' is set to reunite with 'Rent' director Michael Greif and 'Wicked' producer David Stone.
- Mar 1, 2013
AceShowbiz - Idina Menzel is making a comeback on Broadway later this year. The Tony-winning actress best known for her roles in such Broadway hits as "Wicked" and "Rent" is confirmed to reunite with "Rent" director Michael Greif and "Wicked" producer David Stone for a new original stage production called "If/Then".
Joining the top-notch team are composer Tom Kitt and lyricist/book writer Brian Yorkey who are famous for their work in "Next to Normal" which won three Tony Awards including for its score and a Pulitzer Prize for drama. It will be Menzel's first Broadway show since "Wicked" and the writers' first work since "Next to Normal".
"Tom and Brian have written an ambitious, challenging, and very moving musical with a tour-de-force role at its center," said Stone. "I am thrilled to have Idina Menzel, whom I consider one of the most exciting stage talents of our time, leading the company and returning to musical theatre with this production."
The "Glee" star is set to play the lead role Elizabeth, a woman who, on the verge of turning 40, moves to New York City, "intent on a fresh start -- new home, new friends, and hopes for a resurgent career." New York Times reports titles of two of Elizabeth's songs are "Here I Go" and "You Learn to Live Without".
Menzel is "thrilled" to "have finally found...an original musical with a complex, flawed and surprising central character that I cannot wait to bring to life onstage." She is expected to showcase songs from the upcoming show on Friday, March 1 at an American Songbook series concert that features the work of Kitt and Yorkey.
The journey of Elizabeth will start to unfold when the show has its world premiere at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. in a so-called pre-Broadway engagement. Previews will start November 5 for a November 24 opening.
