A decade has passed since powerhouse vocalist Idina Menzel landed worldwide fame courtesy of Disney’s “Frozen” and her inescapable hit song “Let It Go.”
Menzel, who played princess Elsa, also enjoyed the glow of a successful 2019 sequel and is awaiting a third film in 2026.
The “Rent” and “Wicked” veteran is also returning to Broadway next year for an original musical “Redwood.”
But before all that, Menzel is keeping busy with her first tour in seven years that includes a stop at Atlanta Symphony Hall on Friday, Aug. 2. (Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster starting at $63.50.)
“There’s nothing like doing my own live concerts,” Menzel told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a recent interview. “I love all the mediums I get to play in. I get to explore the different facets of who I am as a singer vocally and as a storyteller. I get to be funny. I get to make a lot of mistakes and turn them into fortuitous opportunities and hopefully ingratiate myself with the audience. I get to express my gratitude to the fans for supporting me.”
She curated an array of songs for this concert from her Broadway performances, her albums, the “Frozen” soundtracks and choice covers that inspire her.
“This is about me connecting songs that have been so special in my life to those that resonate with the fans as well,” she said. “It’s about me trying new things and trying new arrangements of music we all know.”
Before the tour, she had done a pre-Broadway test run of her new original musical “Redwood” in San Diego. She plays Jesse, a successful New York City businesswoman, wife and mother who is dealing with trauma and decides to take a break from life and drive to the ancient redwoods in northern California. There, a chance meeting and a leap of faith changes her life and gives her a chance to heal.
“We had a great run,” Menzel said. “It was incredibly received. We had spent years developing and workshopping this brand new musical. You’re never fully sure what you have. You hope you have something special. People were super moved by the show.”
Menzel said she was inspired by the story of Julia Butterfly Hill, who spent two years living in a redwood tree in the late 1990s battling a logging company. Hill ultimately won the battle.
“I was fascinated with the story,” Menzel said. “I always questioned whether I had it in me to do something I believed in to that degree.”
She began visiting the redwoods and learned to climb in her 40s. “I fell in love with the redwoods and everything they stand for,” she said. This led to creating “Redwood.”
One tune from the musical, “Great Escape,” is on the concert set list this Friday.
“That song embodies the feeling of peace I have in the redwoods being away from everything,” Menzel said. “The relief of knowing we are so small, that we are just a speck in this world.”
The musical, she said, is ultimately “a beautiful metaphor for resilience and healing and survival and connections the redwoods teach us.”
Menzel has always been a big proponent of original musicals as opposed to revivals or a stage version of an existing movie. “My career started with originals ‘Rent’ and ‘Wicked’,” she said. “I believe in cultivating and supporting young composers and writers.”
She knows this is a major financial and creative risk. “But there’s also more reward,” she said. “I think we’re doing something really cutting edge with this show. A lot of it is my one character up in a tree. It’s very immersive with the video art.”
Despite her outward confidence, she said anxiety can overtake her regarding “Redwood.”
“I’m always nervous about everything,” she said. “If my husband were here, he’d roll his eyes. One day, I’m excited. The next day, I’m terrified. That’s the way it is.”
Her concerts are a relative vacation in comparison: “Trying to stay in the moment is the hardest thing to do, which is why I like live performances. You really have to be in the moment in order to move people.”
In the meantime, she is awaiting word from Disney about what is coming next for Elsa.
“They haven’t come to us as actors yet,” she said. “We haven’t started working on it. [Disney president] Bob Iger publicly announced a third film and that’s all I know.”
IF YOU GO
Idina Menzel
8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2. $63.75-$250. Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta. ticketmaster.com
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