Yahoo Finance Idina Menzel on Broadway's 'revitalized' comeback: 'Everyone needs live theater'
Tony-award winning actress and singer Idina Menzel — known for her Broadway roles in "Rent" and "Wicked" — is betting big on the industry's comeback.
"I think [Broadway] is actually revitalized right now," she told Yahoo Finance in a new interview, revealing she's seen a few Broadway productions since the pandemic. "People were missing it so much that they're going."
According to The Broadway League, total box office grosses across the industry's 35 shows came in at $33.89 million for the week ending December 4 — above last year's $26.21 million over that same period, but still well below 2019's take of $38.32 million for the same week.
Various hurdles, including record-high inflation and an older population still fearful of COVID-19, have slowed down theatrical attendance across the board.
Slowing sales have meant the closures of award-winning shows like "Dear Evan Hansen," "Tina — The Tina Turner Musical," and "Come From Away."
"Phantom of the Opera," the longest running show on Broadway, is set to close this spring.
Nevertheless, Menzel, who teased she's working on a few early projects to originate a new Broadway role, maintained she's noticed a difference in recent weeks: "It's full of that energy again — I think that everyone needs live theater."
The 51-year-old performer documents the highs and lows of her decades-spanning Broadway career, along with her transition into film, in the new Disney+ (DIS) documentary "Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage?" — out Friday.
"It's pretty intimate," Menzel said of the project, which also dives into her struggles with IVF and the challenges she's faced balancing career and motherhood. "It's not your typical tour documentary where you just see a lot of performance aspects and the glamour. It's a lot of unglamorous stuff."
One thing that hasn't been unglamorous is Menzel's "Frozen" success.
The actress, who voices Elsa in the wildly popular Disney animation flick, noted the film came at a pivotal moment in her life: "It just felt [like] this incredible gift to me. The fact that it resonates with so many young people, and that the messaging is so important about this empowerment and really embracing who we are and what makes us different in the world."
"It's more than just a job. It means something in a very profound way," she reflected.
Menzel was recently inducted into Disney's Hall of Fame thanks to her roles in "Frozen" and "Enchanted," emphasizing the Disney community has been an important supporter of her career.
She weighed in on Bob Iger's surprise return as Disney CEO, telling Yahoo Finance: "I love him. I've actually met him. I've gone to a couple of functions with him, and he's such a gentleman and really charismatic and is such a believer in the classic traditional Disney and what makes Disney, Disney."
"Being a part of the Disney family has been very rewarding for me," Menzel said.
Alexandra is a Senior Entertainment and Media Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alliecanal8193 and email her at alexandra.canal@yahoofinance.com
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