Newswise — BRONX, N.Y. — November 12, 2024 — Today, the Bronx Zoo announced that Idina Menzel, Tony Award-winner, actress, philanthropist and multi-platinum-selling singer/songwriter, will perform in the 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® on the zoo’s new “Wondrous World of Wildlife” float. As part of the Bronx Zoo’s monumental debut in the Macy’s Parade, Menzel will perform “Great Escape” – a song from her new Broadway musical, “Redwood.”
Born in Manhattan and crowned the “Queen of Broadway,” Menzel and the Bronx Zoo, two icons of New York City, will come together for the first time in the Parade for a larger-than-life performance. Set against the backdrop of Manhattan on the zoo’s beautiful, all-new float, the performance will send an important message about conservation as spectators marvel at the incredible natural biomes on the float, including the Russian Boreal Forest, the African Savanna, and the African Rainforest, and representations of the amazing animals who call these places home.
“As a native New Yorker, it’s such a joy to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and to partner with the Bronx Zoo, whose connection to the city and mission to protect nature is very near and dear to me,” said Idina Menzel. “Conservation is at the heart of my new musical, and an important message for viewers. I can’t wait to connect with my fans on the streets of Manhattan and soon again on Broadway.”
Menzel will make her long-awaited return to Broadway in January 2025 with the debut of her new musical, “Redwood.”The musical was co-conceived by Menzel and acclaimed writer and director Tina Landau, with music by Kate Diaz and lyrics by Diaz and Landau. In “Redwood,” a life-altering event drives Menzel’s character Jesse far from everyone and everything she knows. When she finds herself at the foot of the redwoods in Northern California, a chance encounter and a leap of faith will change her life forever. “Redwood” explores the lengths — and heights — one travels to find strength, resilience and healing.
“As one of the best multi-talented performers of our time, we are thrilled to have Idina perform on our Bronx Zoo float,” said Jim Breheny, Director of the Bronx Zoo. “Idina represents the very best of New York City, and her new musical, “Redwood,” has conservation-driven themes that align with the Bronx Zoo’s mission. We are very excited to see her at the Parade and we’re sure her performance will be unforgettable.”
The 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air Thursday, Nov. 28 in the U.S. on NBC and stream on Peacock. Check local listings for details. For more information, visit macys.com/parade. To follow and participate in the excitement, check out @macys on various social platforms and follow #MacysParade.
Follow the Bronx Zoo on social media channels for updates and more: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
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The Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo, located on 265 acres of hardwood forest in Bronx, NY, opened on Nov. 8, 1899. It is world-renowned for its leadership in the areas of animal welfare, husbandry, veterinary care, education, science and conservation. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is the flagship park of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) which manages the world’s largest network of urban wildlife parks including the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and New York Aquarium. Our curators and animal care staff work to save, propagate, and sustain populations of threatened and endangered species. We have educated and inspired more than 400 million visitors at our zoos and aquarium since our opening and host approximately 4 million guests at our parks each year – including about a half-million students annually. The Bronx Zoo is the largest youth employer in the borough of the Bronx, providing opportunity and helping to transform lives in one of the most under-served communities in the nation. The Bronx Zoo is the subject of THE ZOO, a docu-series aired world-wide on Animal Planet.
About Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel is a Tony Award-winning, powerhouse multi-hyphenate: a singer, an actress in film and TV, a songwriter, a Broadway star, and a philanthropist.
She rose to fame for her role as ‘Maureen’ in the popular Broadway musical Rent, and her career took off when she won a Tony Award for her role as ‘Elphaba,’ the Wicked Witch of the West, in the smash musical Wicked. Her voice can be heard as ‘Elsa’ in Disney’s Oscar® winning Frozen, the second highest grossing animated films of all time, with more than $1.2 billion in worldwide box office revenue. The film’s song “Let It Go”, voiced by Menzel, became an instant international phenomenon, winning the Oscar® for Best Original Song – where Menzel performed it at the ceremony – and the Grammy® Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. The track reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Menzel the first artist with both a Billboard Top 10 hit and a Tony Award for acting. This February, Idina will be returning to Broadway to star in Redwood, which she co-conceived with Tina Landau. In a true full circle moment, the show will play the Nederlander Theatre, where Menzel made her Broadway debut in Rent.
In August 2023, Menzel released her electrifying dance project Drama Queen via BMG. The project is a departure from what she’s released in the past, as Menzel showcases her powerhouse vocals through disco-infused beats and soaring anthems. For Drama Queen, Idina worked with award-winning collaborators including Nile Rodgers (Chic, Diana Ross, Beyonce), Justin Tranter (Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez), Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters), Sir Nolan (Shawn Mendes, Carly Rae Jepsen), Jim Eliot (Elie Goulding, Kylie Minogue) and more.
Menzel was most recently seen in the Netflix film You’re So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah alongside Adam Sandler. She can also be seen in the sequel to Enchanted, Enchanted 2: Disenchanted, alongside Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, and Maya Rudolph. In late 2022 she released the personal Disney+ documentary Which Way to the Stage?, which followed her on a national tour over the course of 16 shows as she juggled the challenges of being a working mom and a grueling schedule, all while preparing to finally realize her lifelong dream of headlining Madison Square Garden.
Menzel is consistently lauded for her strong yet emotional live performances. Accompanied by world-renowned symphony orchestras, Menzel has played to sold-out audiences and demonstrated why she is one of the great performers of her time. The Denver Post dubbed her “The Streisand of her generation,” while The New York Times praised Menzel as “an entertainer with a phenomenal voice… Diana Ross with ten times the stamina and lung power.”
Philanthropy is also important to Menzel, who co-founded the A BroaderWay Foundation in 2010. The organization is dedicated to offering girls from underserved communities an outlet for self-expression and creativity through arts-centered programs. The emphasis is on building self-esteem, developing leadership qualities and striving for personal and social achievement. In 2014, Menzel was recognized as one of Variety’s Power of Women honorees for her work with the organization.
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