Broadway Access Review -
Redwood

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ID: image of the Redwood Playbill in front of the stage with the text "Access Review" on top

 

General Note

This is a review of the accessibility of the theater, of the lighting/sound/scent design of the show, and a list of content warnings as a way to prep folks with various needs before they go see it.

This is not meant to scare anyone away from seeing the show. Most productions have about the same amount of content warnings and sensory warnings to go along with it, they’re just rarely explicitly written down. 

For some people, knowing these things ahead of time makes it easier to enjoy the show because they know what to expect. And, often, makes those people more likely to see it in the first place. I hope that it’s helpful! 

I am also happy to clarify any specifics, just send me a message or an email and I will respond when I can.

Also please note that I make these while seeing a show for the first time, so I may miss some cues or be slightly off as to their placement/cue line!

Theater

Nederlander Theatre

All comments on the accessibility of lighting are in reference to seats in the far back center/right mezzanine

Bathrooms:

  • no explicitly gender neutral options

  • located up the central staircase (above the orchestra) and there is one non-gendered accessible restroom on the far left of the orchestra

  • the stalls have really clear red/green vacancy labels

  • there are 2 steps up/down in the bathroom

Other theater accessibility:

  • there is no elevator, though street to orch is step-free

  • they have several accessible seats, as well as an accessible bar on the orchestra level

  • they offer captioning, audio description, and assistive listening options

Click here for more information on the physical accessibility of this theater.

Light/Sound/Scent

General:

  • I might recommend earplugs for this show

  • the theater was notably very cold, though that may have been specific to the weather that evening

  • the show runs 110 minutes without an intermission

  • the stage is entirely screens (upon entering it is entirely bright white) that are used for projections throughout the show. At the beginning the projections primarily rely on white and moving flashes on black screens. Later they transition to being more like expanding images and flying over things which, to me, felt more disorienting than the flashing (the latter exist in almost every song, I will not note them further)

  • the screens extend out to the edge of the mezzanine

  • the sensory accessibility of this show is similar to that of Sunset Boulevard, Death Becomes Her, and Tommy (more in regard to projections feeling disorienting and the flashiness of the first ~10 or so minutes than anything else)

The Show:

  • the show begins with a loud blackout and harsh white noise 

  • Drive (opening number)– ~10 or so minutes run time. Has a continuous fast breathing motif as well as flashing and flickering white moments (in high contrast with the mostly dark stage) throughout 

  • loud camera shutters once Jesse lays on the ground

  • brief moving flashlights

  • white flash after “you better go back now”

  • yellow flash after her son comes up to her

  • low bass after “stay forever on our money” - then moving/flashing white bars for ~7 sec

  • after they all do spins climbing up the tree there is low bass and it gets loud until they get to the platform

  • “I could rest. I could breathe” - quick cue shift

  • “so dope” - flash 

  • “the way you fucked up your life” - loud flash - maybe ~20 or so of these in a row, crescendoing volume for ~30-45 seconds with fast breathing motif

  • “do not miss another moment with your son” - lightning flashing for ~15 sec

  • smoke on left of stage (and later from center stage) – it appeared unscented and didn’t make the stage particularly hazy 

  • low bass at the end of The Fires (there is no more significant projection movement after the fire, this is the last place I noted it)

Content Warnings

  • grief/death/child loss

  • mentions of drug use and overdose

  • contemplation of jumping out of a tree with the intent to self harm

  • wildfire 

  • panic attack imagery, particularly at the beginning– there is a quick breathing/heartbeat motif that appears for much of the first 20-30 minutes and then reappears a small handful of times throughout the rest of the show