Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage?’ on Disney+, An Intimate Look at the ‘Frozen’ Performer’s Journey to Madison Square Garden

Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage? is a Disney+ documentary that follows the performer as she embarks on her 2018 tour with Josh Groban, which closes out at Madison Square Garden (her life-long dream). During this journey, Menzel reflects on the highs and lows of her career and gives insight into her personal life, including the struggles she faces while balancing being a performer and a mother. The documentary is a captivating blend of concert videos, talking head testimonies, and archival footage.

IDINA MENZEL: WHICH WAY TO THE STAGE?: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Idina Menzel sings “Last night I had a dream, I found myself playing at Madison Square Garden,” to the tune of “Over the Moon” from Jonathan Larson’s hit musical Rent while accompanied by her band. She continues to riff new lyrics to the familiar beat while the screen blacks out to reveal a title card, “Idina Menzel”, written in a glittery gold font.

The Gist: It’s 2018 in New York City and Menzel is preparing to go on tour with Josh Groban which will take her to 17 different cities before wrapping at her “dream” venue, the infamous Madison Square Garden. Through it all, she juggles being an attentive mother to her son, Walker, and undergoing IVF treatments in hopes of conceiving a child with her now-husband, Aaron Lohr.

While counting down to the big performance, the documentary jumps between eras, spanning the entirety of Menzel’s career, from her younger years as a wedding and bar mitzvah singer to her 1996 Broadway debut in Rent and her rise to Disney fame through Frozen. Menzel reflects on these monumental moments and how they’ve impacted her life, while also giving viewers a look into her personal life. She journeys into her hometown in Long Island, NY and rummages through her old keepsakes – including a box of her old songwriting, which she playfully roasts.

Despite the documentary being a joyful celebration of her career, Menzel refuses to shy away from the harder moments in her life. She opens up about the isolation she felt after her parents’ divorce, her resentment towards them for not letting her perform professionally as a child, and the resistance she felt from the industry in the early stages of her career. These recollections are intertwined with her touring experience and often set to the backdrop of her live performances, which include original songs and fan-favorite hits from her musical theatre work, including a “No Day But Today” melody from Rent, “Do You Want To Build A Snowman” from Frozen, and “Defying Gravity” from Wicked.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of? The documentary feels like a mature take on Taylor Swift: Miss Americana and Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry, with a blend of Josh Groban – Bridges Live: Madison Square Garden and Ben Platt Live from Radio City Music Hall, as their music definitely vibes well with Menzel’s.

Memorable Dialogue: Menzel shades the “LA industry” in one scene while preparing to perform in the city. She says, “I guess LA is always an uncomfortable show since, like, LA industry people don’t know how to relax and have a good time.”

Sex and Skin: Nothing here, but at one point, Menzel jokes to the camera that she is looking forward to returning home to her husband so she can “get some”.

Our Take: Menzel’s documentary (which takes its name from her opening line in Rent) is a worthwhile tribute to her stardom. The movie hones in on the appreciation she has for her craft, and the joys it brings her. Many recent celebrity documentaries have been focused on performers and their desperation to be seen as more than that, however Menzel doesn’t take her occupation for granted, nor does she consider it an insult. In fact, she makes it clear that she’s worked her entire life to get to where she’s at now, especially following her breakthrough role in Rent and the fleetingness of what she thought was her “big break”.

This becomes even more obvious during a heartbreaking moment in the documentary where she was denied entry into her Los Angeles venue because she wasn’t on “the list”. After explaining that she is scheduled to perform, the guard dismisses her as “Josh Groban’s wife” which causes her to break down into tears once backstage. At another point, she thanks John Travolta for messing up her name at the Oscars (“Adele Dazeem”) as the coverage afterwards guaranteed that she’d now be a household name.

These scenes not only showcase how humble Menzel is, despite her career achievements and worldwide acclaim, but also emphasizes how important it is for performers to have personal identities beyond being a performer. Throughout the documentary, Menzel drives in that she’s a mother, a wife, and so much more, and she cherishes all of those bits of her life. It’s that confidence and fearlessness that allows her to command the stage in her glittery jumpsuit and intense ‘80s-style shoulder pads, and that wisdom that makes it clear that she has something to say.

(This isn’t to say that the movie – or perhaps Disney – doesn’t have its own agenda. When going into Frozen territory, Disney threw in a heartwarming montage that goes on notably longer than the others.)

Menzel had a tour stop in Pittsburgh which was shortly after the synagogue shooting that left eleven people dead. She acknowledged the tragedy during her “No Day But Today” melody (which features the lyric, “give into love or live in fear”). In a voice-over, she says, “As artists, we’re always a conduit for what’s going on in our lives, and what we’re feeling emotionally, and what’s going on in the world. Our Pittsburgh show was just a few days after the synagogue shooting so I had to acknowledge it,” adding that songs can “take on new meanings” which prove as a testament to the artists’ work.

While introducing the song (adapted from Larson’s Rent) to the crowd, she explains, “That show was all about tolerance, it was about love. It was about community. If we could use a song tonight while I’m sitting here in this beautiful city, a Jewish girl from Long Island…”

She continues, “I thought about how we light candles in the Jewish community. Choosing light over darkness. Choosing love over bigotry.” This was an extremely powerful moment to showcase in the documentary given the ongoing wave of anti-semitism the Jewish community is facing, some of which has been instigated by Hollywood big-names.

Parting Shot: Bring on the tears! The documentary ends with Menzel surprising a high school class that’s putting on a production of Rent. She takes the time to sit with the teenagers (who are, rightfully, fangirling) to answer any questions they have about the musical and career. This segues into Menzel reflecting on the lessons she’s learned while on tour and a montage of her performing her original song “Life is Good”.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage? has something for everybody: lifelong fans, casual fans, and people who may only know her from Travolta’s name slip-up. Her story packs a lot of heart and Menzel shares it with a level of intimacy and genuineness that is rare to come across. Also, who knows, maybe you’ll find a new song or two to fall in love with.