There is an argument between a group of characters in the new Broadway musical Redwood (Nederlander Theatre, booking through July 6) that is both pointless—it’s merely a clumsy attempt to whip up conflict to jolt the audience’s attention—and harsh on the ears,

As an anguished mother who abandons the New York art scene for a forest full of California redwoods, Idina Menzel's Jesse is attempting the impossible: She's trying to outrun her grief. But with her Broadway return,