Alan Menken previews new TANGLED stage song after New York lab

D23 has released footage of composer Alan Menken previewing a newly written song for Disney Theatrical Group’s developing TANGLED stage adaptation at its fan event in Anaheim. The public performance is the latest evidence that work on the musical remains active after a New York development lab in June, while the project’s format and commercial destination remain unconfirmed.

The performance took place during D23: THE ULTIMATE DISNEY FAN EVENT, held from 14 to 16 August 2026. Disney’s official programme included Alan Menken’s one-man concert, A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF ALAN MENKEN, although the precise day on which he presented the TANGLED material has not been established. D23 later shared the clip on social media, making the new stage material publicly available.

Secondary reports from WDW News Today and WhatsOnStage identify the number’s apparent title as Say Goodbye. They associate the song with Rapunzel recognising the damage caused by Mother Gothel. Disney has not published a formal song list confirming the title or the number’s precise dramatic placement, so the name remains provisional. The development notice for the 2026 lab credits music to Alan Menken and lyrics to Glenn Slater.

The D23 preview followed a documented sequence of New York development activity. Disney Theatrical Group scheduled an Equity Principal Audition for TANGLED on 16 April 2026 under a Development Agreement. The audition notice specified a Tier 3 development lab from 8 to 26 June. That notice was already public before the Anaheim event, placing the song preview as a further progress update rather than the first known sign of work this year.

The two public records illuminate different parts of the process. The audition notice documents the dates, scale and personnel of the New York work, while D23’s clip makes a newly written piece of the score public. Neither source defines the finished show’s intended format, production model or route to a commercial stage. In particular, the Development Agreement should not be read as a green light for a full-length production.

The notice also provides the clearest available outline of the team assembled for the lab. It credits a book by Julia Mattison, direction by Ashley Rodbro, choreography by Katie Spelman, musical supervision by Madeline Benson and casting by C12 Casting, alongside the Menken and Slater score. These are developmental credits for the June lab. Disney has not confirmed that every member of the team will remain attached to a later workshop or any commercial production.

The same audition sought performers for Rapunzel, Mother Gothel and Flynn, identifying the principal roles included in the casting search. The notice did not name the actors ultimately used, and no commercial cast has been announced. Disney has also not disclosed the outcome of the June period or announced a follow-up workshop, staged presentation or production phase.

The new project is not Disney’s first TANGLED stage treatment. An abridged TANGLED: THE MUSICAL premiered aboard the Disney Magic in 2015. BroadwayWorld has reported that the shipboard adaptation included three additional songs by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. Disney has not formally defined how that version relates to the material developed in New York in 2026, including whether its songs or other elements will be retained, revised or replaced. Both versions involve Menken and Slater, but shared songwriters alone do not establish that the 2026 work expands the shipboard musical. The shipboard production’s current status and running time have not been established by the sources reviewed for this update.

New York’s Equity audition and development lab place TANGLED in a Broadway-facing context, but development activity is not a Broadway booking. No reviewed official source announces a Broadway theatre, opening date, ticket sale, commercial cast or production timetable. Disney has not identified a tryout city or said whether the project is intended to move first to Broadway, the West End or another market. Until a commercial route is announced, TANGLED remains a stage work in development.

The stage musical should also be kept separate from Disney’s live-action TANGLED film. At its August 2026 D23 entertainment showcase, Disney listed the screen project for theatrical release on 31 March 2028, with a cast including Teagan Croft, Milo Manheim and Kathryn Hahn. Disney has announced no shared cast, creative personnel or timetable between the screen and stage projects. The film’s release date does not set a timetable for the stage adaptation, and their shared D23 setting does not connect their development.

For Australian audiences, there is no announced production, tour, licensing or presentation plan for the stage adaptation. The next step in its development has not been made public. Further information would need to establish the intended format, whether the lab team continues and where the musical might receive its first commercial staging.

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