Inside Broadway’s Secret Laboratory: ‘Hamilton,’ ‘Frozen,’ and So Much More

The New 42nd Street Studios 6 seconds This 10-story complex opened in 2000; since that time, more than 800 Broadway musicals and plays have begun here. The building, run by a nonprofit established in 1990 to redevelop 42nd Street, has 14 rehearsal studios that are rented on a sliding scale — commercial producers pay more, and nonprofits pay less.

‘Hold the Elevator’ 8 seconds That’s Patti Murin, who plays Anna (Elsa’s spunky younger sister) in “Frozen.” It’s her third Broadway show, after the short-lived “Lysistrata Jones” and “Xanadu.”

Class Has Begun 18 seconds The four children in the “Frozen” cast — 10-year-old Audrey Bennett and 11-year-old Mattea Conforti alternate as young Anna, and 13-year-old Brooklyn Nelson and 11-year-old Ayla Schwartz as young Elsa — study when they are not on stage. (It’s state law.) Here, they are being tutored by Rhoda Castellano from On Location Education, which specializes in the entertainment industry. (There’s no Momma Rose on Broadway sets — while they’re working, child performers are overseen by guardians hired by the productions.)

‘Frozen’ 29 seconds The stage adaptation of Disney’s Oscar-winning 2013 animated film had a pre-Broadway run in Denver last summer, and then was revised; the director, Michael Grandage, says 30 percent of the musical has since changed. The show went back into rehearsals in anticipation of a March 22 opening at the St. James Theater. And yes, “Let It Go,” the ubiquitous power ballad, is here — it’s the closing number in the first act.

Skirts 29 seconds Although the performers are wearing gym clothes, the women also have rehearsal skirts that help them get used to the shape and weight of the ball gowns that will be their eventual costumes for this scene.

Prince Hans of the Southern Isles and Kristoff 35 seconds The guy doing push-ups is John Riddle, who plays Hans, the careful-what-you-wish-for prince of the Southern Isles. Then come Noah J. Ricketts and Adam Perry, both in the ensemble, and finally, Jelani Alladin, who plays Kristoff. Actors generally warm up their bodies and their voices before performing.

The Coronation Scene 58 seconds In this first-act sequence, Elsa, played by Caissie Levy, throws open the long-shuttered gates to the palace to welcome townspeople to her coronation as Queen of Arendelle.

Choreographer 1 minute, 16 seconds You can see Rob Ashford, the show’s choreographer, working with Ms. Levy to synchronize her gestures with a lyric.

‘For the First Time in Forever’ 1 minute, 33 seconds If you listen carefully, you’ll note that Ms. Murin is “marking” — singing lightly to safeguard her voice.

‘Cheeseburger in Paradise’ 1 minute, 52 seconds A Jimmy Buffett signature song, the inspiration for a chain of restaurants, and part of the score for his new Broadway musical, “Escape to Margaritaville.” Mr. Buffett has said the song was inspired by his joy at finding a cheeseburger on Tortola after a rough boat ride.

‘Pretty Woman’ 2 minutes, 2 seconds A musical adaptation of the 1990 film, having a pre-Broadway production in Chicago and scheduled to open at the Nederlander Theater Aug. 16.

‘Money Makes the Man’ 2 minutes, 16 seconds A jazzy ode to greed, sung by the character Philip Stuckey and associates at his law firm. Working on the song here are ensemble members Brian Calì, Jake Odmark and Allison Blackwell. Patrick Sulken is at the piano.

Bryan Adams 2 minutes, 30 seconds Best known for the rock song “Summer of ’69,” Mr. Adams and his longtime writing partner, Jim Vallance, wrote the songs for “Pretty Woman.” It’s their first Broadway score.

‘Rodeo Drive’ 2 minutes, 51 seconds An especially memorable scene in the film occurs when Vivian, the prostitute played by Julia Roberts, is snubbed by sales clerks at a high-end Beverly Hills boutique. That scene is musicalized in the stage adaptation.

Orfeh 2 minutes, 59 seconds A pop singer-turned-Broadway-performer who was once in a rhythm-and-blues duo called Or-N-More. She is playing Vivian’s friend Kit.

‘Escape to Margaritaville’ 3 minutes, 18 seconds The musical had three pre-Broadway productions and opened at the Marquis Theater on March 16. It tells an island love story, about a Buffett-like resort singer who falls for a visiting environmental scientist. Oh, and there’s an erupting volcano too.

Director 3 minutes, 27 seconds That’s Christopher Ashley. He won a Tony Award last year for “Come From Away.”

The Sling 3 minutes, 27 seconds The actor in this scene, Andre Ward, is wearing a sling because his character, Jamal, had slipped on a plantain peel (it happens) and broken his arm; the woman looking online for conch shell blowing tips is the show’s associate director, Amy Anders Corcoran.

The Conch 3 minutes, 29 seconds Yes, a conch shell can be used as a trumpet, and yes, there are right-handed and left-handed conch shells.

Choreographer 3 minutes, 40 seconds That’s Kelly Devine. She worked on “Come From Away,” too.

‘Margaritaville’ 3 minutes, 53 seconds Throughout the show, there are in-jokes that foreshadow the ruefully specific lyrics of Mr. Buffett’s best-known song (Salt! Salt! Salt!), which closes the first act with a bang.

XXX 4 minutes, 7 seconds In the 1970s, peep shows dominated the stretch of 42nd Street where the rehearsal studios are now located. Photographs of marquees from that area now decorate the lunchroom, the boardroom, and the offices in the building.

‘Three Tall Women’ 4 minutes, 20 seconds This Edward Albee play won the Pulitzer Prize in 1994 but it has not been staged on Broadway until now. The production — the only one rehearsing in the building which would not let our videographer into a rehearsal — stars Glenda Jackson, Laurie Metcalf and Alison Pill.

Yahoo! 4 minutes, 32 seconds A tech company originally known for its search engine.

Cronut 4 minutes, 41 seconds There are still often lines out the door at the Dominique Ansel bakery to get these croissant-doughnut hybrids. A different flavor is introduced every month — January was Pear Chamomile.

‘Hamilton’ 4 minutes, 48 seconds The smash hit musical, about the life and death of Alexander Hamilton, uses a predominantly nonwhite cast to explore the significance of the American Revolution. It opened on Broadway in 2015, followed by productions in Chicago and London as well as two simultaneous North American tours. This second touring company, called the Philip Cast, began performances in Seattle on Feb. 6; from there it heads to Portland, Salt Lake City, Costa Mesa, Las Vegas, Des Moines, Cleveland and Minneapolis.

‘The Schuyler Sisters’ 5 minutes, 9 seconds The first act song introduces the show’s best-known female characters — Angelica, Eliza and Peggy Schuyler (played by Ta’rea Campbell, Shoba Narayan, and Nyla Sostre).

The Book 5 minutes, 18 seconds Angelica is spurning an advance from Aaron Burr (Nik Walker), and as she declares “I’m lookin’ for a mind at work,” the ensemble member Stephen Hernandez signals that intellectual life can be sexy.

Revolving Floor 5 minutes, 35 seconds The “Hamilton” set uses two concentric turntables. The set designer David Korins says it “illustrates the cyclical relationship between Hamilton and Burr, the physical nature of the hurricane, and the political and personal storms going on with the birth of a country.”

Frank Marshall 5 minutes, 50 seconds The Hollywood producer (and frequent Steven Spielberg collaborator) is the lead producer of “Escape to Margaritaville.”

Closing Time 5 minutes, 58 seconds Rehearsals end at 6 p.m., and at 7 p.m. the doors are locked. Good night.