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On March 22, Frozen, the newest Disney musical on Broadway, opened in New York.
After the worldwide success of the 2013 animation, it is no surprise that the story has been adapted for the theater, since it is a common path in Disney projects (The Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, among others). Expectations for Frozen were high, as the songs are well known, especially “Let It Go”.
The risk that the adaptation did not live up to the original was great, which is why Disney wisely recruited Jennifer Lee for the book and the couple Robert Lopez and Kirsten Anderson-Lopez for the songs, since all three were involved in the production of movie.
A Broadway musical, however, has a much larger number of songs than an animation, which can cause strangeness to children. In addition, the trolls, who have a considerable role in the film, do not appear in the musical. They are replaced by “hidden folks” from the forest.
A quick recap of the story: Elsa (Ayla Schwartz) and Anna (Mattea Conforti) play, like two ordinary sisters, but there is a big difference: Elsa has powers and is able to produce snow with her hands. Unintentionally, she hits Anna’s head. In order to avoid a greater tragedy, Elsa is isolated from everything and everyone, especially Anna.
Over the years, the two sisters have become more and more distant. After a fatal accident involving their parents, Elsa (Caissie Levy) is forced to become queen of Arendelle. During the coronation ceremony, Anna (Patti Murin) meets Hans (John Riddle), a prince from a distant island, and announces their marriage. Elsa disapproves of the union and ends up freezing the whole kingdom. She then flees, and her sister begins the journey to find her and end the eternal winter.
The musical has a slightly more serious tone than the film, with Elsa even contemplating suicide in one of the new songs (“Monster“). We also see a bit more of Anna’s suffering when singing “True Love” in the second act.
Anna and Kristoff (Jelani Alladin) get a duet (“What You Know About Love“), just as Hans gets a solo number, explaining his past (“Hans of the Southern Isles”). Kristoff also has a beautiful, introspective song in the second act (“Kristoff Lullaby”).
The most entertaining moments continue to be attributed to Olaf (Greg Hildreth), who is intelligently represented on the stage with puppet that allows the audience to see the actor as well (the same feature was used in The Lion King with Timon).
Another fun moment is due to Oaken (Kevin Del Aguila), the shop owner where Anna buys her winter clothes. He starts the second act by singing “Hygge,” probably the funniest song in the musical.
The change of sets and the visual effects on the stage are dazzling. Also noteworthy is the reindeer Sven, played by Andrew Pirozzi, who stays all the time inside the puppet and leaves us wondering how difficult it must be to spend hours inside that.
Despite box office success, Frozen was nominated for only 3 categories in the Tony Awards. It received nominations for best musical, best book and best score made for the theater. A pity that the cast (especially Patti Murin) and those responsible for the set design have not been recognized.
It’s hard to say if Frozen on Broadway will make anyone who has not seen the animation become a fan, but it sure is a must-see experience, especially during “Let It Go.” Impossible not to get goosebumps, and not because of the cold.
