At the time of writing, which is two days after seeing Frozen – The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, I am still walking down the street singing “Let it Go!” Please tell me I am not alone in this quirk of Disney inspired, self-belief that I too could sing “Let It Go” as my karaoke go to track and at the same time be the archetypal Disney heroine.
I say “heroine” as thankfully Disney Animation have moved away from the stereo typical, female lead as “Princess” and given their leading ladies a dose of serious empowerment. My grandchildren were just the right age to appreciate and fall in love with Elsa and Anna and Frozen the Musical, hotly followed by Moana & Mirabel from Encanto and we were happy to let them.
Disney Theatrical Productions were busy planning this epic stage version as early as 2014, hot on the heels of the multi award winning film version. Eight years on I sat and soaked up every minute detail of it from my West End theatre seat. There is only one home in London for this mammoth undertaking and that is the beautiful, newly renovated (to the tune of £60 million – thank you Lord Lloyd Webber and LW Theatres!) Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Work was undertaken during the pandemic and was not an easy task at the best of times, however, what LW Theatres have achieved is stunning. They have reduced audience capacity to make more technical wizardry and front of house space and it works. So, interval drinks ordered we took our seats and well . . . “Let It Go”!
Two talented youngsters as young Elsa and Anna set the scene by commanding the stage from the off. What you get with a Disney show is incredible attention to detail, scale and spectacle and even at this point in the show we were witness to snowfalls, seamless scene changes and then as Anna and Elsa really start to have fun. Wow! Elsa lets fly what myself and my grandchildren call “ice trails” and BOOM, the SFX department has been let loose and given free reign, as Anna’s bed lights up with icicles and all things . . . well …“Frozen”! Scary, powerful and magical all at once!
The spectacle just went on and on. An ice bridge that enters stage right, moves across the stage and keeps going until we see the other end of this seemingly never-ending bridge with Anna and Kristoff sliding down the other end in a flurry of snow and ice. When Elsa runs away from Arendelleand creates her ice palace the proscenium arch and scenery change from a Nordic inspired landscape of fjords, mountains, wood and architecture to the most breathtakingly beautiful winter-scape takes your breath away.
Elsa decides her best course of action to safeguard those she loves is to stay away and embrace herself made ice kingdom and this transformation scene is split second. I have never seen a more instantaneous costume change from Queen Elsa to “Ice Queen Elsa”. It happens right before your very eyes; no blackout, smoke screen and mirrors; and when I say “split second” that is no exaggeration.
Of course, it is at this point that Elsa, brilliantly played by Samantha Barks of I’d Do Anything fame gets THAT moment. “Let it Go”, the Disney hit,in a live setting literally hits you in the heart way more than the animated scenario and this incredibly gifted leading lady did not hold back.
All that in Act One! So, time for a G&T in the grand saloon, actually we enjoyed the balmy summer evening by taking our drinks onto the balcony which now sits atop the theatre’s front portico. Time to swap thoughts with other audience members, quite a lot of whom were children. I have never seen so many ice blue Elsa dresses outside a Disney theme park and this young audience were with Anna and Elsa all the way.
Act two starts off at Oaken’s Trading post and a cheeky opening number to welcome us back. From here Anna continues her quest to find Elsa, to save her sister and bring her back to Arendelle. You know how this goes …
The special effects just keep on coming with so much attention to detail. Rather cleverly, it is the costumes of the ensemble which create the moment when Anna finally (and momentarily) freezes and the lighting is so subtle and yet powerful that the audience were applauding once more at the sheer cleverness of it.
Of course, love’s true kiss saves the day and again Disney haven’t gone down the typically girl meets boy, boy saves girl routes of old. The love that the two girls have for each other saves the day. Stephanie McKeon’s Anna is consistently on point; great comedic timing, vocals and she looks the part from top to toe. Largely thanks to the design and wardrobe department. here is so much handcrafted embroidery in this show to add that layer of authenticity. This just highlights to me the effort and endeavour that Disney put into everything they do.
This is a show on an epic scale. No stone is left unturned, and you will witness something spectacular without a doubt. The atmosphere in the auditorium has a “panto-esque” feel about it which was heart-warming to see so many families and newcomers to the West End. The pre-show announcement even welcomed those attending theatre for the first time.
There are some new additions to the score which are unfamiliar to most of the audience I suspect, especially the children and the lack of recognition I feel contributed to a bit of fidgeting. Again, synonymous with pantomime when the lovers sing their duet and the kids decide they’d rather eat sweets. It wasn’t distracting or negative, it goes with the territory and when the young audience were treated to the material they know, they did not hold back in letting this sterling cast of first class performers know just how much they were loving it!
Frozen is booking until end March 2023 and with performances from Wednesday to Sunday it really is geared to the family experience. Start times are earlier and at weekends the matinee and evening start at 1.00pm and 5.30pm so not too late for the children. Over the festive season extra shows have been added so it would be an incredible holiday season treat.
The song, dance, drama, staging, high-end production values and sheer spectacle make this a worthwhile experience. Olaf, Kristoff and Sven, Hans and the rest of the cast and crew are all waiting to welcome you! Although I suspect that Frozen is going to be around for a long time to come, I also know the little people in my life, who loved the film version immensely, are rapidly outgrowing their love for ice trails and “Letting It Go” at full pelt on the hearth rug, whilst wrapped in an old net curtain.
So there’s no time like the present. Christmas presents for our four grandchildren and off we go again.
Book your tickets now, the children in your life will thank you for a very long time.
Frozen The Musical Reviewed by Deana Morgan @deanamorgandance
