Over the past decade, there have been few stories as inescapable as Disney’s Frozen. Ever since the 2013 film was released, everyone has had “Let It Go” stuck in their head while finding fan theories to discuss the endless charm of protagonists Elsa and Anna. With dozens of shorts and a sequel to its name, it was only a matter of time before Frozen took the stage and went on tour. With its recent stop at Segerstrom, Frozen the Musical reminds audiences of why the appeal remains, expanding on the story with a few catchy new numbers and a grand spectacle that fills the stage with wonderment.
For many in the audience, Frozen (2013) is well-worn territory. It’s likely that they’d be quick to tell you that they watched it hundreds of times. Many wandering the hallways before the show wore the familiar blue dress Elsa wears upon becoming the ice queen. In a packed house, it’s easy to see the fandom reach a fever pitch, where children carry Sven reindeer dolls and prepare to imagine a new vision of the world they know so well. As the lights dim and the orchestra finishes warming up, the speakers announce something that feels personal. It’s a welcome to those who are attending their first live theater. As far as first outings go, a child couldn’t hope for anything greater than a big-budgeted, bombastic number full of humor and heart.
There is a maximalist quality to Frozen that leads to some of the more wondrous components. Even within the prelude, a young Anna and Elsa are seen playing in their bedroom, There is a joyful innocence to it, where the stage is largely bare. Within minutes, they’re cracking jokes and establishing the familiar camaraderie. Then, in one of the show’s more striking moments, Elsa unleashes her ice powers. With practical effects, lights emerge as “snow” flies into the sky. In the same moment, a snowman is brought to life with an ingenious series of motorized balls. As far as live theater goes, it’s one of those immersive moments that make the audience eager for more.
It doesn’t take long for Frozen’s Arendelle to captivate the audience. Trolls appear through windows with glowing eyes. In a scene where Anna (Lauren Nicole Chapman) prepares for Elsa’s (Caroline Bowman), there is an impressive amount of costume and wig changes within a matter of seconds. The cast makes it all look seamless almost to the point that an unobservant eye would miss it. Still, there’s an effective pacing to everything as the coronation introduces a substantial supporting cast and jumps among various conversations. Also here is one of the show’s greatest achievements. The puppetry around the reindeer character Sven is a sight to behold, featuring an actor in costume wandering around the stage on all fours, comically interacting with those around them.
While Frozen is a family show, there is something a tad risqué about the stage version. From the very beginning, there’s a rebellious streak in Anna and Elsa as characters. They dream of breaking from societal norms, running naked, and hiding innuendos when flirting. It’s by no means the most taboo-shattering dialogue imaginable, but it’s enough to draw in a high school audience wanting a little nudging. It’s an awareness that Anna and Elsa are just awkward women on the verge of adulthood, needing to find some proper ways to express themselves. In the few moments where they’re allowed to be vulnerable and talk with each other, Frozen finds the insight that has made them a main attraction for the studio. It’s entertaining, offbeat, and a perfect contrast for the grand, dramatic journey to follow.
If there’s any fault with Frozen, it’s that the stage cannot fully capture the intrigue of animation. As Elsa enters an ice castle, the stage becomes more stagnant, reliant on electronic effects that are less practical and thus less exciting to witness. The ice castle has a dazzling quality to it as ice props protrude from the side of the stage, but they’re all triggered by color-changing lights that aren’t as dazzling as the hand-painted sets of regular Arendelle. With that said, the costuming and performances are eccentric enough to make up for it. There’s also the snowman puppet of Olaf, whose ability to dismember becomes an entertaining recurring gag with its own technical ingenuity.
Of course, credit should be given to the songs, which are the real reason to come out and see this show. Like the best of Disney, they’re earworms that are already memorized in the audience’s subconscious. It’s easy to love it when Elsa belts out the new Robert & Kristen Anderson-Lopez songs because Bowman has a phenomenal, passionate voice capable of capturing the angst of her character. The show’s defining feature is giving Elsa especially depth and allowing numbers like “Monster” and “Dangerous to Dream” to resonate in souls. Even the one scene character Oaken (Jack Brewer) gets a wildly entertaining Act II opener “Hygge” full of some censor-chasing dancers.
With all of this said, no moment will win over viewers as immediately as “Let It Go.” While it’s easy to say that it’s become a punchline at this point, there is something to witnessing Bowman wandering the stage with that rising earnestness, building to the triumphant finale. In a show full of impressive costume changes, the pivotal cry of “let it go” is one of those moments that are meant to catch everyone off-guard, revealing Elsa’s transformation as she raises her hands to the sky and one layer of the dress is removed to reveal the iconic one underneath. At this moment, Frozen fever couldn’t be more infectious. The crowd is deafening, carrying the enthusiasm into the final notes where the curtain goes down and everyone is left with such thrilling palpitations.
For fans of Frozen as a greater franchise, this is a great extension of the brand. Everything about the stage version is playfully finding ways to bring the magic to theater. While it’s at times imperfect and limited, there’s enough present to give audiences something fresh. It’s predominantly the same story and goes in expected directions, but there’s still something to seeing the soundtrack reimagined as powerhouse numbers sung in between a cleverly expanded upon story that has enough heart to make these characters feel more exciting. It may not reinvent the medium, but for those willing to buy into the wonder of theater, it may be worth it. As the announcer before the show suggested, this is hopefully only the first show for the young adorning fans. One can hope that it’ll lead to a lifetime of great discoveries, possibly within this same room.
Comments
Post a Comment