When “Frozen” hit theaters in 2013, all parents’ lives were irrevocably changed forever. I am not a parent, but I feel pretty confident in this assertion. I also happen to know a lot of parents, and “Frozen” – more specifically, “Let It Go” – can still be heard ringing around most households that contain at least one child from the ages of 2 to 12.
It makes sense that a Broadway musical would follow just five years after the success of the movie, reuniting composers Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez to add some new songs for the stage show, padding out the story of Princesses Anna and Elsa of Arendelle. “Frozen the Musical” closed on Broadway in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but is currently having its regional premiere at the Byers Theater, courtesy of the City Springs Theatre Company. The show started Dec. 13 and will run through Dec. 29.
As is usually the case with a City Springs Theatre Company show, the production value – the sets, the costumes, the clever tricks used to bring Elsa’s ice power to life – is strong. But the show itself leaves a little to be desired – although I doubt your 10 year old will come out of it anything less than pleased.
If you are not a parent (or have been living under a rock), “Frozen” tells the tale of two princesses, Anna and Elsa (here played by Leigh Ellen Jones and Sarah Stipe). Elsa has the ability to freeze things, a power which was erased from Anna’s mind after an accident when the sisters were little. Years later as Elsa is set to become Queen, she becomes upset when Anna announces her hasty engagement to a prince named Hans (Nick Walker Jones), and flees, inadvertently freezing the entire land on her way out the door. Anna teams up with an iceman named Kristoff (Michael Stiggers) and his reindeer Sven (Ben Ohnemus) to try and bring Elsa back to reverse the spell.
“Frozen” is best known for the song “Let It Go,” sung by Elsa as she finally comes into her power. But there are a number of other catchy songs in “Frozen,” from “Love is an Open Door,” to “For the First Time in Forever.” For the musical, the composers added more than 10 new songs to the story. Disney properties have had success with this type of thing in the past; the new songs in “The Little Mermaid” are quite good, and the new songs added to the stage version of “Beauty and the Beast” are excellent. But beyond “What Do You Know About Love” – a cute, odd-couple duet between Anna and Kristoff – none of the new songs in “Frozen” really leave much of an impression. A good musical theater song feels like an extension of the emotion of a character, integrating with the plot, the dance, the action, to bring everything together. In “Frozen,” it often feels like the action just stops, and that can cause parts of the show to drag.
The costumes and makeup look great, particularly the detail on the hidden folk who make up Kristoff’s adopted family. But the two puppets involved in the production leave vastly different impressions. The reindeer Sven puppet is a massive undertaking – literally – for the actor playing him (Ohnemus), and the sheer size of the puppet means the actor is a little more hidden, allowing the audience to suspend their disbelief more easily. Also, Sven doesn’t have to speak, which is more than I can say for Olaf (Brian Wittenberg). Wittenberg is a great singer and handles Olaf’s cheery, deadpan humor quite well, but the decision to use a puppet instead of makeup and costuming is distracting, and honestly, Olaf looks a little disconcerting. I understand the impulse – this is how they did it on Broadway, and the puppet looks exactly like the movie character – but I wish Wittenberg had a little less of a burden to shoulder and a little more room to breathe.
Despite some of the show’s faults, the ensemble is characteristically wonderful, and the young actors who play little Elsa and Anna are bubbling with charm. The older actresses balance each other out; Leigh Ellen Jones brings Anna’s quirkiness to life with quick physical comedy chops, off-setting Sarah Stipe’s more solemn approach and powerful vocals. “Let It Go” is the first act closer in this version of the story, and Stipe not only sings it beautifully, but gets show-stopping set design to back her up. The night I saw “Frozen,” the reveal of Elsa in her new, sparkling gown, fully accepting of herself and her power, led to thunderous applause – and if you’re able to land that moment, you’ve got yourself a show.