Frozen at Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Whilst I am not a Disney obsessive, when Frozen hit the West End I knew I had to get tickets. I finally managed that last week and after seeing the show I wish I had done it sooner so I could have had several repeat visits by now.
I’m sure the musical needs no introduction and it is very heavily based on the movie, with some original songs added for the musical, although don’t worry the best songs have been retained. The show retains all of your favorite characters, including Sven in the form of an incredibly talented actor controlling an effective reindeer puppet. The story has something for everyone, huge songs, numerous comedy moments, a story about friendship with a love story thrown in for good measure.
The story focuses on the relationship between 2 sisters, Elsa, full of magic but afraid to show her true self to the world and Anna, full of life and hungry to explore. These characters are captured beautifully by Samantha Barks and Stephanie McKeon. Barks has a huge amount of poise and elegance in her portrayal of Elsa and of course her vocals send shivers up the spine. She captures the isolation of this Disney Queen brilliantly and this really emphasises the darker moments within the show. McKeon’s energy as Anna is electric and she is simply joyful to watch on stage.
It is not just Barks and McKeon who are stunning in the show, the entire cast are exceptional. Oliver Ormson as Hans is so charming and he had me wrapped round his finger even through I knew what was coming. Obioma Ugoala was Kristoff and he made me melt when ever he sang. All of the performers captured the spirit of the movie so perfectly but the one with the hardest job was possibly Craig Gallivan as Olaf. He somehow transported a magical snowman to the stage and had the audience roaring with laughter during ‘In Summer.’ There really was not a single weak leak in the cast, from Elsa and Anna through to the smaller parts and down to Young Elsa and Anna.
Frozen not only had a stunning cast but the technical side of the show left me awestruck. The magic was executed so beautifully – with flurries of snow coming from Elsa and the magic continued int many of the other aspects of the show. The set is possibly one of the most spectacular on the West End stage, the lighting by Neil Austin made sure that every crystal on the set glistened perfectly and when the Anna and the ensemble are turned to ice this was done with breathtaking effect due to the lighting design. I also couldn’t complete this review without mentioning the costumes. Of course ‘that’ costume change during Let It Go was iconic and executed flawlessly but whole casts costumes had such attention to detail. From the beautiful dresses the ensemble wore to Elsa’s coronation to the naked effect costumes during ‘Hygge.’
Frozen is the show on the West End that has undoubtedly given me the most wow moments and managed to move me to tears from simply the spectacle that was going on in front of me. From a hugely talented cast to a flawless production on all aspects this is a show that is perfect not only for children but for all of us that still believe in the magic of theatre.
Frozen is currently booking until October 2022. To find out more and to book tickets you can check out their website.
If you like this review you might also like my review of Matilda, Six and Bedknobs and Broomsticks.