by Kayla Black
Frozen is the final show in this year’s KeyBank Broadway series at Playhouse Square. Taking after the original Disney film, the musical follows sisters Elsa and Anna through their journey of rekindling their relationship and learning the true meaning of love.
——————-
I rushed through the theatre, took a few pictures, and found my seat just in time to see young Anna and Elsa excitedly run on stage and hatch their secret plan to stay up and build a snowman. I attended the evening show on Friday, August 12th, and had the honor of seeing real-life sisters Natalie Grace and Victoria Hope Chan play young Elsa and Anna (in that order). Victoria brought so much light, humor, and youthfulness to the role of young Anna that before the opening scene was done, everyone was laughing and cheering her on. Natalie’s performance was no different, her precise movements and timing with every magical moment left the audience jaw-dropped and gasping in awe.
The transition from when Anna and Elsa were young to when they were adults was seamless both in set change and in casting. Lauren Nicole Chapman was cast as adult Anna and was perfect, she easily matched Victoria’s (young Anna’s) comedic style and mannerisms while adding her own flare. Caroline Bowman was the role of adult Elsa and just to give you an idea of her perfection, Caroline’s voice was so powerful that little girls were softly singing along in their seats, and parents, in an attempt to have a bit more theatre etiquette, were in turn forcefully mouthing the words. Not only was Caroline’s voice astounding but much like Natalie’s, her timing with the magic was mind-blowing. Scene after scene, Caroline’s ability to do each of Elsa’s tricks seemed effortless and left the audience in total surprise. As the woman sitting next to me exclaimed, “the Disney magic just works every time” and after seeing Caroline on stage I have no choice but to believe that statement to be absolutely true.
The musical closely matches the plot and music of the original film, but also adds its own original pieces. The new songs and scores allow for the musical to take on a more stylized approach when covering some of the higher stakes scenes. Through the usage of stylized movement and specific choreography, the sorrow and fear are felt but not the pain. No tears were shed while watching this production, keeping it much more light-hearted.
While the performance of the cast and the story is amazing, the magical foundation of the show is its own spectacle to see. That being said, contrary to most beliefs, for this particular show I wouldn’t recommend sitting too close to the stage. I was seated in row 19 and felt that if I had sat any closer it would have ruined the experience. As a person familiar with the stage it was easier for me to see how some of the tricks worked and still be in awe, however, there were often times when I wished I was all the way in the back just so that the reality of the production wasn’t so clear. That being said, no matter where you sit in the theatre, you’ll definitely be on the edge of your seat wide-eyed, laughing, and trying really hard not to sing along.