DISNEY'S FROZEN - THE BROADWAY MUSICAL

 

 

Disney's Frozen  The Broadway Musical. Music and Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. Book by Jenny Lee. Based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 2013 animated film Frozen.

Directed and choreographed by James Tolhurst-Close.  Musical Director Callum Tolhurst-Close . Free Rain Theatre. The Q Theatre  Queanbeyan.  September 17 – October 11 2026. Bookings 62856290.

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

The Company of Disney's Frozen- The Broadway Musical

 

Producer Anne Somes has never been one to shirk from a challenge. With a plethora of award-winning musicals behind her, Somes has embarked on her most ambitious project yet. And she has pulled it off with pizzazz, panache, and style. In short her production of Disney’s Frozen, The Broadway Musical is nothing short of spectacular. Every aspect of the show has taken Free Rain where it has previoulsy not dared to go. A large part of the success is due to her creative team of director/choreographer James Tolhurst-Close, Musical Director Callum Tolhurst-Close with Associate Musical Director Sam Hutchinson, Assistant Director Caitie Bissett, and Assistant Choreographer Charlotte Jackson. John Nicholls and Ethan Henderson’s set design of icy peaks with sumptuous visual projections of Nordic locations and stunning magical special effects lend the show pure bewitchment. This is highlighted by Jono Gerdes lighting design and complemented with Chris Neal’s sound design. Fiona Leach has excelled herself in providing a fairy tale, mythical authenticity to the costumes of the characters of the fictitious, icy kingdom of Arendelle. From the creatives to the cast to the orchestra and the production team, Somes’ bold venture blurs the line between amateur and professional. This is amateur theatre at its very best and I predict that the last ticket of the season will be snapped up by the end of the week.

Anna (Chloe Stevenson) and Elsa (Charlotte Morphett) 

 

The story of two sisters, Princess Elsa (Charlotte Morphett) and Princess Anna (Chloe Stevenson) embraces the timeless theme of the power of true love. Elsa is cursed with the magical powers that enable her to turn everything to snow or ice. After accidentally afflicting Anna and fearful of her powers, Elsa escapes to her palace of ice, condemning her subjects to an eternal winter. Jenny Lee’s book strikes a familiar chord in a plot that cleverly combines elements of captivating storytelling. There is the romance between Hans, an opportunistic Prince, played with matinee idol charm by tenor Joshua Kirk and Anna, a rising star for whom I foresee a bright future. There is abundant comedy in the performance of the gangly Sven the Reindeer (Reindeers Are Better Than People), played on all fours by Graeme Fennimore and the snowman Olaf, personified by the voluble comic talents of Joe Dinn (In Summer).  There is the innocent simplicity of ice merchant Kristoff (What is Love, sung with poignant naivety by Jackson Gibbs) And there is the eternal battle between good, Anna’s love of her sister, with the support of Grand Pabbie of the Oaken people (a suitably tribal Sam Thompson), Kristoff, Olaf and Sven, and the duplicitous Hans. 

 

Kristoff (Jackson Gibbs) with Sven (Graeme Fennimore)

This is classic fairy tale fare that can enchant young and old alike, and Free Rain’s opening night largely adult audience clapped and cheered (some too raucously for my poor ears). Entranced by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez’s music and lyrics and Jenny Lee’s absorbing book, the enraptured audience was swept along by a bevy of magic moments, none more striking than Elsa’s discarding of her coronation dress to reveal the spangly icy gown of the ice queen. Her launch into the iconic Let It Go was spellbinding as she accepts her isolation from which only the true love of a devoted sister will free her and bring Summer back to her people.

Young Elsa (Zahra Zulkapli) and Young Anna (Mele Tuli)

 

What is so notable in this fairy tale, based loosely on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen and that melts the heart is the consistent quality of performance throughout the company from principals to ensemble, supported by a fine orchestra under the baton of Callum Tolhurst-Close. We feel Elsa’s anxiety, not only in Morphett’s controlled performance but also in the initial appearance of an older and more mature Young Elsa (Zahra Zulkapli), contrasted with a wonderfully energetic and ebullient Young Anna (Mele Tuli) Other performances worth commending are Jake Frazer’s anal Weselton and Cameron Taylor’s Oaken Sauna owner (supported by a sauna-soaked and towel clad host of villagers with their rendition of Hygge). In a show that requires believable performances from the characters, Frozen delivers in Spades. The crucial relationship between Morphett and Stevenson is cemented in talent and trust, and every moment of individual and collective performance by principals and ensemble alike is highlighted by a total commitment to plot and character.  

Oaken (Cameron Taylor), Anna and Olaf (Joe Dinn)

 It came as no surprise that the final company rendition of Let It Go  brought the audience to its feet in a spontaneous and enthusiastic ovation. Book today, because Free Rain Theatre’s spectacular production of Disney’s Frozen – The Broadway Musical will sell out!

Photos. Photox. Ben Appleton