The chilly season just rolled into the city, bringing with it “Frozen,” the hit Broadway musical of Disney’s animated blockbuster.
Citizens Bank Opera House was filled with people of all ages trying to get a glimpse of the magic that was about to happen in the Kingdom of Arendelle on opening night, Oct. 25. And indeed the musical was more than magical.
Directed by Michael Grandage and choreographed by Rob Ashford, “Frozen” made its Broadway debut in 2018 but unfortunately, it didn’t survive the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, the North American tour prevailed after the pandemic and it has been enchanting children and adults around America.
Caroline Bowman and Lauren Nicole Chapman are the leading sisters of this story of love, family and power. While Bowman flawlessly portrays a recluse and helpless but powerful Queen Elsa, Chapman perfectly acts as Elsa’s younger and witty sister Anna who doesn’t know anything about love yet will do everything to discover what it is.
Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, responsible for the music and lyrics of the musical, were able to connect various moments of the musical and make sure that the story of “Frozen,” originally written by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, could be neatly explained.
Bowman’s “Let It Go” score which closed Act I is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the production, but what caught my attention the most was a song that’s not originally in the movie but depicts Elsa’s internal crisis. By the end of the musical, Bowman sang “Monster” with such emotion and vulnerability that it led me to tears.
Two characters the audience was eager to see were Olaf and Sven. Jeremy Davis’ Olaf was more than adorable and is certainly “worth melting for.”
As for Sven, people were skeptical of how an animated character reindeer would be taken to the stage without taking the magic out, but Sven’s costume is one of the most realistic I’ve ever seen.
Christopher Oram, the scenic and costume designer, did fantastic work not only with Sven’s costume but also with Elsa’s mind-blowing costume change and Arendelle’s Scandinavian attire.
Not to mention the duets of Chapman’s Anna with Preston Perez’s Hans and Dominic Dorset’s Kristoff. The iconic “Love Is an Open Door” with Perez and the musical-original “What Do You Know About Love?” with Dorset are incredible in every way possible. The scenarios and vocals were breathtaking, especially in the latter half of the show where snow invades the stage.
“Frozen” is chillingly spectacular. For the first time in forever Boston has the opportunity to experience this enchanting trip to the Kingdom of Arendelle to learn more about the tale of two magical sisters and how their true bond surpassed any challenge, even the freezing ones.
“Frozen” is playing at Citizens Bank Opera House until Nov. 12.
