Review: Frozen the Musical - West End

In December 2013 Disney’s released a brand new, family friendly adaptation of the classic fairy-tale, The Snow Queen. Filled with talking snowmen and a legendary score, Frozen was set to become the franchises highest grossing animated film of all time. A record which was only beaten in 2019 by its sequel, Frozen 2.

It’s not surprising to see that the animated classic was quickly adapted for the stage, and made it’s Broadway debut in 2018. The show was then due to transfer to the West End in 2020, but was unfortunately delayed to the Covid-19 pandemic and the UK’s various lockdowns. Thankfully the show officially opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in September 2021, and has been dazzling audiences ever since.

If you’ve perhaps been living in a magical kingdom with trolls and somehow not heard the story of Frozen, this new musical tells the story of finding love and the power of sisterhood.
When newly crowned Queen Elsa accidentally sets off an eternal winter, Princess Anna, her younger sister, must set off on the adventure of a life time to save her kingdom and it’s people.

For me personally Frozen the Musical was the perfect example of pure Disney magic. The stage effects were a wonderful mixture of both shocking and stunning, the scenery was beautiful and the cast were superb. The score was sprinkled with the instantly recognisable numbers like Let It Go and Love is an Open Door, but featured new numbers like the remarkably powerful Monster and the somewhat confusing Hygge.

For me this show was everything I expected it to be, but this can in someway act as a double edged sword. As a huge Disney stage and screen fan I went to London fully expecting to adore this production. It managed to maintain the charm and beauty of the original film, and provided me with a truly wonderful experience.

That being said, I can however imagine the show would not feel as wonderful to somebody who perhaps doesn’t enjoy the easy entertainment that comes with a Disney film. While any audience member can marvel at and appreciate the technical brilliance unfolding on stage, the story and musical numbers themselves may be harder to embrace.

Frozen the Musical perfectly shows what Disney does best. Technically speaking it’s a remarkable production for any audience member. Musical speaking it is enthralling but one of my favourite features of the whole piece is the occasional nods to the films spin offs and sequels, Easter Eggs if you will. These moments act as a lovely reward for the die hard fans and help to fully embrace audiences in the world of Arendelle.

I would highly recommend this production to any Disney, or Frozen fan, and would even recommend it to somebody who may be indifferent to Disney. If however you are adamantly not a fan, this perhaps isn’t the production for you. The tickets may cost a small fortune at the moment, but the memories from this musical will no doubt last a lifetime.

Frozen the Musical is running at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and is currently booking till June 2022. For more information or to book your tickets click here.

Performance Attended: 18/11/2021 @ 14:00
Cast at the Performance I Attended: Samantha Barks, Steph McKeon, Craig Gallivan, Obioma Ugoala, Oliver Ormson, Richard Frame and the team of ensemble and swing members.
Review originally published on CentreStage.
Images courtesy of Google Images