Frozen - Theatre Royal, Drury Lane - 18th December 2022
- Wendy
- Dec 19, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 21, 2022
2 shows in less than 7 days! Just how I like my weeks to be. This time I took my mum and sister down to the Big Smoke for a festive treat before Christmas to see Frozen. I don't know how it happened but both shows I've seen recently have been winter themed. Maybe it's because they're both nice and cold, just like my heart!
Sitting down in the Grand Circle, row G we were greeted by a beautifully wood-carved proscenium arch which was twinkling with white light every so often. There was also some wintery ambience playing throughout the auditorium which felt rather festive and really helped to get the audience in the mood before the show started.
Technically, this show was outstanding. The special effects throughout the show including snow, ice, video projection and lighting were incredible and I'd say one of the best uses of technology I've seen a long while. Some of the trickery, including Elsa's dress reveal (no spoilers here!) and Anna's transformation throughout the show were so cleverly done, even a keen observer wouldn't notice them happening.
For our performance Elsa was played by Samantha Barks & Laura Emmett (more on that later!), Anna was played by Char Burnett, Kristoff was played by Djavan van de Fliert, Olaf was played by Craig Gallivan, Hans was played by Oliver Ormson, Duke of Weselton was played by Richard Frame and Sven was played by Ashley Birchall & Mikayla Jade. I didn't catch who played young Anna and Elsa, but they were both very good and kept up with the energy of the adult cast throughout the show.
Here's where it gets difficult for me to write. I adore everything Disney, especially Disney Theatrical Productions but I can't help but feel this was the weakest of the 3 Disney musicals I've seen. I think this is partly due to the flow of the show not being the easiest to follow as we get high-energy, all singing/dancing songs into songs that aren't in the film and aren't as catchy or memorable.
The other part is down to the lack of energy throughout from most of the cast. I know, coming up to christmas, show schedules are intense and most shows have extra dates added meaning they are performed 9+ times a week... which is crazy! However, I feel like no matter what day you see a show you should get a consistent performance.
The 2 female leads sounded vocally tired throughout the show as did Kristoff. Samantha Barks must have been ill as we had a cast change and Laura Emmett took over the role of Elsa from the start of act 2. Laura did a great job of bringing the energy back up and delivered an amazing performance of the new song "Monster" towards the end of act 2. It must be this lingering cold that's going round that's affecting them, so I can imagine how hard it is to perform such demanding roles while under the weather.
I spoke about the technical aspects of the show at the start and this included the set. If you lived under a rock and didn't know this was a Disney production, you would by the end! The amount of detail that's gone into each fly-in set, each prop and each little aspect is unreal. Definitely world-class standard, which we've come to know and love from Disney.
If you're a fan of the Disney theme parks, look out for a hidden Disney castle when Olaf sings "In Summer"!
Now... I understand this is a family musical and to be blunt, they attract a noisy audience but GOOD LORD were they noisy!! The Front of House staff do a great job at keeping this to a minimum but be prepared for noisy one. Especially at 1pm on a Sunday afternoon.
Overall, this show did not live up to expectations and was definitely the weakest out of The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and this. I would love to see this show again on a weekday evening, outside of the Christmas period as this may provide a different experience, but I won't be rushing back any time soon.
Story ⭐⭐⭐
Cast ⭐⭐
Music ⭐⭐⭐
Set ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lighting ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall ⭐⭐.5
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