“Disney’s Frozen” reviewed by Julia W. Rath

Highly Recommended **** The glitz, the glamor, and the icicles are back! Disney’s “Frozen”, the Broadway hit musical, has returned to the Cadillac Palace Theatre for a limited ten-week engagement. Just around the time of year when Chicago’s icy cold wind (“the Hawk”) blasts the city from Lake Michigan, we witness the fanciful re-creation of Jennifer Lee’s original story about two sisters who live in a country called Arendelle, an enchanted land of ice and snow. We follow the lives of Elsa and Anna, who are heirs to the throne, with Elsa having a peculiar gift: the ability to create a frozen world of glistening crystal. But when uncontrolled, she can easily turn a heart or a body into solid ice. Based on the incredibly popular 2013 eponymous film, the live musical version is a dreamsicle of a production with acting, directing, singing, dancing, and music that cannot be surpassed! This gem is thanks to director Michael Grandage, who has crafted a show that can appeal to adults and children alike.

The captivating Caroline Bowman thrills us as Elsa and, most notably, bursts into the pivotal song “Let It Go”, referring to the fact that she ought not hide her talent of creating ice around her but, rather, learn to channel it better. Anna, played by Caroline Innerbichler, is comparatively chatty and extroverted and constantly wants to have a relationship with her older sister, who practically always pushes her away for fear that she could accidentally kill or injure her with her magical powers. As we follow the lives of these two princesses as they trudge physically and emotionally in a frozen world, be prepared to be dazzled by some of the best sets, lights, visual effects, and costumes that you’ll ever see on a live stage!

The amazing picturesque sets are the work of Christopher Oram, who has created a wonderland of snowy and glassine effects. The shifting of sets from one scene to another is beautifully fluid; set movement within a scene is beguiling. Oram doubles as the costume designer, whose marvelous creations energize the show. Especially gorgeous is the sparkling gown worn by Elsa. Additionally, all of the Scandinavian-like costumes—from those of the landed gentry to the flowing dresses, to the birch branch garments—are beautifully imaginative and lovingly fashioned. Hair design by David Brian Brown and makeup design by Anne Ford-Coates add personality to the costumes. Lighting design by Natasha Katz is superior, especially in how the colors illuminate the various snowflake patterns. Video designer Finn Ross excels in his craft and makes the projections come alive, such as recreating the northern lights and images of snowfall, which are wonderful in conjunction with Jeremy Chernick’s special effects design. Sound designer Peter Hylenski has had the tough job of bringing all the vocal, musical, and special effects aspects of the show together seamlessly. The production features choreography by Rob Ashford and an expanded score with additional music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. Music supervisor Stephen Oremus has created vocal, incidental, and dance arrangements, with orchestrations by Dave Metzger and additional dance arrangements by David Chase. Chris Montan serves as executive music producer and Faith Seetoo as music director.

A real joy in watching this production is how well the characters of Olaf and Sven have been transformed into three-dimensional creatures. The puppet design by Michael Curry is exceptional in taking cartoon figures from the original film and materializing them for our enjoyment in an authentic and convincing way. F. Michael Haynie is quite the puppet master who becomes Olaf; and Collin Baja and Evan Strand, who together play Sven, are extraordinary in making a reindeer come to life. Additional principal cast members include: Austin Colby (Hans), Mason Reeves (Kristoff), Jeremy Morse (Weselton), Natalia Artigas (Young Elsa), Olivia Jones (Young Anna), Arwen Monzon-Sanders (Young Elsa), and real-life sisters Natalie Grace Chan (Young Elsa) and Victoria Hope Chan (Young Anna).

It was adorable seeing little girls in the audience with their sparkly costumes and delicate shoes attend the performance. They were so happy to be there, and their delight was infectious. Some held dolls and stuffed animals from the “Frozen” story. These children were especially happy to see souvenirs being sold in the lobby during intermission and at the end of the evening.

Bruno Bettelheim was a professor of child psychology at the University of Chicago who analyzed fairy tales and explained how these stories provided children with a word of warning of what life might bring. More specifically, he described how fairy tales made ideas about sex, violence, abandonment, danger, and death palatable to young children and thus helped to ease their fears about growing up in the world. Disney’s “Frozen” does a very good job cloaking these fears to a greater or lesser extent, thus making the show fun for those of all ages. For example, we see thinly veiled sex, a la Sally Rand, for the burlesque dance sequence; we witness both the romantic love and stranger danger that Anna confronts; and above all, when Elsa sings “Let It Go”, she wasn’t just referring to her ability to create ice castles but also to her nascent sexuality. She’s the glamorous ice maiden who doesn’t want to get close to anyone. In the end, it is the love between Elsa and Anna which rules the day and crystallizes their filial bond. Their example points up how family members with very different personalities and ambitions can ultimately get along if some effort is put into thawing a cold relationship. Yet the underlying message seems to be that sisterly love is perhaps the only form of love that a woman can really trust. In the last analysis, “Frozen” is all about Freud’s “Eros and Thanatos”, where love conquers death; and this endows the show with its happy ending.

Disney’s “Frozen” is playing through January 22, 2022 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph Street, as a featured presentation of Broadway in Chicago.

Runtime: 2 hours and 15 minutes, with one intermission.

Tickets range from $33 – $179, plus a select number of premium tickets are available.

A digital lottery for a limited number of $25 seats will be held for all performances. Seat locations and the number of tickets awarded by the lottery are always subject to availability.

Tickets are available for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing GroupSales@BroadwayInChicago.com.

For more information about “Frozen”, a complete calendar of performances, and to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/show/disneys-frozen/.

COVID-19 requirements:
Audience members must wear masks in the theatre and show proof of vaccination.
Children 5–11 will be allowed admittance with one vaccine that was administered 14 days prior to the performance.
For those with exemptions (including children), proof of a negative COVID 19 test is required. Visit http://www.broadwayinchicago.com/covid19 for further details.

For general information about Broadway in Chicago and to learn about their other offerings, visit https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Disney’s Frozen”.