Highly Recommended ***** While Ice shows are not truly considered “theater”, in the case of the newest production, “Frozen”. I would have to say that Disney and The Feld Production people have brought the ice show to a new level, one that is as close to theatrical as one can get. I have been enjoying the ice shows for many years; first as the Ice Capades and for the past fifteen plus years, Disney on Ice productions. Yes, these are shows geared for kids, but these kids are the theater audiences of the future and my take on this is that we need to get them started young. That is why I applaud Chicago Shakespeare for their ‘short Shakespeare” and summer musicals, Marriott Lincolnshire for their children’s shows, Chicago Children’s, and Emerald City, Lifeline and the Ruth Page Center for Arts, for their wonderful programs that will bring the families to the theater.
I also applaud Feld and Disney for transforming the wonderful animated film “Frozen” into a superb production, albeit on ice, that captures the heart and soul of the Hans Christian Andersen story, The Snow Queen” into a marvelous tale of two princess, sisters, Anna and Elsa and their relationship. It is a a story that teaches children ( and adults) about the power of love and that good can triumph over evil. It also teaches us that with love and determination, we can conquer fear. Filled with the music of the animated version, we were treated to the music as in the film; “Fixer Upper”, “Do You Want To Build A Snowman” and of course “Let It Go” (when this number is sung, it seemed as though 13,000 voices brought the “madhouse on Madison Street”, United Center, to a new level of loud, and I loved it).
As you know, when I attend this type of event , and it is surely an event< my grandkids go with me. Adam, who is now ten, felt that this was more of a “girlie” production and so, only Sarah and Rebecca went with us. Sarah who is 7 and Rebecca, only 4 have been attending Disney on Ice for years. Both felt that this was by far the best show ever. They also loved the beginning of the show when Mickey, Minnie and Goofy came out and presented us with some of the characters that we have seen over the years in previous shows. Their favorite part of the show, other than joining in to sing along during “let It Go” was the beautiful skating and lines that were formed and of course the “happy ending”.
Watching this production , not having seen the movie version, it was clear that this story has the makings of a true Broadway musical and rumor has it that Disney is looking to add this to their library of big scale musicals. I am in hopes that this is true, because this is great family fare and would be ideal to watch on a stage. I can imagine some of the dance numbers and special effects that would make for a Tony Award winning production that would be here for generations.
One of the shames about the Disney on Ice shows is that they can only play for a short time due to sports events at the venues they use. It would be great if there were an ice facility where the show could run for weeks, or even months. Hey, how about The Sears Center? Come on Feld Company, take a look at this. Meanwhile, for those of you who have not gotten to see the best Ice show of Sarah’s life, you only have another week to get down to Madison Street and the United Center to see this very special show.
Remaining Showtimes:
Wednesday, Feb. 4 – 7 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 5 – 10:30 a.m., 3 p.m. (New Performance) & 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 6 – 10:30 a.m., 3 p.m. (New Performance) & 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 7 – 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 8 – 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Tickets: As low as $25*
To order tickets by phone: 1-800-745-3000
To order tickets online: www.disneyonice.com/www.ticketmaster.com
*Ticket pricing is subject to change based on market demand.
By the way, parking at the United Center is free, so you can use the saved money for goodies and souvenirs.
Many of the kids were dressed in costumes, so I imagine Fantasy has been very busy.
Enjoy. To see what others say, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-up and click at “Frozen”
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