Disney Frozen
Frozen
Theatre Royal Drury Lane
(Review Complete)
(Click here for Narration)
Review
There is a tendency for adaptations of Disney movies to come over as a bit ‘pantomime’. I’m reminded of Timon and Pumba, the Genie and Jafar in Aladdin and the Mersisters and Chef Louis in The Little Mermaid.
However this is absolutely not the case with Frozen! The nearest this show gets to pantomime is Hygge, a new song that is not in the film, where the ensemble come out of a sauna naked! (Obviously they are not really naked! Just body suits!) From the first scene where young Elsa and Anna are playing and Elsa, accidentally hurts Anna with her magic, this is a serious piece of drama.
There are four teams of children playing young Elsa and Anna and I don’t know which team we saw but these two little girls were excellent in every way! Samantha Barks and Laura Dawkes played Elsa and Anna respectively. Samantha Barks has a wonderful voice and her rendition of Let It Go, which every little girl in the audience was looking forward to, was fantastic. She plays the troubled, magical heroine with great sensitivity and is a great contrast to her sister Anna. Laura Dawkes’s Anna, who is probably the real leading lady, is feisty, a little bit geeky and genuinely concerned for the sister she loves.
But for me the show was stolen by the non-human characters, Sven and Olaf! Sven the Reindeer is played by Ashley Birchall and Mikayla Jade. I’m not sure which one is the front half and which the back half, but they operate as a brilliant team, making Sven full of character and charm. Olaf the snowman is puppeted and voiced by Craig Gallivan. He is a wonderful character, witty, charming and is summed up by is own introduction, “my name is Olaf, and I like warm hugs”!
But what really makes this show are the wonderful effects which are led by the lighting and projection, instantly transforming the set into an ice-covered world! Lighting Designer Neil Austin, Special Effects Designer Jeremy Chernick and Video Designer Finn Ross have to be commended for this brilliant work.
There is also an amazing effect when Elsa transforms from her green dress to her white costume. I actually know how this is done (and no, I’m not going to tell you!) but it is so quick that, even if you know its going to happen, your eye misses it! I must also say what a pleasure it is to hear a show played with such a large orchestra! It definitely adds an extra, dynamic element.
Frozen is only on at Drury Lane until 8th September so if you haven’t seen this wonderful show, I strongly recommend you book tickets. You will not be disappointed!
Reviewers: Julia Rufey
We are Gifted tickets so that in return we may give an honest review. All comments are those of the reviewer and theirs alone.