Frozen at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
- AnxiousTheatregoer
- Jun 27, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 5
Disney Magic at its finest! Definitely check out this show before it closes on the 8th of September as it is fun and has something for all ages.
*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*
My Review:
The sets and effects for Frozen are simply out of this world, which must be credited to the whole creative team of this production as without their contributions this show would not be anywhere near as magical as it is.
This is a show that I have been meaning to see for a while, and since it is closing on the 8th of September, I finally got around to seeing it and I was not disappointed in the slightest. Actually, I was blown away by the talent and sheer magic showcased in this show. The show is opened by the Young Anna (Sanny Kurihara), Young Elsa (Sienna Sibley), Queen Iduna (Isabella Glanzing Santos) and King Agnarr (Ashley J Daniels) accompanied by the ensemble which is made up of Rhianne Alleyne, Rebecca Botterill, Gabriella Cocca, Lizzy-Rose Esin-Kelly, Jemal Felix, Jordan Fox, Molly Francis, Dominic Adam Griffin, George Hinson, Ben Irish, Aoife Kenny, Jonathon Milton, Jacqui Sanchez, Jak Skelly, Caitlin Tipping, and Rodney Vubya. Sanny Kurihara and Sienna Sibley have incredible voices and were so professional when a piece of set came apart, which is amazing to see and I am sure that they both have a bright future ahead of them. The actors for Queen Iduna and King Agnarr are also part of the ensemble when they are not on for these roles, and the consistent use of the ensemble throughout the show makes it more dynamic and visually engaging for all audience members. The swings for Frozen are Marianne Bardgett, Oliver Brenin, Laura Emmitt, Matt Gillett, Justin-Lee Jones, Jordan Livesy, Jemma Revell, Harriet Samuels, Ed Wade, and Anna Woodside, and I was fortunate to be able to see Oliver Brenin as Olaf. Oliver Brenin was perfect as Olaf, bringing the necessary joyous energy to the role alongside brilliant vocals and well-considered accurate characterisation, staying true to the film whilst also bringing his own flair to the role. I saw Samantha Barks as Elsa since her return to the role after maternity leave and she was truly out of this world. The power of her voice brought a new strength to Elsa and her ability to change during more emotional moments, altering her voice and characterisation was just phenomenal. Her Let it Go was a privilege to watch as her voice is simply incredible. Anna was played by Laura Dawkes who brilliantly captures the bubbly personality and slight naivety of this role. From the first moment, we see her during Do You Want To Build a Snowman and For The First Time in Forever, it is clear that she is perfect as Anna brilliantly captures the aspects of the film character whilst maintaining her own personal characterisation in a beautiful blend that works so well during this show. Kristoff is played by Jammy Kasongo who perfectly captures the slight cynicism but truly caring nature of this character and is so fun to watch during Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People and when he interacts with The Trolls led by Lizzy-Rose Esin-Kelly as Bulda and Ben Irish as Fabbie during Fixer Upper which was one of my favourite moments of the show alongside Love Is An Open Door. Kristoff is accompanied by Sven who is a puppet played by either Ashley Birchall or Mikayla Jade (as far as I could see the actor for this role is not displayed in the theatre), the puppetry is led by Jacqui Sanchez (Puppetry Captain) and is brilliantly used to make the show feel even more magical and the ability of the Sven actors to convey emotion and act in a full puppet suit is a true testament to their talent. Hans is played by Oliver Ormson who is able to brilliantly convey this character and show the transition from the polite and sweet Prince we first see to the scheming and back-stabbing truth of his character shown close to the end of the show during Colder By The Minute. His ability to forge a loveable character that quickly becomes so dislikeable is a true talent and his vocals during Hans of the Southern Isles and the Reprise are amazing. Weselton is played by Richard Frame and I cannot see anyone more perfect for this role as he is comedic and energetic from the first moment he appears on stage and his acting had me and the rest of the audience in stitches. Oaken/Bishop is played by Jak Skelly and his performance blew me away, Hygee was probably my favourite moment of the whole show as it was fun, likely and comedic with spectacular choreography and vocals which is brilliantly led by Jak Skelly and accompanied by the ensemble.
I must reiterate my absolute recommendation of this show as it is one to see!
Content Warnings:
The theatre did not have any displayed content warnings that I could see, however, due to the nature of the show, the only thing that I noted was the use of haze.
However, I will say that if you struggle with background noise, the audience can be fairly loud and at moments, despite being on the front row, I did miss dialogue due to the level of disturbance.
Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope this review has proved interesting and helpful for you :)
- AnxiousTheatregoer
