This post was originally published on Playbill - Features
Written by: Marc J. Franklin
Following a Denver tryout, Disney’s Frozen opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre March 22, 2018. The musical, directed by Michael Grandage with choreography by Rob Ashford, played 26 previews and 822 performances before closing March 11, 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The production earned three Tony Award nominations including Best musical.
Based on the 2013 Oscar-winning animated film, Frozen tells the story of two sisters—one isolated with a mysterious secret and the other’s journey to save her. The musical features music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and book by Jennifer Lee.
Looking Back at Frozen’s Journey on Broadway
Upon opening, the production starred Caissie Levy as Elsa, Patti Murin as Anna, Jelani Alladin as Kristoff, Greg Hildreth as Olaf, John Riddle as Hans, Robert Creighton as Weselton, Kevin Del Aguila as Oaken, Timothy Hughes as Pabbie, Andrew Pirozzi and Adam Jepsen as Sven, Audrey Bennett and Mattea Conforti as Young Anna, and Brooklyn Nelson and Ayla Schwartz as Young Elsa. Rounding out the company were ensemble members Tracee Beazer, Wendi Bergamini, Ashley Blanchet, James Brown III, Claire Camp, Lauren Nicole Chapman, Jeremy Davis, Kali Grinder, Zach Hess, Donald Jones, Jr., Nina Lafarga, Ross Lekites, Austin Lesch, Synthia Link, Adam Perry, Olivia Phillip, Noah J. Ricketts, Ann Sanders, Jacob Smith, and Nicholas Ward with Alyssa Fox and Aisha Jackson as standbys and Alicia Albright, Spencer Clark, Ashley Elizabeth Hale, Travis Patton, and Jeff Pew as swings.
In February 2020, Ciara Renée and McKenzie Kurtz became the Broadway production’s final royal sisters with Ryan McCartan as Hans.
Frozen featured sets and costumes by Christopher Oram, lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by Peter Hylenski, video design by Finn Ross, puppet design by Micahel Curry, hair design by David Brian Brown, makeup by Anne Ford-Coates, and special effects by Jeremy Chernick. Visit the Playbill Vault for the complete cast and creative team.
The first international production of the musical musical opened in Australia in December 2020. When tenable, Disney Theatrical Productions intends to resume the Frozen North American tour and open international stagings in London, Japan, and Germany later in 2021. Elements from the Broadway production will be repurposed for these engagements to reduce cost and waste.
