FROZEN Reviews- Page 7

[Great Dame]

Posted: 4/12/18 at 3:33pm

all_that_jazz said: "Nothing was yelled at the stage i dont discuss while a show was on. It was intermission. I have been a performer for 20 years and would never direct that at a performer who had no role in it."

Oh whew! I pictured you standing up at the conclusion and shouting your comment, which would be totally inappropriate. Glad to hear that was a misunderstanding! Expressing disappointment during intermission is totally different, as long as the actors can't hear anyway.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 4/12/18 at 4:05pm

I understand being disappointed when something like the dress reveal doesn't happen, but the anger on this page is a big insane. It's live theatre. If you want assurance of the same thing always happening, watch a movie.

On a rare occasion the lift at WICKED doesn't work. It happens. 

[Fosse76]

Posted: 4/12/18 at 4:32pm

MusicAndPassion said: "I agree. It’s Disney Theatrical Company. They clearly spent more money on effects than other parts of the show . . ."

Really? I thought the effects were pretty cheap-looking and lazy. Something I'd expect to see at Disneyland, not on Broadway.

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 4/12/18 at 7:00pm

IdinaBellFoster said: "I understand being disappointed when something like the dress reveal doesn't happen, but the anger on this page is a big insane. It's live theatre. If you want assurance of the same thing always happening, watch a movie.

On a rare occasion the lift at WICKED doesn't work. It happens."

The anger is from one person...

If the show is ruined for you because one moment didn’t go correctly, it sounds as though the show just wasn’t for you. Could Frozen be better overall, sure- but there are plenty of other highlights throughout. I can understand being disappointed but imo Caisse’s vocals on the song far surpass the split second dress change anyway. 

[IlanaKeller]

Posted: 4/12/18 at 7:08pm

Dave13 said: "Sven’s animation was astonishing, but he never said anything which made the movie so much better. It just seemed Sven was an after thought."
 

Late to the game here, but Sven didn't talk in the movie. That was Kristoff the whole time... 

[Great Dame]

Posted: 4/12/18 at 10:00pm

greenifyme2 said: "If the show is ruined for you because one moment didn’t go correctly, it sounds as though the show just wasn’t for you. Could Frozen be better overall, sure- but there are plenty of other highlights throughout. I can understand being disappointed but imo Caisse’s vocals on the song far surpass the split second dress change anyway."

Haha, plus it's a little ironic getting all hung up on "Let It Go"... I mean it's the biggest moment in the show and all, but the whole song is about letting it go. 

Did anyone see the show tonight? Should be nearing the end and I'm wondering and hoping it went better tonight and that the dress exploded right off her without an issue. 

[HunterK]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 12:44am

I saw the matinee yesterday from Front Row Mezz, a little disappointed not to see Caissie, but Alyssa was fine. To ne she just didn't;t command that stage like Caissie. Some belted notes were a little weak, but that audience ate it up! She looked beautiful, but I have to say I was disappointed with no Pant Suit!! I am not sure how many times she has gone on yet, but I would think they would have made her that costume by now! I am hoping. Her dress in "Monster" reminded me of a figure skater who just got into a fight in a dark alley. It looked so sward and disheveled. Plus the way she was walking around the stage was very clunky, you could hear each step. He shows looked much different than the Elsa heels. Overall it was a good performance. I didn't notice any cape or dress slip ups. I will say I LOVED Tracee Beazer as Bulda. I know it is a small part (much smaller than Denver), but she look fierce and her voice is just so damn powerful. I would love hear her as Elsa (just a thought!) 

But this was just my own opinion, please don't road me. 

 

 

mailhandler777 said: "My friend was at the matinee and said Alyssa had one also.



Edited to say Alyssa didn't have the same one. She still has the dress in Monster and her cape came loose and she was tripping on it."

 

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 4/13/18 at 1:11am

^Alyssa has been on twice now since the pants were introduced. I'm guessing hers aren't ready yet.

[Great Dame]

Posted: 5/25/18 at 12:56pm

I wanted to leave a review now that I've seen the show on Broadway. I'll start with the changes I really liked since Denver.

- a much stronger opening. I loved that they added more set up between the sisters, and the ensemble sounds very full and fantastic.

- no narrator. I appreciated this most following Elsa's scenes. In Denver the narrator told us what was happening in her head, now we get to see her struggle, or run away or vanish in a flash of light. It's way more impactful and builds angst.

- much better introduction of adult Anna and Elsa.

- Anna removes her own dress, rather than having Kristoff tear it off. This was my biggest complaint in Denver.

- a much better and beautiful ice palace. Let It Go looked and sounded great in both runs, but they bumped it up in NYC and it works! I appreciate that it's not too over the top, yet it's still beautiful and full of sparkles. And that quick change never gets old.

- I love what they did with Kristoff Lullaby! That scene was totally different, and really works well! I loved Jelani in that scene, but the ensemble was great too. I was impressed with the ballad directly following a physical dance number. I wouldn't be able to breathe much less sing pretty.

- THE PANTS! I loved the pants! And the boots Caissie wears with the pants. Gorgeous! How they didn't get a costume Tony nomination baffles me.

- the staging for Monster is great! In Denver she surrounded herself with ice shards to keep the guards away, now she uses them to block the guards. 1) it allows us to see her better because it pushes Caissie more to the front of the stage 2) makes more sense and shows Elsa in a stronger place physically.

- In addition to the pants, Elsa has a much stronger presence in the capture scene. She was more weak and vulnerable in Denver, I like the tall posture and confident face Cassie is giving that scene.

- Much stronger closing, and I loved the Let It Go reprise! I really liked that they put Caissie and Patti on the riser rather than the troll.

All in all, I loved it! I loved it in Denver too to be fair, but I think they really tightened it up and it looks and sounds great!! It is impossible to leave without a smile. In my opinion they face an uphill battle because it's a film-to-stage adaptation which critics hate, and it's Disney which always has a much higher bar. If you go in expecting Disney's Frozen you will not be disappointed. If you go in expecting Hamilton, you will be.

If you are interested in the whole production, the front of mezzanine is probably the best place to sit to see all the effects and projections. If you are more interested in the cast, then I would sit as close to front and center or front and stage left as possible. For one matinee I sat in the front row last seat all the way to the right orchestra on stage left and it was perfect! Haha I got hit in the face with Elsa's cape in one moment, which left me grinning ear to ear. They are right freaking there! The Buell in Denver is so big, it was nice to feel that close. I could hear the beads from Caissie's costume on the stage floor. I've never sat that close, I never want to sit anywhere else again haha!

[a-mad]

Posted: 5/25/18 at 1:34pm

Great review.  How was the audience reaction?  Does it seem to have died down from the die-hard fans cheering throughout in previews, or is the response still overwhelmingly positive?

[Great Dame]

Posted: 5/25/18 at 2:25pm

A-mad

I saw it four times on this trip, I love Caissie Levy & wanted to make sure I saw her as much as possible don't judge , and every time I thought the audience was great! As far as big crowd cheers, they are well placed and appropriate. If you aren't screaming by the end of Let It Go, you're dead inside haha! That said, even with the cheers I could still hear Caissie belt that last huge note. The more loud the crowd got, the more attitude she gave it. You can tell that energy feeds her performance, it's contagious and very genuine from the audience. The night with the most cheers was a particularly energized and engaged audience. Lots of organized clapping prior to the start of the show, lots of full crowd cheers, and that night I thought the cast gave their best performance. I'm sure they could hear the audience even before the show started and that energy level just ramps things up.

That all said, there were some tough kid moments haha. I don't have kids and had to keep reminding myself this show is for them too. During Saturday's matinee a kid was screaming bloody murder from the mezzanine right as Patti started True Love. She powered through and the parents finally got the kid out. But it was a tough first 30 seconds or so.

The Wednesday matinee was full of well behaved kids. And not as many little ones at the evening shows. Disney recommends 8 years old, they are correct. younger kids really struggle, it's too long for them. I saw several people with toddlers and even babies. Babies. Come on people.

There were few adorable kid moments too though. In "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" during one show when Anna says "it's just you and me, what are we gonna a doooo?" And then there's a breath. In that moment of silence a little boy echoes "dooooo"... And while it was a distraction, it was also kind of precious too. Disney magic, it's a real situation.

I've read a lot of criticism of the Frozen audience on this board, but my experiences all felt very genuine. It's just a beautiful story everyone connects to and loves. That cheering and excitement is justified and deserved as far as I'm concerned. If it was just normal theater clapping at the end of Let It Go it would feel dead. It's a show stopper. It's supposed to be a show stopper. It's made for that and Caissie Levy executes it in a way that should hault time and bring a tear to your eye. No matter how people feel about the song itself, the fact that the human body can produce those sounds should move you to tears.

I love the show and can't wait to come back to NY to see it again! It warms my heart and is a nice distraction from the troubles of our world.

[a-mad]

Posted: 5/25/18 at 3:09pm

^ thanks!  Great to hear that the response is still very positive.  I hope it runs for a long time.

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 5/25/18 at 3:34pm

Great Dame,
One thing I learned about Caissie throughout the years is if the audience is great she definitely feeds off of them no matter what show she is in. I've seen her in 7 different ones now.

[Great Dame]

Posted: 5/25/18 at 3:50pm

mailhandler777 said: "Great Dame,
One thing I learned about Caissie throughout the years is if the audience is great she definitely feeds off of them no matter what show she is in. I've seen her in 7 different ones now."

OMG I am so jealous! Did you see her in Murder Ballad? I would have died I think. Ugh! I had never heard of her prior to Frozen's Denver run, nor had I ever gotten attached to a Broadway actor before. We see the touring cast for a few weeks, then poof they move on. It's really hard to get attached in another city. And then I saw her Elsa. I will fly to NY from this day forth to see anything she does. She really might be the best live performer I've ever seen... And I've seen Adele. NYC is very lucky to have talent like her. 

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 5/25/18 at 4:22pm

Great Dame said: "mailhandler777 said: "Great Dame,
One thing I learned about Caissie throughout the years is if the audience is great she definitely feeds off of them no matter what show she is in. I've seen her in 7 different ones now."

OMG I am so jealous! Did you see her in Murder Ballad? I would have died I think. Ugh! I had never heard of her prior to Frozen's Denver run, nor had I ever gotten attached to a Broadway actor before. We see the touring cast for a few weeks, then poof they move on. It's really hard to get attached in another city. And then I saw her Elsa. I will fly to NY from this day forth to see anything she does. She really might be the best live performer I've ever seen... And I've seen Adele. NYC is very lucky to have talent like her."

6 different shows...oops my bad. Yes I saw her in Murder Ballad. Also in Hair, Ghost, First Daughters Suite and Les Mis.

 

[Great Dame]

Posted: 5/25/18 at 4:28pm

mailhandler777 said: "
6 different shows...oops my bad. Yes I saw her in Murder Ballad. Also in Hair, Ghost, First Daughters Suite and Les Mis.

"

I hate you just a little bit... In the best way possible

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 6/5/18 at 11:44pm

finally got to see frozen and thoroughly enjoyed the show. now i have a clear bias toward disney, princess stories and happy endings in musicals.
caissie and patti were amazing, and the let it go first act finale was right up there with defying gravity, man up and other top first sct finales.
sets were fantastic and shockex it did not get noms for sets and lighting and costumes and caissie-tony voter disney anti love still abounds.
the music was not as strong in the second act and still worked imo. my only real issue was the ice guy also doing the voice of the reindeer which just didnt work.
bringing olaf and the reindeer to life were both well executed.
i had a great time and would see this cast again
have fun and enjoy yourselves...

[azleafcat]

Posted: 6/20/18 at 2:07am

Alyssa Fox (standby for Elsa) posted on Instagram that she'll be on as Elsa (June 19-24) this week except for Wednesday's matinee.

Ashley Blanchet (who understudies Elsa) will be on as Elsa during the Wednesday matinee.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkEBENSjwtB/

 

 

[natashalost]

Posted: 6/20/18 at 7:02pm

azleafcat said: "]Ashley Blanchet (who understudies Elsa) will be on as Elsa during the Wednesday matinee.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkEBENSjwtB/"

This makes her the first black actress to play the role on Broadway! 

I saw her today at the matinee and she was nothing short of fantastic. Worth every penny I spent to get a last-minute ticket! She's very different than Caissie but still fantastic. (Also very happy to have seen all 3 Elsas now!) 

 

Also, are we treating this thread as the official performance thread now? Let me know if this isnt the case!

 

 

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 6/27/18 at 6:16pm

Not a shock to any of you guys, but I really liked Frozen. Is it perfect? No. I would say that it isn’t good as Aladdin and Lion King, but better than BatB and Mary Poppins. But, it’s still a lovely time. My mom was a little kid in the candy store and my sisters, who hate theater, loved the show. Heck, my twin was hooting and hollering!!! That is the reward for me.

Cassie was beautiful as Elsa and Patti was adorable & beaming as Anna. But, I wish Patti made her a bit more dorky and youthful, a la Penny Pigeleton and Kristen Bell’s performance. Cassie also had really nothing to work with, but still was graceful and powerful. Because she's barely in Act 1, Disney should had marketed Cassie as featured actress for the award season. She would have possibly dominated the award season.

Greg and John were pitch perfect as Olaf and Hans. I think Jelani, Robert, Kevin, and (bless him) Andrew as Kristof, Duke, Oaken, and Sven  were my favorite performances of the night. They were both so likable and they each had a unique presence. I also loved what they did to the trolls/hidden folk. And Sven AHHHHHH!

Yes, I also loved the effects and how they take up the environment, even though it was underused in some major places (Spoiler Corner). Loved how it was used in the reveal scene and Monster. How in earth that Frozen didn’t get nominated for scenic, lighting, and costume design is beyond me. The scenery was spectacular and the lighting design did a fantastic job measuring the warm and the cold colors.

The problems that I had:

-Let It Go was better than I thought and the effects were mostly well-used. The ending of it was phenomenal, but gosh dang it! The curtains ruined it! Remove the curtains! My mom and sisters were like, “How do they do it?” We don’t know, we don’t see the castle is transformed. A big moment and Disney failed.

-Yes, the nude kick line was cringy AF. To my shock, my conservative mom and my sisters didn’t mind at all. Mom even called it “harmless.” So, whatever.

-The direction to In Summer was fantastic. However, the scene was made for a dance break. Give the scene its full potential. I also wished there was a dance break for the coronation scene with Anna and Hans. The Disney on Ice show had a gorgeous instrumental version of FtFTIF during the ball scene and I'd have loved to see it be in the show.

-Elsa’s pants added nothing at all! The pants look great in pictures and sound cool in paper, but it was pointless. Why was she wearing pants the first place? If they did another dress transformation from the dress to the pants during Monster, that would explain why Elsa looks like she’s about to fight. 

-The book was good for the most part. Lee did a great job, growing Elsa and Anna’s relationship, like them hanging out during the coronation party and thank you: Elsa actually tells Anna why they can’t be together!  And thank you again, for expanding the Duke's role. But, still: First, where was Elsa’s journey from Arendelle to her castle? Act 1 could have added ten more minutes to that. She just disappears. Additionally, the transition from Hygge to the ice castle was nonexistence. They just jump right to the castle. It takes a while movie to get there. Why not in the show? Second, the prison scene between Elsa and Hans was sorely missed. Again, Elsa disappears when we could had great development between them and heck, even the Duke and Elsa. Robert’s Duke was aroused (yes, aroused. Patti’s reaction was great) when he sees Elsa during the throne scene. Keep that going. Third, I’m disappointed that it’s still the King’s idea to separate Anna and Elsa. I’m glad the Queen was at least WTH about it.

Lastly, spoilers for A Little Bit of You and Colder by the Minute:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

-I don’t get why little Elsa’s powers during ALBOY were only on the girls’ beds. Why couldn’t the snow fall on the stage as well? It doesn’t really show how powerful Elsa is.

-Why are they building a TOY snowman? Cute concept (love that lil Anna was carrying it around), but it doesn’t make sense when Elsa can supposedly make a real snowman. I mean, it’s easy to have the props for it. I’m confused how Denver had to stop the show for technical difficulties over a toy.

-Now, how they froze Anna. What they did….was fine. I got concept, but….it was fine. Like Hunchback, it was community theater directing, but it looks better because of the effects and it was obvious that the people were supposed to be ice, and again…it was fine. Meanwhile, at Disneyland, the girl who’s Anna LITERALLY becomes a statue and transforms back to a human. Why couldn’t they done that? It’s a problem when a theme park does two critical scenes better than the Broadway show.

 

[IlanaKeller]

Posted: 6/27/18 at 6:29pm

Slightly spoiler-y:

 

As to your concerns in the spoiler section, I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that Elsa's powers GROW as she gets older. So to make them overwhelming at that point would have negated the "Papa, they're getting stronger, I can't laugh, I can't breathe" moments, the need to go find a "cure" and why Elsa later on explains that she still can't be with Anna because she nearly killed her when Anna was six and her powers have only grown since then. So in addition to practical concerns, I don't think making her powers (and therefore the effects) stronger at those moments would help that arc.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 6/27/18 at 6:43pm

^That was my guess too, but still a bit disappointing

[Great Dame]

Posted: 6/28/18 at 1:41am

disneybroadwayfan22 said: "^That was my guess too, but still a bit disappointing"

I was at the Denver preview where they had to stop the show, and it wasn't the toy that malfunctioned it was the set. Neither bed or footlocker came out... which given the snow effects would have been impossible to continue.

[Playbill_Trash]

Posted: 6/28/18 at 10:13am

I agree that the use of toys was underwhelming for the first snowman, but understand if her powers weren't as strong yet.

However, the Disney easter egg made it worth it:

Seriously, if you're a big Disney fan - don't read this spoiler until you've seen the show. You'll appreciate the reveal once you see them put together Olaf in the bedroom.

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The ball that they used to make Olaf's body / abdomen was the signature Luxo/Pixar/Toy Story Ball with the blue stripe and red star. It was so great to see that subtle detail rolled out on stage. I have never seen an easter egg in a live stage show before. What a great moment. I'm sure I'm not the only one that has noticed this.

This begs the question though, if the designers were able to give such detail at individual parts of the show, why does it seem like they were lazy with the big parts everyone was looking for? This show seemed like it was written, directed, and designed by 3 groups of people that never met each other.

 

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 6/30/18 at 2:33am

This prolly wont happen, but Megan Hilty would be an incredible Elsa