FROZEN to Arrive on Broadway in Spring 2018- Page 50

[JennH]

Posted: 9/17/17 at 4:50pm

adamgreer said: "Caissie Levy sounds lovely. That's about all I can say that's positive.

There is absolutely no magic, no wow, no nothing. It's just sitting there. This is a Disney musical- people are going to look for that wow factor, and they're not gonna get it. As I've said before, the staging of this number in the DCA version is significantly more impressive than this mess. But this is what you get when you hire the likes of Michael Grandage to direct.

You'd think Disney would have realized by now that their most critically acclaimed show, both with audiences and critics (The Lion King), has plenty of wow, hired a director with vision, and didn't merely try to recreate the film onstage.

I am reminded of an interview Patti LuPone gave years ago where she adroitly explained the difference between a "stager" and a "director." Frozen has itself a stager, not a director."

BOOM. Or at least he's a stager with this particular piece. Even Hal Prince has some flops under his belt. I wonder what Taymor or Timbers would have done with this...

And as for what a staircase would add to the story...I'm not saying it HAS to be a staircase but anything more than this is necessary. It's not the staircase (or any more sets) itself that adds to the story, it what it represents. This is THE song for one and also the big moment everyone has been waiting for, to see what she is truly capable of doing but seriously, what is there to SEE her doing? Nothing. The video work in this just makes it feel like she's swirling snow around, rather than CREATING something amazing for the first time, and even said "swirling" is very minimal here. And the curtain lifting...ok NO. Bring it in to hide the change behind it and bring it back up?? LAWD HELP ME NO. Have poor Caissie create something for crying out loud...How many times does it have to be said that Disney has practically all the money in the world and they're not really doing a good job of coming up with creative solutions for what could be a creative and amazing stage musical. 

Updated On: 9/17/17 at 04:50 PM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 9/17/17 at 6:14pm

I actually commented on Alex Timbers Instagram if we will ever get to see a concept of his Frozen and he deleted the comment. 

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 9/17/17 at 6:32pm

I know the thread has kind of moved on from the comments Michael Grandage made about Betsy Wolfe, but it really bothered me, so I'm just going to put my two cents in.

"Murin’s been with the show from the first reading, but Disney couldn’t offer her the part until she was paired with the right Elsa.“I needed someone who could act the role, which is difficult, who’s beautiful and on top of that is a belter,” Grandage says. “Usually you have to prioritize. Caissie came in with it all.”"

Betsy Wolfe heavily alluded to the fact that she left "Frozen" in a recent interview with The Interval. It sounds like Michael Grandage is trying to save face by being catty and claiming she didn't have the requirements to be Elsa, which is very painfully untrue. It's even more laughable seeing that she's playing Jenna over at "Waitress" - a role that requires every single tool an actor has. What a creep. I'm still upset that we won't get studio recordings of Betsy singing the songs in this show, especially her gorgeous version of Let It Go - but she dodged a bullet, and thank goodness. What a brilliant career choice she has made. Here's to Betsy Wolfe's future Tony Nomination for "Carousel" in 2018!

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 9/17/17 at 6:46pm

CindersGolightly said: "I know the thread has kind of moved on from the comments Michael Grandage made about Betsy Wolfe, but it really bothered me, so I'm just going to put my two cents in.

"Murin’s been with the show from the first reading, but Disney couldn’t offer her the part until she was paired with the right Elsa.“I needed someone who could act the role, which is difficult, who’s beautiful and on top of that is a belter,” Grandage says. “Usually you have to prioritize. Caissie came in with it all.”"

Betsy Wolfe heavily alludedto the fact that she left "Frozen" in a recent interview with The Interval. It sounds likeMichael Grandage is trying to save face by being catty and claiming she didn't have the requirementsto be Elsa, which is very painfully untrue. It's even more laughableseeing that she's playing Jenna over at "Waitress" - a role that requires every single tool an actor has. What a creep. I'm still upset that we won't get studio recordings of Betsy singing the songs in this show, especially her gorgeous version of Let It Go - but she dodged a bullet, and thank goodness. What a brilliant career choice she has made. Here's to Betsy Wolfe's future Tony Nomination for"Carousel" in 2018!"

I read that interview too and had the same thought. Especially from this section from her answers: "Yeah. And I’ve made choices before—and recently—where I’ve been gutted that I made that decision. I have always made decisions based from a non-financial place." It sounds like she decided to leave frozen on her own accord, because she didn't believe in the art of it even if it would mean she would make a ton of money which only add to my admiration of her.

http://theintervalny.com/interviews/2017/09/betsy-wolfe-is-absolutely-fine-and-other-concerns/

[Valentina3]

Posted: 9/17/17 at 7:06pm

How very Karen Cartwright of her. Remember when she left Bombshell because her director left and she just simply didn't fit the vision of the new one? I'm sure there's tons of precedence for stuff like this. We have all heard about actors leaving shows from which they couldn't contractually be fired from, because they found that show simply doesn't work for them artistically. A recent (albeit extreme) example was Tonya Pinkins leaving Mother Courage because she felt that the director was actively stifling her character choices and she couldn't bear the idea of Mother's courage being substituted for delusion.

 

(Cinders, I swear I'm not making yet another Smash reference just because you're on this thread).

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 9/17/17 at 7:22pm

THAT IS SO VERY KAREN CARTWRIGHT OF HER!!! I can't believe I didn't make that comparison first. Valentina, I think I'm in love with you.

[johannabarker]

Posted: 9/17/17 at 7:23pm

Re: the quick change. I'm pretty sure the flash of light is supposed to cover it, but it came too late because it was the first preview. There was another issue with the "building a snowman" scene where they had to stop the show and restart because part of the set that was crucial didn't come out. 

However, there's no excuse for the backdrop being the only set piece in Let It Go. 

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 9/17/17 at 8:25pm

Funny enough: Frozen is on Freeform and Let It Go just finished. I don't know how they're not getting this. Elsa is constantly on the go, creating things like chandlers and stairs, and you see everything. Not just standing there and hiding everything from the audience 

[Tag]

Posted: 9/17/17 at 11:43pm

Re: the quick change. I'm pretty sure the flash of light is supposed to cover it, but it came too late because it was the first preview. There was another issue with the "building a snowman" scene where they had to stop the show and restart because part of the set that was crucial didn't come out. 

There is more than 1 video, and the flash is at the same time in each.  A split second after the dress is ripped off.  (But yes after seeing the 1st preview vid, we thought it was a late lighting call, but apparently it's not)

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 9/18/17 at 9:56am

Saw this last night. I liked it, I had a good time. Was sad I was missing the GHD final performance especially since I scheduled this trip before they announced the closing, and the comments on BWW about Frozen have been rather scathing. I've been trying to keep an open mind to form some of my own opinions, and here they are as seen from row E of the center orchestra (Spoiler Alert for details below):

 

The Good:

-This was not simply the movie on stage and I appreciated that. More than half of it felt new or reinvented. They changed some lyrics too and moved things around. Perhaps it's just a bi-product result but it felt like this was done on purpose to avoid the show becoming one giant sing-a-long, which I greatly appreciated.

 

-Young Anna had the audience eating out of her palm right away. She had some timing issues but was overall adorable. 

 

-Loved when they built Olaf in the bedroom out of some toys. He looked so cute there...

 

-Caissie- Wow. Slay, queen. Her vocals were effortless.

 

-Patty- Vocals weren't strong at first but got better. The added comedic lines were really good. Mostly given to Anna, she is even more quirky and became more lovable than in the movie. She reminded me of Amy Adams.

 

-Hans: Best male voice in the show. Effortless.

 

-Kristoff: Eh. His voice was nice but his lines felt rushed and his comedic timing was way off. He didn't get any laughs as a result.

 

-Sven: The audience favorite. He looked great. Was sad he couldn't show his face for curtain call, it looks like a really tough roll to walk around like that and should be recognized for it.

 

-"The Dress/The Curtain"- Stunning. Both sparkled in a way that wouldn't translate in bootlegs. There is a hole in the curtain though and she should be lifted during Let it Go to be in the center of that hole. No excuses. She must be lifted. 

 

-I can't stand the trolls or "Fixer Upper" in the movie, but the main Mountain Folk woman did a great job on this song.

 

-That last line of "Let it Go". So glad they went opposite from the movie on that.

 

The Bad:

-That stage felt small, ya'll. I couldn't believe how tiny it was, and the venue was huge. I can't imagine what it would have felt like to have been in the mezz let alone the balcony at the Buell for this. The stage also felt very constricted width-wise. I think on Broadway when they extend the structure framing the stage out as part of the theater that will help (I hope they do this). Just some columns on either side was massively boring.

 

-Perhaps this wasn't a crowd that is used to attending theater, but the amount of adults talking to each other was infuriating. I was in the most expensive seats and the yokels around me could not shut up. The kids were mostly fine, some talking and restlessness to be expected. The kids calmed down more in the 2nd act, I couldn't tell if it was because they were asleep or bored. To be fair, it was after 9pm on a Sunday. I've never seen so many booster seats... bway better put more on order.

 

-Elsa's braid was on the wrong side. Come on. Why change that just to be different? No one else would probably notice that but me but it annoyed me.

 

-When Anna was frozen you could see her brown wig under her white one and you could see Elsa's hand pulling the wig off when she thawed. Yikes.

The Ugly:

-Olaf. Ugh. The puppet itself was so. Dang. Ugly. And I love Olaf from the movie. The actor who played him was super distracting with the blush on his cheeks and stupid ball on his hat. Just no. My lasting impression was they should just cut Olaf altogether if they can't get him to look as cool as Sven, but maybe they should just cut and sell a few strands of that Curtain to put toward him. And put that actor in all black.

 

-I couldn't stop staring at the main Mountain Folk guy's crotch. The costume really bulged there and was distracting. Also get rid of the tails on the Mountain Folk. They looked out of place.

 

-The sauna dance wasn't as bad or as long as I expected. The audience laughed, but this goes in the ugly category for me. This at least should have been a tap dance number?

 

-That bridge that looked cool in photos? Not so much in person. It looked like Saran Wrap and Press N Seal wrapped around wired. Any ice or icicles in this show looked cheap, cheap, cheap.

 

Saving the best for last:

-"Love is an Open Door" was really cute with some added choreography. Funny and charming. 

 

-"Colder by the Minute"- WOW. Why couldn't the whole show have been done like this?! Stunning.

 

Conclusion: This is no disaster, but they have work to do. Looking forward to seeing changes in February.

[irishgator1]

Posted: 9/18/17 at 10:15am

Tag said: "Re: the quick change. I'm pretty sure the flash of light is supposed to cover it, but it came too late because it was the first preview. There was another issue with the "building a snowman" scene where they had to stop the show and restart because part of the set that was crucial didn't come out.

There is more than 1 video, and the flash is at the same time in each. A split second after the dress is ripped off. (But yes after seeing the 1st preview vid, we thought it was a late lighting call, but apparently it's not)"

I saw it on maybe the 3rd day of previews and I don't know if the flash was too late there as well, but it was clear they just ripped the dress off.  Even my 9 year old daughter, from all the way back in the second-to-last row in the orchestra, saw it and whispered, "I think she just had her dress on underneath."

[Yediney]

Posted: 9/20/17 at 3:31pm

FROZEN Pre-Broadway Opening Night - Denver

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V9lBGQeFs4

 

Has anyone commented about this yet? The 'Disney on Broadway' Youtube Channel uploaded it a few days ago (apologies if someone has).

 

[Big Apple2]

Posted: 9/20/17 at 11:59pm

Here are my thoughts after seeing it Tuesday night:

Avid broadway fans will pick this whole thing apart. So to me, the show was just alright. The reaction of the crowd, however, was very different. They were enthusiastic and loved it. That's why I think there will be very few changes between Denver and Broadway. 

 

With the material being so thin as it is, I was looking for spectacle for consolation. But that was nonexistent. There is no wow factor. If projections do it for you - snow, things getting frozen, shooting stars and what became tiring after a while - the aurora borealis, you will be in the company of Tuesday night's audience who oohed and aahed at those. There is no ice castle. The crystals that decorated the stage as part of the transformation during "Let It Go" was pretty lame. I have seen a more elaborate and a much better conceived display up close in the Champagne Bar at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Vegas. 

 

While there were a lot of 7-9 year old girls in the audience, the creative team did a great job in avoiding that group to be its only target audience.  If the three ladies seated in front of us is any indication, adult super fans of the animated film will love this. 

 

The set looks small when viewed in the massive Buell Theatre. But having been at the St James theatre where this production will ultimately take residency, it will fit right in.  The rest of the set pieces do work - another reason why I believe it will survive the travel to Broadway. 

 

Caissie was spectacular but her Elsa was underwritten with so many other characters jockeying for a musical number. Patti and John were good too. I did not have problems nor was I distracted with Olaf being a puppet as I focused on him rather than the actor playing him. Still, I can see those who were bothered as my wife was. Surprised to see Robert Creighton (Cagney) here. Looks like his schedule allowed it before he starts his Cagney run in LA next month. 

 

The sauna scene was enjoyable and a nice way to open Act 2. I see that number also surviving on Broadway. 

 

Being the highest grossing animated film of all time, it's relative newness, a 2019 sequel and a built in audience, I see this having a multi-year run on Broadway but not on the same level as Lion King.  Overall, in its current form, the show is not bad but it isn't spectacular either. I would give this 3 stars (out of five).

[gayshark888]

Posted: 9/21/17 at 1:36am

Caught the show tonight and I must say that it exceeded my expectations (which admittedly were low). It wasn't perfect by a long shot but definitely one of the better Disney shows I've seen. I'm tired from traveling but here are my initial thoughts: 

GOOD

Caissie and Patti were really on fire tonight! Patti was hilarious. She had the audience eating out of the palm of her hand. Caissie absolutely SLAYED her numbers. 

Young Anna hit all her marks and the audience loved it.

The Sven puppet was quite impressive and was easily one of my favorite things about the show. 

Turning the trolls into "mountain people" really worked. I was expecting the Fixer Upper number to be cringeworthy but it was actually kind of charming. 

Loved the new songs! Colder by the Minute and Monster were particularly impressive. Overall the show really set itself apart from the movie which I appreciated. 

BAD 

The stage was too small, to the point where it was a distraction. Everything felt very cramped. It will be interesting to see how the show adapts to a larger space. 

Let it Go was a big disappointment. Awful projections. No scenery. Very meh. I thought the dress reveal was corny but the audience went absolutely nuts over it. I will say that pictures don't do that dress justice. It's actually quite stunning in real life. 

Kristoff was just okay. He had a nice voice but no personality. 

Not enough Elsa scenes! Caissie felt so underused. It's a real shame. Also very little interaction between Elsa and Anna which in turn made it hard to buy their chemistry as sisters. 

UGLY

The sauna song. No. Just no.

Olaf. Worst part of the movie. That didn't change here. 

TL;DR Not for everyone but overall an enjoyable show. I honestly don't see them making many changes before transferring. Either way I suspect this show will have a nice, long run on Broadway. 

 

 

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 9/21/17 at 8:29am

As a kid, I saw a lot of theater at the Buell. That place is ENORMOUS. The proscenium is the largest I’ve seen. I saw Sunset, Miss Saigon, Phantom (the original), and many other large shows there and they did all feel small within the scope of the proscenium. Not surprised this feels small in that space.

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 9/21/17 at 9:02am

gayshark888 said: "Caught the show tonight and I must say that it exceeded my expectations (which admittedly were low). It wasn't perfect by a long shot but definitely one of the better Disney shows I've seen. I'm tired from traveling but here are my initial thoughts:

GOOD

Caissie and Patti were really on fire tonight! Patti was hilarious. She had the audience eating out of the palm of her hand. Caissie absolutely SLAYED her numbers.

Young Anna hit all her marks and the audience loved it.

The Sven puppet was quite impressive and was easily one of my favorite things about the show.

Turning the trolls into "mountain people" really worked. I was expecting the Fixer Upper number to be cringeworthy but it was actually kind of charming.

Loved the new songs! Colder by the Minute and Monster were particularly impressive. Overall the show really set itself apart from the movie which I appreciated.

BAD

The stage was too small, to the point where it was a distraction. Everything felt very cramped. It will be interesting to see how the show adapts to a larger space.

Let it Go was a big disappointment. Awful projections. No scenery. Very meh. Ithought the dress reveal was corny but the audience went absolutely nuts over it. I will say that pictures don't do that dress justice. It's actually quite stunning in real life.

Kristoff was just okay. He had a nice voice but no personality.

Not enough Elsa scenes! Caissie felt so underused. It's a real shame. Also very little interaction between Elsa and Anna which in turn made it hard to buy their chemistry as sisters.

UGLY

The sauna song. No. Just no.

Olaf. Worst part of the movie. That didn't change here.

TL;DR Not for everyone but overall an enjoyable show. I honestly don't see them making many changes before transferring. Either way I suspect this show will have a nice, long run on Broadway.



"

It's like you copied my post.

[Big Apple2]

Posted: 9/21/17 at 9:40am

theatregoer3 said: "As a kid, I saw a lot of theater at the Buell. That place is ENORMOUS. The proscenium is the largest I’ve seen. I saw Sunset, Miss Saigon,Phantom (the original), and many other large shows there and they did all feel small within the scope of the proscenium. Not surprised this feels small in that space."

The Buell is massive. While the sound is great, I didn't care for it much. It has no character and just a big hall. 

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 9/21/17 at 10:28am

gayshark888 said: "The stage was too small, to the point where it was a distraction. Everything felt very cramped. It will be interesting to see how the show adapts to a larger space."

The St James is a smaller place. 

[Valentina3]

Posted: 9/21/17 at 10:30am

Can someone tell me if John Riddle is being treated well by the material and the audience? Because he's the only person in this cast I know already and he's my dream bf.

[Big Apple2]

Posted: 9/21/17 at 4:08pm

Valentina3 said: "Can someone tell me if John Riddle is being treated well by the material and the audience? Because he's the only person in this cast I know already and he's my dream bf."

He's got a good part and the best male performer in the company.  As expected, his character was booed during the big reveal.  The funny thing is, the audience around me didn't know what to do during his final bow.  You can hear the applause dying down a little bit when he came out.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 9/21/17 at 6:03pm

^ LMAO, that's glorious. Don't know how John and Pattie keep it together 

Updated On: 9/21/17 at 06:03 PM

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 9/22/17 at 3:47pm

I've experienced that a few times from the audience, and I think it's a great thing to do as a testament to the actor's skill. For me, the last time it happened was at Waitress when Nick Cordero as Earl was booed at the curtain call.

[Itonlytakesajourney]

Posted: 9/22/17 at 4:06pm

Ado Annie D'Ysquith said: "I've experienced that a few times from the audience, and I think it's a great thing to do as a testament to the actor's skill. For me, the last time it happened was at Waitress when Nick Cordero as Earl was booed at the curtain call."

It's pretty disrespectful imo. The actor is playing a character, and even though they do bad things in the show, that doesn't mean that the actor themself is a bad person. 

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 9/22/17 at 4:53pm

But that's exactly my point. We all KNOW the actor's not a bad person, and the actor him/herself knows they're not. So to hear that their performance as a villain sufficiently angered the audience...I would take that as the ultimate compliment. Just my 2 cents.

[Itonlytakesajourney]

Posted: 9/22/17 at 5:17pm

Fair enough. I just think it disrupts the positive energy going at curtain call, no matter how rewarding it may be. Anyways, is John Riddle a standout in terms of performance? I've heard a lot about Cassie, Patti, some about Jelani, but no John.