FROZEN to Arrive on Broadway in Spring 2018- Page 51

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 9/22/17 at 5:32pm

They don't have to make any changes but they SHOULD. They did not get all glowing reviews. I'm hoping they at least cut the sauna number and add stuff about Elsa. Maybe more songs? She's just so underwritten. 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 9/22/17 at 8:49pm

Itonlytakesajourney said: "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."

It's weird that happened at Waitress. It didn't happen either time I saw the show. I feel like it would be more likely to happen at kids' shows where they might not be able to separate the actor from the character.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 9/22/17 at 11:05pm

My step-brother and his husband saw it the other night.

Decidedly under-whelmed.

I dont normally use them as a barometer for things, but from what I've read, they're probably right.

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 9/24/17 at 1:13am

I just got back from seeing “Frozen” in Denver a few minutes ago. Although I found the show to be nowhere near as bad as the reviews were, I do think there is so much that needs to change before it comes to Broadway. Let me be clear, though, even if it came to Broadway in its exact incarnation, it will be a massive financial hit and will run for years to come. That being said, I’ve tried to pinpoint some of the major flaws below.

 

1.     The book. I understand the purpose of closing off Act 1 with “Let It Go.” It should have worked, but it didn’t. The entire first act dragged so that this song could close it out. The beginning plot the kids went on forever, and seemed to be purposefully dragged out to build up exposition. With its current structure, we see adult Elsa for 10 minutes, then she runs away and is gone for almost 40 minutes before we hear her sing “Let It Go.” I would rather have the song earlier, at its place in the movie so that the act can end with Anna getting hit with ice in heart. We hear about all the terrible stuff Elsa did, but she is nowhere to be found, and the set basically doesn’t change to reflect the winter, aside from a few spikes at her first freak-out, and the occasional lighting cue. This brings me to my next point…

2.     The set. It’s not terrible. It’s just nothing special. It’s serviceable at best. One thing that has to change is the scenery during “Let It Go.” There were projections, and some scrims, but there needs to be more. I know the center of the stage rises (it does at the end for a tiny bit). Giant ice pieces should come out of the floor (as they do later) and she should be higher up. It was just so anti-climatic. Caissie is singing her face off to cartoon projections around her. It’s almost awkward.

3.     The Nordic creatures. A lot of people on here like them. I found them to be very strange. They kind of come out of nowhere many times throughout the show. Their role was unclear. Was the head guy a narrator? He popped up every so often to tell a bit of the story, but didn’t show up when things needed to be explained. I’m sure everyone saw the movie, but when the parents die it was unclear. One minute they were standing there, the next they were being carried off like Tony in “West Side Story.” The “narrator” could have said something.

4.     Act two’s opener. Enough has been said about this that I do not need to. It was bad in every way possible.

 

Now for the positives…

1.     Caissie Levy is amazing. I honestly found her voice a much better fit for the songs than Idina’s in the movie.

2.     Sven. He walked out and the audience lost their minds. Great costume.

3.     A few of the new songs. “What do you know about love?” and “Monster” were great. The rest were pretty forgettable.

4.     The special effect when Anna becomes frozen at the end. The audience applauded. And rightfully so.

I had a great night at the show - don't me wrong. It was silly when it could be, serious when it needed to and featured a lot of highlights from the movie. Most people around me commented about how much they enjoyed it, but were quick to discuss the flaws. I think that's the major issue - it's enjoyable due to the source material but needs work to be a better show and stand on its own.

[DrewJoseph]

Posted: 9/24/17 at 1:51am

Maybe they should have kept let it go where it belongs and write an epic let it go reprise for the act 1 finale. Could have been great!

[catmandoo]

Posted: 9/25/17 at 8:14pm

Saw it last weekend, to preface this,  Frozen is my favorite of the Modern Disney films... so

Generally I liked it. It does need a bit of work before Broadway. Here is my stream of consciousness

The opening through the end of "For the First Time in Forever" was just grand. Young Anna was fabulous. The "hidden folk" should just go back to being trolls... that was just odd. "Do you want to build a snowman" loses something without the time progression. Robert Creighton was delightful. The new introduction of Kristoff seems forced. They should change it back to them meeting at Oaken's. they should move the Oaken scene to the middle of act 1, (I actually enjoyed the song quite a bit, and yes the "nudity" was odd, but it was fun) and just Move "In Summer" to the beginning of Act II, and make it a rousing chorus tap dance number (Which, honestly, it's screaming for. I was actually surprised they didn't expand on it at all).

As for Let It Go, definitely need to do something more with it. Caissie sings the heck out of it and it's a shame all she does is stand there and wave her arms. Raise her up, Get a staircase, I don't care, just so *SOMETHING*. And for the love of God, figure out a better way to do the dress. I was all in with the glove and cape flying away and just, so, so let down with the dress. Keep it as the Act One Closer, by all means. It makes sense. But give Elsa something to do between going away and Let it Go... A new song, or like a "Two person solo" with her and Anna in different places but singing together.

"Fixer Upper" absolutely yes to the added dance break. Fantastic.

Anna slowly freezing was done very well. And when she turned to ice at the end, my jaw literally dropped with the effect. Stunning.

Please, write a new song for Anna and Elsa at the end. And don't have Hans just crawl away. And, um, remember to do something about Olaf melting since, ya know, it's summer again.

Speaking of Olaf... The puppet was cool. I wish they could find a way for pieces to fall off like in the movie. And change the costume of the actor. He looked very clownish.

Oh- the new songs- Monster was fantastic. What do you know about Love was cute... the rest were so-so.

So, yeah... Enjoyed it... (Having seen many of the Disney Theatrical productions,) I think it ranks solidly in the middle of the pack... Slightly better than Little Mermaid and Tarzan, About on par with Aladdin and Beauty and the Best, not as good as Mary Poppins, Newsies, and Lion King.

[ggersten]

Posted: 9/28/17 at 1:28am

Avoided this thread until we saw the show tonite - September 27.  Couple side notes - 22 pieces in the orchestra.  Lighting operator said about 500 lighting cues for the show.  Also, that the show has been unchanged for the last two weeks.  The musical numbers were still on an insert.  

My 16 year old loved it.  The audience loved it.  But, there were a lot of very very young theatregoers - who were mostly well behaved. The young lady (in an Aurora dress) sang through Let It Go.  Batman sitting next to Aurora was thrilled when Anna smacks Hans.  But, the family in front of us had to leave near the end of Act One because their young lady was too fussy.  But, the "Anna" sitting to her right made it through the show.  So, it does seem like this show will be a nice gateway for young theatregoers.

We sat in the second row of the mezzanine in the center.

Ok. On to my views.

I liked it.  I didn't love it.

Good:  Caissie Levy was terrific.  They are not going to change Let It Go because she absolutely slays that number as is.  When Act One ended - the place erupted and was just buzzing.  The song works.  Yes - it could have more of a "wow" effect.  But, it's already getting a strong audience reaction.  The dress reveal/change seemed to happen with a light flash tonite - so it wasn't too apparent that the dress was pulled back.  

I didn't think the "ice palace" or whatever was too cheap looking - but neither was it extravagant.  And Ms. Levy absolutely kills "Monster" which is probably the best of the new songs - ok, it's the best number in the show.  

Jelani Alladin as Kristoff has such a sweet voice.   I wish his lullaby in Act Two was longer.  

Sven:  Steals the stage upon entry.  Disappointed that Sven stayed as Sven during curtain call instead of revealing the actor.  The cast list says it was one actor?  Wow - I thought it was two.  

Colder in the Minute - when Anna freezes - just wow. That's stage magic.  You can hear the whole audience gasp.  

Fixer Upper - I was dreading this song. But as others have said, Ashford has managed to make it a fun number.  

Hygge - aka the Sauna number.  I thought it was a lot of fun.  I think the adults in the audience got a big kick out of it.  The ensemble certainly seems to be having fun and selling it.

Meh:

Patty Murin - she was all over the place vocally tonite.  Her acting was fine - but she looks (even from the mezzanine) too old for Anna compared to Elsa.  

John Riddle - as Hans - No complaints.  But, they have written him much more sympathetically so when his evil plan is revealed, it's not a shock because it feels like it came out of left field.  He acts very concerned about Anna when her dress is brought to the palace.  And, if your plan is to kill Elsa, why do you have her captured and brought back to the Palace?  Dumb. Really dumb.

Gregg Hildreth was Olaf - I think this could be "good".  I enjoyed it but Olaf wasn't anything special.  A little more tapping in In Summer would be great.

What do you Know About Love - perfectly fine. My 16 year old said it reminded her of "I Got You Beat" from Shrek.  To me, that's not a compliment.  

The bad:

The HiddenPeople and Pabbie - the Hidden People king?  I mean, it's better than the trolls. But why is Pabbie narrating some of the time - but not others?  And, when they take the King and Queen off, it looks like the Hidden People killed the King and Queen.  Just wrong.  Just kill the narration parts.  They are not necessary except to cover costume changes.

Back to Let It Go - it's not just that we haven't seen Elsa for a while. It's that she just wanders onto stage and starts singing.  There needs to be something  to introduce it - set the scene.  Just a few lines of dialog.  Elsa:  out of breath - "They'll never get to me up here at the top of the mountain." or have Anna, Sven and Kristoff race across the stage in front of curtain saying something simple like "Elsa! Elsa! Where are you!"  Something.  

True Love - I think they wanted to push this song - because if you pre-order the OBC, you get the sheet music for this song. Which is forgettable.  And, yes, as one or another have said, Really? You're freezing to death and you belt out this ballad.  And the melody isn't that great.  Plus, it's the third slow ballad in a row - following the lullaby, and Monster.  (Well, there's a little Hans of the Southern Isles reprise first, but it's very very very little).  

Dangerous to Dream - My 16 year old loved it.  I understand the song.  I understand it's placement.  I understand its message.  But, it just felt flat to me.  So, a split decision on the song from my family.

Overall:

I enjoyed it.  Based on the audience, it will be a huge hit.  The show could use some tinkering (the Hidden People, Let It Go, True Love), but I don't know if it will really get it.  

Updated On: 9/28/17 at 01:28 AM

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 9/28/17 at 8:41am

Wow... catmandoo and gersten - seems like we had the exact same thoughts! Hopefully the creative team does, too.

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 9/28/17 at 9:18am

As a Frozen fan, a lot of the complaints are frustrating to me because it sounds so much like it COULD be an incredible piece. But then there are just these glaring flaws in staging/structure/whatever that it's bringing down the show's potential...

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 9/28/17 at 10:50pm

Frozen made over a billion dollars at the box office and the franchise brings in billions more. Else could drop a log on stage qnd it'll still play minimum 10 years.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 9/29/17 at 4:47am

TheatreFan4 said: "Frozen made over a billion dollars at the box office and the franchise brings in billions more. Else could drop a log on stage qnd it'll still play minimum 10 years."

 

If that happened that would be the be sole reason I would see this! 

[Lot666]

Posted: 9/29/17 at 11:16am

greenifyme2 said: "I couldn't stop staring at the main Mountain Folk guy's crotch. The costume really bulged there and was distracting."

Just to be clear, this was a bad thing?

[JennH]

Posted: 9/30/17 at 12:32pm

Ado Annie D'Ysquith said: "As a Frozen fan, alot of the complaints are frustrating to me because it sounds so much like it COULD be an incredible piece. But then there are just these glaring flaws in staging/structure/whatever that it's bringing down the show's potential..."

This was the movie's problem also. All I see when I watch it now, is the epic potential it has...well, HAD at this point, and I was hoping they would make the musical what the film COULD have been. Some films already scream stage musical, and while Frozen can work, it didn't scream "stage" like a great many of it's predecessors. Tangled says "stage" to me, more than Frozen. Yes I know about the cruise one. Just throwing Frozen on stage without reworking what needs to be worked ON, just accentuates the problems it already has and makes them even more obvious. The awkward transitions, the weird script, the songs as scenes unto themselves, all these are tied together, and make a a very jarring piece that doesn't flow well. I still remember watching it with my parents the first time and the first thing my mom says and I didn't even prompt any response, was "It doesn't...um, flow as well as say, Beauty and the Beast, does it?". This is a woman who only knows what she knows about theatre by watching me wade tough it myself, and she still is FAR from educated n the subject, but if that's the first thing someone who still layman, says about it, then thats said something. I know all that's been advertised are the so called audiences raves, (no one will advertise the bad obviously), but when you search for blogs form audiences who've seen it thus far, you'll absolutely find the "not so rave" ones, and they all tend to say the some thing so I'm hoping the powers that be listen.

[BwayLB]

Posted: 10/20/17 at 1:19am

That's great to hear from all of you how Frozen is turning out. However I'm going to be watching how this all comes together before deciding if I will see this show on tour or not if all goes well.

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 10/20/17 at 10:06am

Lot666 said: "greenifyme2 said: "I couldn't stop staring at the main Mountain Folk guy's crotch. The costume really bulged there and was distracting."

Just to be clear, this was a bad thing?"

Yeah it looked weird! It wasn't him it was the costume. 

[pnewelljr]

Posted: 10/20/17 at 10:17am

Anyone know if there will be any additional tickets released at some point before previews?

[JennH]

Posted: 11/29/17 at 4:31pm

 Randomly came across this by accident, this must have been while she was doing her cabaret in San Fran. Y'all, the beginning of this interview...you'll know what I mean when you hear it. Honestly, that issue just keep getting weirder and weirder...was it ever mentioned anywhere here that she was up for Jenna also?? I certainly don't remember it AT ALL if so. I know we've talked about how she'd be awesome in it, but legit was in consideration...CONFUSION

http://abc7news.com/entertainment/frozens-new-elsa-is-kind-of-a-broadway-big-deal/2659211/

Updated On: 11/29/17 at 04:31 PM

[Bwayfan292]

Posted: 11/29/17 at 6:40pm

That is weird. Very weird. I guess she would have been great?

Edit: Kinda ironic how they replaced each others role’s

Updated On: 11/29/17 at 06:40 PM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 11/29/17 at 7:02pm

JennH said: "Randomly came across this by accident, this must have been while she was doing her cabaret in San Fran. Y'all, the beginning of this interview...you'll know what I mean when you hear it. Honestly, that issue just keep getting weirder and weirder...was it ever mentioned anywhere here that she was up for Jenna also?? I certainly don't remember it AT ALL if so. I know we've talked about how she'd be awesome in it, but legit was in consideration...CONFUSION

https://abc7news.com/entertainment/frozens-new-elsa-is-kind-of-a-broadway-big-deal/2659211/"

it was mentioned: https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1099504#4903892

[JennH]

Posted: 11/29/17 at 7:58pm

^^^ Ahhh I remember that now. It seems ham4 was incorrect, and indeed them basically switching roles was true if Caissie was being truthful, and now that it's all water under the bridge, there's no reason for her not to be.

[thinton]

Posted: 1/4/18 at 4:45pm

I am looking for the sheet music to "True Love."  Did anyone pre-order the OBC in Denver and receive a copy of the sheet music?  Is there any way I can purchase the music or preorder the OBC and get the free copy?  Please PM me if you have information or can offer any assistance.  Thank you!

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 1/15/18 at 5:49pm

Does anyone know if Betsy will get a chance to do Elsa maybe as a replacement? I'd also love to see Alison Luff too

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/15/18 at 6:33pm

broadwayboy223 said: "Does anyone know if Betsy will get a chance to do Elsa maybe as a replacement? I'd also love to see Alison Luff too"

Would love to see Alison in the role! I think Betsy may not want to replace and depending on when Caissie leaves, she might have moved on to another show. Though, I hope Alyssa is the first replacement.

Updated On: 1/15/18 at 06:33 PM

[LxGstv]

Posted: 1/24/18 at 2:36pm

Previews are now less than a month away and NY1 has been airing this interview with Michael Grandage where he says that they changed about 30% of the show for the Broadway run.

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 1/24/18 at 4:50pm

I'm wondering if they've changed Elsa's songs at all. I believe the NYT comment was "they are all self imposed monologues that say the same thing" or something like that. I really hope they've written an end of the show duet for Anna and Elsa. They NEED a moment together vocally besides For The First time in forever reprise.