What would have made Frozen Better- Page 3
What would have made Frozen Better
#50What would have made Frozen Better
Posted: 6/3/18 at 8:55am
My two cents:
1) Better songs - Hyggae is your big act two opener???????
2) Creativity for Olaf. Sven was creative.
3) Character development - why does Kristoff hang out with trolls (or whatever they are in this version)? What does Elsa do all by herself in that tower? Just sing songs about how horrible she is?
4) More age-appropriate actors. Ms. Levy’s voice is good, but there are many others who could do it. Murin’s look/age was the bigger issue for me.
5) Chemistry between Kristoff and Anna. I get that the story isn’t supposed to be about their love, but we’re supposed to THINK it’s about their love.
#51What would have made Frozen Better
Posted: 6/3/18 at 9:04am
I just realized the guy who directed Frozen, also directed the Evita revival. And that thing was awful! Now it's all making sense......
Br0adway
Stand-by Joined: 9/11/17
#52What would have made Frozen Better
Posted: 6/3/18 at 10:35am
If I’m being honest, I would have gotten rid of Olaf completely. You can’t bring Sven the reindeer to life then have an Olaf puppet? It just doesn’t make sense. Kind of disappointing if you ask me.
I would also get rid of those townsfolk/Tarzan people. They could have introduced the getting rid of magic a different way.
There’s no flow to the show either. Like the characters just run around on stage for most of the show.
I only bought tickets because I love Aladdin! I’ve seen Aladdin a bunch of times but Frozen is a once and done for me.
#53What would have made Frozen Better
Posted: 6/3/18 at 10:49am
I don't think you can really get rid of Olaf. He's insanely popular in the film. It's like getting rid of Timon and Pumba in Lion King or Lumiere in BATB. What the frozen team should have done was give Olaf a big showstopping number.
BwayLB
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/18/17
#54What would have made Frozen Better
Posted: 6/3/18 at 10:53am
Yeah I mean I am not a fan of the puppet design. But Olaf is essential to bringing two sisters back together as well as playing cupid for Anna and Kristoff.
kade.ivy
Broadway Star Joined: 7/28/13
#55What would have made Frozen Better
Posted: 6/3/18 at 11:05am
I overall enjoyed the show very much and thought Caissie Levy and Patti Murin were phenomenal and that it’s a shame that neither of them was Tony nominated. I also liked most of the new songs.
I do think Disney rushed Frozen to the stage. I don’t have a problem with the minimalism and dark tones (though I would’ve loved an ice castle), but I think they could’ve explored the original tale and other mythology to add different, maybe darker layers. I was also disappointed with how they did Olaf. After that beautiful Sven puppet, Olaf seemed like a copout for the sake of synergy. I blame Disney corporate for that, since Michael Curry designed both puppets and presumably could’ve done something very special and beautiful with Olaf.
Overall, I think the show is still great, but it’s clear that Disney was interested in creating an adaptation of the movie, not an artistic piece of theatre that explores different facets of the story, which is a shame because it would’ve made money either way.
#56What would have made Frozen Better
Posted: 6/3/18 at 11:38am
A different director. The tone and aesthetic is wildly uneven and can't decide what it wants to be. From realistic gloomy European castle to ice castles made of beaded curtains to more naturalistic puppets to completely cartoonish puppets to campy "magic native" woodland creatures - it's all over the place.
Simón Bolívar
Chorus Member Joined: 6/3/18
Fan123
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/30/08
#58What would have made Frozen Better
Posted: 6/6/18 at 5:49am
This might be of interest to those who find the puppet design for Olaf underwhelming in comparison to Sven: designer Michael Curry addressed the difference briefly in a recent interview. Whether one agrees with him or not, this was his reasoning for the different approaches:
"There’s sort of a weird rule that has established itself over the years: When looking at cartoon characters, you can change the funny characters less. They have to remain a snapshot of what the audience saw in the film. But with characters that aren’t completely invested in comedy, you can play with them more onstage, you can make it more avant-garde, you can play with the spiritual aspect of them. Olaf is much more a representation of the film image of Olaf in the movie than Sven is. Sven is a real caricature in the film. He has big, googly, Disney eyes, a big snout. [For the musical,] we were able to get out of the look of the film and find something that was more applicable for the live presentations. He became this really great metaphor—subtext for Kristoff’s spirituality, his shamanistic nature, his primitive nature—without getting in the way."
https://www.backstage.com/interview/why-there-were-only-100-living-actors-who-could-maneuver-puppets-frozen/
#59What would have made Frozen Better
Posted: 6/6/18 at 11:25am
quizking101 said: “I want to know who would be age-appropriate and still be able to deliver the goods that this show requires."
Fresh-faced, wide-eyed musical theatre girls who can belt high notes show up in NYC by the busload every day. It’s a double-threat role (no real dancing), so I think this would’ve been extremely easy to cast. Frozen sells itself on its IP - you don’t need recognizable names. And I don’t think people outside of this community know who Levy and Murin are anyway.
Fan3
Swing Joined: 6/1/18
#60What would have made Frozen Better
Posted: 6/7/18 at 3:34pm
JudyDenmark said: "quizking101 said: “I want to know who would be age-appropriate and still be able to deliver the goods that this show requires."
Fresh-faced, wide-eyedmusical theatre girls who can belt high notes show up in NYC by the busloadevery day. It’s a double-threat role (no real dancing),so I think this would’ve been extremely easy to cast. Frozen sells itself on itsIP - you don’t need recognizable names. And I don’t think people outside of this community know who Levy and Murin are anyway."
Ahh yes b/c fresh-faced, wide-eyed girls looking for jobs would really be able to hold a show like this. Frozen is so well known which puts double the pressure on the 2 leads. Bringing 2 young girls who are “wide-eyed” definitely would not be the answer.
MrsSallyAdams
Broadway Star Joined: 11/12/13
#61What would have made Frozen Better
Posted: 6/7/18 at 3:44pm
I'm sure we'll have a lot of back and forth with Wicked. Plenty of Elphaba/Glindas could play Elsa/Annas.
I hope the inevitable "Jr." licensed version cuts the ballads "Dangerous to Dream" and "True Love." They are dreary and hurt the pace of the show.
threepanelmusicals.blogspot.com
Updated On: 6/7/18 at 03:44 PM
icecastle
Chorus Member Joined: 6/7/18
#62What would have made Frozen Better
Posted: 6/7/18 at 4:16pm
Less grim lighting. Frozen (the film) is filled with bright colors. Even at night when it's dark. I left Frozen with a headache partly because the lighting was so dim.
Also, agree that Patti looks older than Caissie but both are too old anyway. Always thought Idina Menzel's voice was too rough and husky for her character design, but both look like super mature women. Maybe from the balcony it's better.
#63What would have made Frozen Better
Posted: 6/7/18 at 5:03pm
Recast Anna with a male actor. Make that character a skeleton instead of a stir-crazy princess. Add more puppets for all kinds of fantastic creatures. Maybe add a few Danny Elfman songs. And add Oogie Boogie as the main villain...
Oh, wait, now we're just doing "Nightmare Before Christmas." That's easier, then: just do Nightmare Before Christmas.
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