NSMT puts its own magical stamp on Disney’s ‘Frozen’

By Rich Fahey

BOSTON – What happens when you combine the Disney brand with the established artistry of the North Shore Music Theatre? Theatrical magic fit for all ages.

For many years, NSMT’s July show has been established as a family event, with specials for children’s tickets, and the many parents – and grandparents – leading their kids to perhaps their first live theater event gave the shows a certain energy, That has been especially true when the work in question was an established blockbuster in a previous life.

Cue NSMT’s production of Disney’s “Frozen,” the stage musical follow-up to the blockbuster Disney animated movies “Frozen” (2013) and “Frozen II” (2019).

The theater has pulled out all the stops in staging this icy spectacle in its in-the-round configuration, breaking new ground and setting new standards in the areas of scenic design and projections, lighting, costumes, choreography, sound, and anything else you can think of.

On opening night theater owner Bill Hanney explained that the six new high-definition screens for projections were a $70,000 investment.

For many years, projections have been largely replacing scenery in theaters, and they are especially important in the case of theaters with an in-the-round configuration.

“They won’t be used for every show, but we now have that technology (screens and projectors) in our pocket,” said Mike Ceceri, NSMT’s director of marketing and communications.

When it comes to “Frozen,” they provide a background to the action onstage and allow for a quick change of scenery.

The musical is loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s 1844 fairy tale “The Snow Queen.”  The animated film “Frozen” won two 2013 Oscars, for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song, the iconic “Let It Go.”  It was the highest grossing animated feature in history until “Frozen II.” The Broadway production ran for two years before falling victim to the pandemic.

“Frozen” is the story of two young royal sisters named Elsa (Helen M. Brady at a recent performance) and Anna (Penelope Rhoades at a recent performance) who play together joyfully, sing “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” but are pulled apart by parents King Agnarr (Nick Davis) and Queen Aduna (Hailey Hyde) when a playful encounter between the two sisters almost turns deadly.

As an adult, Elsa (Alyssa Fox) still possesses magical powers that she struggles to control but cannot avoid her royal duties when she becomes queen of the kingdom of Arendelle. She finally re-connects with Anna but at her coronation ceremony, things go out of control, especially when the adult Anna (Celeste Rose)  – with no experience with men – announces her love for Hans of the Southern Isles, (Harris Milgrim), a man she has just met, and seeks permission from Elsa to marry.

 Elsa refuses and in a moment of anger unleashes her powers and turns Arendelle into a permanently frozen kingdom. When Elsa is accused of treason, she flees, leaving the throne vacant.

After finally re-connecting with her lost sister, Anna is alone again. Rose makes the character funny and lovable, a plucky heroine determined to find her sister, reunite the family and bring Elsa back to the kingdom and her rightful place on the throne. As she heads to the mountains to begin her search for Elsa she is aided by a kindly ice harvester named Kristoff (Julio Rey) and his reindeer Sven (Christopher Palmieri as well as Olaf (a delightful Elliott Mattox), the snowman the children built who has magically come to life. Palmieri designed both puppets.

Elsa builds a new life in the mountains, and her coronation dress becomes an ice dress as she leads the theater-wide sing-along to the iconic “Let It Go.”

Meanwhile, the aforementioned Hans – aided by the villainous Weselton (Courter Simmons)  — has taken advantage of the situation to rule in Elsa’s place with plans to become the permanent king.

Elsa and Anna re-connect briefly (“I Can’t Lose You”) but it again ends badly for Anna when Elsa accidentally freezes her heart. Both sisters’ lives will be threatened as they try to save themselves, reverse the curse, put Elsa back on the throne  and bring summer back to the kingdom.

NSMT Artistic Director Kevin P. Hill, who directs and choreographs,  has long since mastered the intricacies of choreographing production numbers in the in-the-round configuration, and they are a delight. The best is the rousing, joyous  Act II opening number “Hygge,” with Michael Schimmele’s fine comic turn as Oaken, the proprietor  of a quirky trading post  in the mountains, where  men and women emerge from a sauna to perform a peek-a-boo chorus line.

Scenic designer Kyle Dixon employs giant icicles, snow-covered trees, the occasional onstage blizzard and the aforementioned projections designed by Pamela Hersch to create icy Arendelle, and Dan Efros’s lighting works hand-in-hand with him every step of the way. Travis M. Grant’s sumptuous costumes also play a part in painting the picture, and the sound design by James Cannon and the music direction by Milton Granger are also excellent.

The book by Jennifer Lee and the score by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez capture the spirit of the animated movie, with 12 additional songs added to the music from the film.

Disney’s theatrical magic may have created “Frozen,” but the North Shore Music Theatre has picked up the ball, run with it and remade the musical in its own image.

The North Shore Music Theatre production of Disney’s “Frozen.” Music and lyrics by Kristen-Anderson Lopez and Robert Lopez. Book by Jennifer Lee. Directed and choregraphed by Kevin P. Hill. At the North Shore Music Theatre through July 28. Nsmt.org.