By Shari Barrett
Disney’s Frozen the Broadway Musical with music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and book by Jennifer Lee brings the magic of Arendelle to life on stage in an unforgettable musical adventure based on the Disney film written by Jennifer Lee and directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, with original Broadway orchestrations by Dave Metzger, original Broadway music supervision and arrangements by Stephen Oremus, and additional Broadway dance arrangements by David Chase. It’s powerful tale of sisterhood, acceptance, and finding the real meaning of true love.
The Torrance Theatre Company production of Frozen takes place at the James Armstrong Theatre in Torrance through August 22, directed by Jim Hormel with choreography by Sjaan Trowbridge and music and vocal direction by Bradley Hampton. The score features beloved songs from the Academy Award-winning film alongside new music written for the Broadway stage.
The family-friendly musical takes place in the beautiful, mountainous kingdom of Arendelle where Princesses Anna and Elsa grow up sheltered inside their castle, isolated from the world and increasingly distanced from each other. When Elsa is crowned queen, the magical powers she has desperately tried to conceal from her sister take control, causing Elsa to flee into the mountains after her hidden powers cause a ferocious winter to descend on the kingdom.
Fearful of her sister’s fate, Anna sets off on an epic journey to find Elsa and bring her home, with the help of hardworking ice harvester Kristoff, his loyal reindeer Sven, and a happy-go-lucky snowman named Olaf. But will Anna’s fiancé Hans wait for her to return so they can rule the kingdom together if Elsa stays away? But what happens when Anna finds Elsa? Will the sisters return to Arendelle together and assume their rightful place on the throne – and return the now-frozen kingdom back to a land of year-round sunshine? Or will unexpected people stand in their way?
Featured in the cast of 37 actors from across Southern California are Chase Klein as Elsa who had the kids in the audience singing along with her during “Let It Go” at the end of Act 1. Nico Fisher as the courageous Anna whose technically brilliant vocals captured the essence of a young woman searching for love during her “What Do You Know About Love” duet with Kristoff (Christopher Tiernan whose flashing smile lit up the stage). Handsome Charles Keppler as “Hans of the Southern Isles” shows up and sweeps Anna off her feet before she sets out to search for Elsa. And Kyle Wilson plays Olaf the Snowman, a full-bodied, animated puppet who does his best to get Anna and Kristoff to realize they are meant for each other, and Ted Coonradt and Bailey Walker take on double duty as Sven, Kristoff’s reindeer.
With such a large cast, I could go on and on about all the entertaining characters portrayed during this big musical extravaganza, which opens during the childhood of Elsa and Anna with their kingdom-ruling parents portrayed by Roni Williams (Queen Iduna) and Daniel Koh (King Agnarr) trying to protect them. Talented youngsters Khaya Schafer-Padillia and Colette Sullivan share the role of Young Elsa, and Kaylee Delpit and Lily Dodson share the role of Young Anna.
Others deserving special merit are Zavier Davis as Pabbie and Jammie Hampton as Bulda, magical creatures who have the power to alter the course of science, Steven Flowers as Weselton who lives up to his “weasel” of a name by plotting against the strong women who rule the kingdom, and Nathan Willingham as Oaken, a lederhosen-wearing merchant who teaches the travelers about what “Hygge” means during an oompah polka number that allows the brass instruments in the 22-member orchestra to add bouncy and buoyant fun to the comical number.
Kudos to director Jim Hormel, choreographer Sjaan Z. Trowbridge, with musical direction by conductor Bradley Hampton, for bringing such a big musical requiring so many set and costume changes to fruition on the James Armstrong Theatre stage. Astounding technical credits include the overall organization by Artistic Director Gia Jordahl and Production and Technical Manager Cary Jordahl for their dedication to creating scenic and prop designs, including building the puppet characters from scratch, and the contributions by lighting designer Steve Giltner, projection design by Colby Nordberg, sound design by Maddi Deckard provided by Brian Hsieh, costume designer Bradley Allen Lock and lead seamstresses Louise Mayemura and Diana Mann for their Herculean effort in creating hundreds of costumes for the production.
Performances take place through August 22 at the James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance 90503 on the following selected dates: Friday, August 14th at 7 p.m., Saturday, August 15th at 2 p.m., Saturday, August 15 at 7 p.m., Sunday, August 16 at 2 p.m., Friday, August 21 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, August 22 at 2 p.m. Please note: Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied and supervised by a paying adult, with each person requiring a ticket of their own. And if ever there was a big musical to share with kids – many dressed in character costumes – this is the one!
Tickets can be purchased online at https://torrancetheatrecompany.com/frozen, or by calling the box office at (310) 781-7171 Tues -Fri from 1 p.m. – 8 p.m. and Sat from 12 noon – 4 p.m. Order yours soon as all performances are expected to sell out. Any available tickets will be sold at the onsite box office prior to each show. Free onsite parking.
Torrance Theatre Company is a program of the Cultural Services Division of the Torrance Community Services Department. Their production of Disney’s Frozen is sponsored by Torrance Community Credit Union and Friends of Torrance Theatre Company, presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
