“Frozen” is a cheery little musical that really, really wants to be “Wicked.”
The shows, after all, have a number of things in common. Both were inspired by classic tales of fantasy and are centered around two young women — one a perky people-pleaser, the other a misunderstood outcast falsely condemned as a “monster.”
Each show has scenes of extras brandishing medieval instruments of destruction as they chase our heroines across the stage, and the first act of both musicals concludes with an anthemic number (both of which, coincidentally, were originally sung by Idina Menzel).
And while the stories these musicals tell deal with issues of identity and belonging, family and individuality, “Frozen” — befitting its origin as a Disney animated film — does so in a tangential, light-hearted way. You can crack through the candy-colored ice crystals to find a moral or life lesson if you wish, but the real question at the heart of “Frozen” is the child-like “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”
Theatre Tulsa’s production of Disney’s “Frozen” opened its 12-performance run Jan. 9 at the Tulsa PAC. Simple though its story may be, this is a complex and ambitious show to stage, and the Tulsa company, under the direction of Victoria Rae Sook, has created a production that is almost “Wicked” good.
For those who have yet to encounter “Frozen,” the story is this: A royal couple has two daughters, a rambunctious redhead named Anna (Sara Draper) and a much cooler customer named Elsa (Majestè Pearson). A trio of performers will portray the younger versions of these characters during the run; Crislyn Brooks and Codi Miskelly played the young Elsa and Anna, respectively, during the first weekend.
Elsa has the ability to conjure all sorts of wintry things, from gentle dustings of snow to icy blasts that can do irreparable harm. The girls’ parents set off to find a way to control Elsa’s powers, conveniently dying at sea in the process.
Following their untimely deaths, Elsa and Anna are kept apart from each other and the rest of the kingdom until Elsa is old enough to assume the throne. But when her frosty forces become public, she’s branded a monster and must escape the wrath of her subjects.
Anna, however, is determined to reconnect with her sister and sets off on a trek of her own, slowly assembling an entourage of ice harvester Kristoff (Nicholas Lannon Cains), his surprisingly expressive reindeer Sven (Treabein Liston) and a highly animated snowman named Olaf (Zach Thomas).
Pearson, who has been impressive in every role we have seen her take on, is excellent as Elsa, giving the character some gravitas and handling the show’s most ubiquitous number, “Let It Go,” with confident aplomb, making it sound almost new.
Draper suffered from microphone problems through most of the first act on opening night, but she did not let this technical mishap derail her performance. Her Anna was a bundle of energy from start to finish.
Cains emphasized the comic aspect of his character to great effect, and Liston gave real personality to the oversized puppet that is Sven.
Thomas was a hit as Olaf, the sun-worshipping snowman, to the point that, even though Thomas was quite visible as he manipulated the puppet attached to him, he managed to disappear so that the audience saw and heard only Olaf.
Kelsey Rogers’ choreography had a number of inspired moments, such as the “Weselton Tango” sequence, featuring Nicholas Winterrowd’s comic cavorting, and the “Hygge” production number.
Travis Guillory, executive director of Theatre Tulsa, created the scenic design that incorporated projections to create the ever-shifting scenes, while Jason Sirois serves as the show’s musical director.
“Frozen” continues with performances through Jan. 25 at the Tulsa PAC, 110 E. 2nd St. For tickets, call 918-596-7111 or visit tulsapac.com.
James Watts is a freelance contributor to the Tulsa Flyer.
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