Disney’s Frozen musical: An extravagant affair from start to finish

Deepa d/o Chevi Vadivelu

Disney’s Frozen The Hit Broadway Musical – produced by Disney Theatrical Productions and presented by Base Entertainment Asia – finally made its way to Singapore on 5 February 2023. It was definitely worth the wait! From stunning set pieces and backdrops to a stellar cast donned in spectacular costumes, Frozen is a musical for the young and old alike that dazzles audiences with its magical elements and brings them on an emotional roller coaster – ending off in a tear-jerking finish.

Guests are transported to the icy world of Frozen from the get-go. The space at Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands is covered with sparkles (even the floors!), coupled with a merchandise booth and several photo opp spots around the theatre.

Set in the kingdom of Arendelle, Frozen tells the tale of sisters Anna and Elsa, who were thick as thieves growing up until Elsa’s powers forced them apart. Yet Anna continues to selflessly shower her sister with love and support, even after things go awry on Elsa’s coronation day.

The cast of Frozen pays so much attention to detail that you will feel like you are witnessing an actual crowning ceremony

As with the Disney animated film, the highlight of the musical was undoubtedly “Let It Go”. Quick costume changes, powerful vocals and – the icing on the cake – an ice castle adorned with shimmering crystals. Coupled with some brilliant effects that bring Elsa’s powers to life, this number definitely has it all!

Amidst the glittering ice castle, the musical still finds a way to set itself apart from the film; this time through Elsa’s more practical wardrobe choices in one of her solo numbers. Jemma Rix, who plays Elsa, made my hair stand on end by the end of the song. Honestly, I expected nothing less, seeing how she brought Elphaba to life when Wicked came to Singapore in 2012. However, while Rix could go all out as a powerhouse when playing Elphaba in Wicked, Elsa had to be portrayed with a perfect balance of power and vulnerability – and she executed that flawlessly.

Ice-themed jumpsuit for mountain climbing, anyone?

Apart from the seven familiar songs from the original film, Frozen the Musical also features an additional 12 new tunes, which portray more depth to the characters. For instance, “Monster” shows Elsa coming to terms with how she accidentally froze Arendelle, questioning if she is a monster and what she should do next. Another moving number is “I Can’t Lose You”, a sister duet explaining why they cannot be together and why Elsa must remain hidden away.

Another standout in this musical is Olaf, played by Matt Lee. Instead of dressing someone up in an Olaf mascot costume, Frozen shows Lee playing Olaf akin to a puppeteer. Even so, Lee’s energy is infectious, and he adds a little of his own personality to Olaf, even tap dancing when belting out the tunes to “Summer” – you may sometimes find yourself watching Lee’s facial expressions instead of Olaf during the show!

The entire cast of Frozen comes together for the Finale number!

More Fun Facts about Frozen The Hit Broadway Musical

Lee, who has 25 years of experience on stage and screen, had originally auditioned for the role of Prince Hans, but the team felt he was not mean enough, and asked him to give Olaf a try instead.
Frozen boasts a total of 23 musical numbers, including the reprisals of “For the First Time in Forever” and “Hans of the Southern Isles”.
A total of 440 costumes are used during the show.
It takes 60 days for one person to bead Elsa’s ice dress and three months to make the dress from start to finish.
The custom ribbon embroidery on Anna’s gown in the coronation scene takes over 100 hours to create; and is done entirely by hand.
No real fur was used on the show. Instead, the fur on Kristoff’s costume was custom knitted for the musical.
120 pairs of custom-made shoes and 90 handmade hats were used in the musical.