Frozen Jnr

Sallianne Foster-Major and her production team did a great job of pulling off this demanding show which, as many in the audience clearly enjoy the animated version, it is no easy task to bring it to life.   However, the younger members of the audience, many of whom had arrived in costume, were transfixed by seeing the ‘real-life’ Elsa and Anna as well as snow on a relatively mild January day.

The opening was beautifully set in the fictional kingdom Arendelle.  The costumes and colours of this stunning scene were simply beautiful.  The choreography and singing was to a high standard ensuring that the captivated audience knew that they had been transported far from Sheffield. To show the growth of Elsa and Anna a ‘young’ and ‘middle’ version of the characters were used.  The transitions were well managed and despite their youth Lola Cunningham (young Elsa), Rita Hatton-Burley (young Anna), Emmie Alston (middle Elsa) and Isla Allard (middle Anna) did an excellent job of giving the characters the enthusiasm and energy and also perfectly managed the transitions to the older versions of the characters.

Ollie Spittlehouse Wain and Lucy Camps were strong as the King and Queen of Arendelle and Gracie Woods (Pabbi) and Olivia Davey (Budda) created great characters as the healers.  ‘A Fixer Upper’ was a very entertaining production number in the second half with Woods and Davey working together with other Senior members to support the Junior members in really delivering this number well.  Rory Newton had just the right balance of romance and villain to pull of Prince Hans and Kai Haste-Wain was super as the laid-back Kristoff.  There were great character portrayals from Danil Boudiada as Oaken and Grace Busfield as Sven.  Jessica Spencer was a most lovable Olaf who managed the puppetry of the snow man very well.

Rosa Bolton as Elsa was a beautifully reserved princess, caught up in magic that she can’t control and the potential to cause the downfall of the Kingdom.  Bolton has a strong voice which was well used in these demanding songs.  She also showed good stage presence and managed a minor costume hitch (when the white tasselled skirt wouldn’t fasten) with maturity.   Jeri Linnell as Anna was engaging and energetic and captured the lovable nature of the younger princess with excellent comic timing and strong diction.

Freddie Magenty was a lively and enthusiastic Wesleton and Isaac Reid (Bishop) and Zachery Dearing (Steward) performed well in their roles and completed the principal cast all of whom should be congratulated on their work.   The ensemble were strong and both Seniors and Juniors worked well together.  The storm sequence was stunning and the lights, sound and special effects really enhanced the momentum building.

Gareth Lloyd as Musical Director and Amanda Tyas as choreographer had clearly worked to ensure that this young cast were ‘stage ready’ with some excellent production numbers featuring the whole company.

The set, sound, lights and costumes all worked really well, particularly as the crew were using the venue for the first time.  The decoration around the stage looked great and use of the digital screens enhanced the production.  This group really do what they aim to in ensuring that youth theatre is delivered in a ‘creative, inspiring, dynamic and powerful way to make a difference to the lives of young people.’  Gratitude must be expressed to everyone involved in Easy Street whether on the Production Team, back stage, front of house or in administrative roles, the opportunities given to these young people will be part of what helps them grow and develop whilst the transferable skills they are learning, including the very evident team working, will support them in their future lives.

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