Frozen JR

This production was presented by the youth section of the society, Expressions.  I always enjoy seeing the youth companies perform and this evening was no exception.  The company has a history of using young and upcoming directors and McKenna and Chloe made a good team.

The company was very good, plenty of enthusiasm, although I do wish that this had shown on their faces in the opening song, but I appreciate that this was their first performance and I am sure that they relaxed for the later performances.

The principals were good, May Carley played Elsa beautifully, despite technical problems with her mic.  She carried on regardless and showed Elsa’s character well.  Rosie Lovell played Anna, and this was a very strong performance.  Both girls were a little insecure in their singing, which was a shame as they are clearly competent.  I would say, just go for it! 

Young Elsa was played by Florence Armstead and young Anna by Alexa Davies.  Both gave good performances, but I struggled to hear their dialogue and I was only 3 rows from the front.  I know that this has been highlighted to the cast during rehearsals and I am sure that, as they get more experienced and confident, they will learn to project their dialogue to the audience and not just to the person on stage.

The male leads were all strong, Adam Grant as Hans, although my comments about the volume of the dialogue also applies to Adam!  Harry Dobbs (Weselten) had no problem in making himself heard, a good performance.  Alex Brown (Kristoff) and Oli Baskerville (Sven) produced two excellent characters and they made a great partnership on stage.

The best performance, for me, came from Michael Hunter as Olaf, his cheekiness and talent gave us a delightful character and he maintained that throughout the performance even when he was not speaking, well done Michael.

The ensemble was very good and very supportive, I can see that quite a few of them have potential, so look forward to future productions.

The scenery was very simple but, given the space available, very effective.  I particularly liked the snow transformation scene and who doesn’t love a snow machine!  The costumes were all very good and Elsa’s transformation was very well done, I won’t give away the secret, but it was very effective.  The lighting was also simple but effective and, apart from May’s mic, which I know they had been struggling to resolve, the sound was spot on.

A lovely way to spend a Friday evening, I was made to feel very welcome, and I am sure that the remaining 2 performances were as well received as this one.

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