Frozen Jr

It was clear that I was amongst the very few members of the audience who had never seen the celebrated animated film, and I am sure that the many Disney princesses in the auditorium, along with their entourages, knew every word of this musical adaptation, but in this Junior version the exposition is quite condensed.  We are introduced to a host of characters in short order and, with their dialogue sometimes quite difficult to make out, I was reduced to studying the programme and muttering “Who’s that?”.  Once Elsa had been crowned the narrative became stronger and the characters were allowed more time to breathe and indeed to be identified, but it was a reminder that any show needs to accessible to those who may be less familiar with the story, or perhaps not know it at all.

The Musical Director was able to draw some fine unison singing from members of the company, for example in “Fixer Upper”, and harmonies featured in various songs such as the reprise of “Let It Go”.  The dancers performed routines in support of some of the soloists, and closed several numbers with dramatic tableaux, but their most effective role was as the personification of a blizzard: the white costumes and fans trailing light fabric were utilised in creatively choreographed routines to conjure up the wind and snow.  The costumes of many of the better-known characters, such as Olaf the snowman, were skilfully recreated.

The set was highly effective, with a narrow walkway enclosing an area in front of the stage that accommodated a model of Arendelle, thereby placing the whole show in context.  A collection of highly stylised alpine houses was dominated by an appropriately fairytale castle, and when the chill winds blew the whole model was covered over by a white cloth giving the strong impression that it had been enveloped in snow.  The walkway itself provided a useful route for members of the cast to cross the stage, thereby enabling onstage adjustments such as the movement of trucks to be made quite unobtrusively.  The trucks and large properties, such as the young sisters’ bedroom and Kristoff’s cart, were impressive.

Other aspects of the stage design also evoked freezing weather, from the dry ice and haze effects to the cool white LEDs delineating some of the steps and staging, but the most striking features were the twin LED screens either side of the steps at the back of the stage, showing simple animations (frequently falling snow) or well-chosen motifs to add context and drama to the scenery.  These had been expertly designed and programmed by the Director.

Overall this was an ambitious project for Avocet Theatre Company, with its inclusive ethos, short lead time and various technical challenges.  The young cast gave a very good account of themselves, and the whole show was imaginative in its conception and generally impressive in its execution.  I hope that the team responsible for bringing for bringing this musical to the stage were able to step back to see how the many young people involved embraced the opportunity to be in the show, and how the more experienced members of the Company continue to develop and grow as performers.

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