Frozen Jr

Congleton Amateur Youth Theatre returned to the stage with their production of ‘Frozen Jr’, which was directed by Will Vickers. Will continues to shine as a director, and understands how to get the best out of young performers. The entire cast seemed confident in what they were doing, and there were some good characterisations that had been developed. Will had drawn out the comic moments very well, which were delivered well by the cast. The set was very good with a mountain-like backdrop, which had images projected on it. There were a set of doors in the backdrop, which were utilised well throughout. Other set pieces were wheeled on, and looked very good as well. The costumes were a strong feature of this production. They were reminiscent of the film, which made it familiar for the audience.

Ben Evans-Clarke took the helm as musical director. On the whole, the cast did well performing to backing tracks. There were a few moments where the cast were ahead of the tracks, mainly in some solo numbers. The ensemble numbers were all well performed.

It was great to see two members of the cast (Maddie Holford and April Cook) contributing to the choreography alongside Will. There were some great routines in the production, with ‘Hygge’ standing out – full of energy and fun. The cast all appeared confident in the choreography.

Technical elements were well integrated into the production. The sound was good, with the balance between cast and backing tracks being good. The projections were good, allowing the audience to be transported to different locations. The lighting design was good throughout.

There were three performers who played Elsa. Lily Bailey gave a confident performance as Young Elsa, as did Emily Worrall as Middle Elsa. Lilia Barnett gave a mature performance as Elsa. You could see the change in Elsa from someone who had fun with her powers to being scared of them across the three performances, so well done Lily, Emily and Lilia for achieving this. Lilia’s Elsa was reserved, which is as it should be. She had the poise of the newly crowned queen, yet she showed how fearful she was of her powers. Lilia displayed a good vocal in her numbers as well.

The role of Anna was also played by three performers. Libby Condliffe did well as Young Anna, perhaps a bit tentative at times. Chloe Furlong held the stage as Middle Anna and gave a confident performance. Chloe shone in the ensemble numbers as well.  Maddie Holford appeared a bit hesitant, but soon settled into the role of Anna and gave a very good performance. Maddie had a great quirkiness in the role, and demonstrated some great comic moments – very funny facial expressions. Maddie created believable relationships with the rest of the cast, especially Lilia, Ashton and Harry.

Ashton Elms gave a secure performance as Kristoff. There was a good characterisation from Ashton and he had a good vocal. He worked well with the rest of the cast, especially Maddie and Riley.

Riley Shelmerdine did well as Sven. She had some funny lines and delivered them well. There was a good relationship formed between Riley and Ashton. Riley operated her puppet very well.

The part of Olaf seemed to be made for Mason Royall! As well as his actual performance, Mason had to operate the Olaf puppet, which he did well with. Mason brought Olaf’s innocence to life and delivered some great comic lines. Mason did have a tendency to look out into the audience – make sure your focus is what is happening on stage.

Harry Gill put in a great performance as Hans. He was suitably charming at the start, before showing his true colours. Harry has a great presence on stage, and displayed the authoritative Hans well. ‘Love is an Open Door’ was a great performance from both Harry and Maddie. This was a very good supporting performance from Harry.

James Mills is proving to be a great comic actor. Here, he plays The Duke of Weselton. His mannerisms and timing were spot-on. The moment where he asks Elsa to dance was laugh-out-loud funny. James takes these cameo roles, and creates some excellent comic moments. Keep it up, James!

Arthur Belfield did well as Oaken. Arthur’s characterisation was very good and he sustained the accent throughout well. Arthur led ‘Hygge’ well, being joined by Oaken’s family. This was a great ensemble number.

Ronnie Sharpe-Woodcock and Louie Barnett did well as Bulda and Pabbie, the leaders of the mysterious hidden folk. They were a good double act and led ‘Fixer Upper’ well.

Riley Simmons looked the part as the Bishop. He was secure in his lines, and had good vocal clarity and diction – every word could be heard. Well done Riley.

The ensemble worked hard throughout, playing coronation guests, Oaken’s family and the representation of the blizzard. Everyone on stage appeared confident and looked like they were all loving being part of the production – what more can you ask for?!

Overall, this was a good production. There were some good performances, great staging and fantastic costumes.

A big thank you to everyone at Congleton Amateur Youth Theatre for their kind invite and their hospitality. See you in November for ‘Bugsy Malone’!

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