Frozen Jr

It was a pleasure to be invited to review Act One Beginners and their production of ‘Frozen Jr.’ This popular Disney musical was bursting with energy, the cast and crew produced a fabulous show that had the audience rise in ovation as the curtain fell.

With incredible costumes and atmospheric lighting, Director and Musical Director:  Leanne Wharf wowed the packed auditorium with her production. The cast were all strong players, the company energetic and animated throughout. This youth production was slick; the ensemble changing scenery and props dressed as maids or snow drifts. They moved as a well-oiled team from one scene to the next faultlessly. Projections, operated by Greg Wharf were timed to perfection. They looked clear, bright, and focused, complimenting the scenes they backed. I noticed every cast member had a microphone, this made a significant impact, the sound, supplied by MASH AudioVisual was fantastic, every voice was clear with no feedback or dropouts.  Music Operator: Bethany Whittaker operated the backing tracks.  The music complimented the vocals, it could be heard clearly yet did not overpower the actors. The timing was exact, flowing naturally throughout the production with no noticeable faults. Lighting played a huge part in this production. Ryan Clegg and Alex Pickup provided a wonderful array of lighting effects. The blues employed during snow scenes, combined with wisps of smoke, created a wonderfully chilly, isolated ambience. The village scenes were lit warmly, as the cast and ensemble gathered to sing and dance. The contrast in lighting emphasised the loneliness felt by Elsa as she existed in her ice tower and pushed the world away. Personally, I thought the combination of lights, projection and staging looked fabulous. Stage manager: Tom Whittaker kept the crew on their toes, all departments coordinated throughout, to pronounced effect.

Costumes, supplied by Michelle Crane, Pauline Sandiford, No Eyed Theatre and Leanne Wharf, were superb. Costumes changed regularly for the ensemble, dependent on the scenes played out. Elsa and Anna were resplendent in their ever-changing wardrobe. I particularly liked the ensemble dressed as white snow drifts. Olaf and Sven had been custom made for the actors to wear and looked fantastic: a full-sized Olaf was attached to the actor’s front, whilst Sven the reindeer was operated visibly from within. Elsa was accompanied by her magical ice flakes, dancers in pale blue, bejewelled tutus, which looked beautiful under the lights. The change of costume on stage during Elsa’s solo ‘Let it Go’ was impressive, revealing her iconic crystal blue dress in one flawless movement.

Choreographers: Jessica and Bethany Whittaker provided some great dance routines. The ‘Hygge’ was fast paced, energetic and fun. The complex movements and rapid footwork of the ensemble impressive. I thought the use of dancers, as the magical ice flakes that surrounded Elsa was simply lovely. The swirling motions as Elsa moved her hands, replicated by her ice flakes as they swirled around the stage.  The exacting movements of the snow drifts as they froze Anna in place looked superb. Jessica and Bethany had rehearsed their cast well and the results were great, every player on the stage was animated and precise.

As the show began, we were introduced to Anna and Elsa as children; Poppy Foulds played Young Anna and Erin Roberts played Young Elsa.  These two actors had a great rapport, bouncing off each other, delivering well timed dialogue. Poppy Foulds was energetic and animated as Young Anna, with a mischievous demeanour and a strong singing voice. I was impressed with her stillness as she lay unconscious after being hit by Elsa’s magic, a wonderful performance from Poppy. As Young Elsa, Erin Roberts was notable. In a matter of minutes, we saw her character change from bubbly and innocent to guarded and afraid. Erin gave a convincing performance; her vocals were simply lovely.

I am not afraid to admit that the two actors playing Anna and Elsa in their teens reduced me to tears. Ava-Mae Edmondson gave a heartfelt performance as Middle Anna. Her scene outside Elsa’s bedroom door was emotional, her vocal pleas becoming more despondent. Ava-Mae sang from the heart and gave a fabulous performance. Rosie Beaumont played Middle Elsa. She was so sad as she stood alone listening to her sister’s entreaties, her own answering vocals sorrowful and beautifully sung. A fantastic performance from both actors.

Summer Stubbs played Anna, the grown princess. Summer was vivacious from the outset. Her energy was abundant as she moved around the stage. Her comic timing was exacting, her dialogue clear and projected. The introductory solo for Anna was ‘For the First Time in Forever’ and Summer delivered it with gusto, she was animated and lively with a strong singing voice and fabulous vocal range.

The role of the grown princess: Elsa, was played by Sara Zahraoui. Sara looked beautiful in her costumes, she held herself tall, stately, and confident. Her fluid use of hand movements looked great as she weaved her magic. Her solo ‘Let It Go’ was superb, Sara had a powerful vocal range, earning her a huge applause as her song peaked. The costume change that occurred within the song did not affect the vocals and looked great.

Ava Millar was outstanding as the snowman: Olaf. Adorned in white from head to toe, with a custom-made Olaf puppet, strapped to her front torso and feet. As Ava moved, she worked the arms and mouth, all the while staying in character. Ava made the audience laugh aloud as she moved around the stage. Her accent was strong, her comic timing wonderful. Her solo ‘In Summer’ was humorous and light-hearted, with a combination of great acting and singing.

Playing the role of the kind-hearted Kristoff, was Jack Vaughan. Jack was strong in this role. His diction was clear and projected, his comedy timing was wonderful. Jack was animated, lively, and had a great rapport with his fellow actors. ‘Kristoff’s Joik’ was evocative and harmonious, his duet with Sven; ‘Reindeer (s) Are Better Than People’ deliberately humorous and silly.

Sven the reindeer was played by Patsy Slater. Patsy was working the full-sized reindeer costume from within. Expertly manoeuvring around the stage, Patsy was funny, her well timed responses and the movement of the reindeer eyes and mouth were fantastic. Her own facial features reflecting the look on Sven’s face. This was a well-rehearsed, confident performance from Patsy.

Playing the role of the charming prince: Hans was Mickey Wilkinson. Suave and sophisticated, sweeping Anna of her feet only to show his true colours as the show progressed. His duet ‘Love Is an Open Door’ with Anna was beautifully sung, and his turn from catch to cad was a great transition; the audience audibly booed as he left the stage and again for his final bow. Well done, Mickey.

Queen Iduna and King Agnarr were played by Leah Rowley and Josh Kinsella, respectively. Leah made a kind and gentle Queen, her dialogue delivered with certainty and clarity. A small but non the less significant role, Leah gave an assured performance. Josh, as the King was imposing as he held his head aloft, his dialogue commanding yet fatherly. I particularly liked Josh’s cameo as Weselton, his mannerisms and voice changed for this role, highlighting his versatility as an actor.

Playing the two main rock trolls, Bulda and Pabbie were Olivia Durkin and Darcey Morton. Both actors were strong characters, a kind of comedy double act, as they teamed up on Kristoff for the song ‘Fixer Upper.’ With clear dialogue, strong vocals and exuberance Olivia and Darcey were great in these roles. Bethany Bebb had a cameo as Bishop, with good projection and great facial expressions, Bethany gave a notable performance.

Gracie Thorpe played Oaken, the friendly enthusiastic shop keeper. Gracie was a whirlwind of movement as she headed up the ensemble for the ‘Hygge.’ Oaken is a deliberate comedy character and Gracie had the audience laughing aloud with her accent and dialogue. This was a fabulous performance that earned her a huge round of applause during the walk down.

Frozen Jr was a pleasure to watch. The whole society worked together to create a memorable show, the standing ovation the cast and crew received was well deserved. I would like to thank Act One Beginners for inviting me to review their show, I look forward to many more in the future.

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