Frozen Jr

What a joy it was to watch In Your Face Theatre Seaham’s (IYFTS) Youth production of Frozen Jr this week. From the outset, this was a performance full of confidence, commitment and imagination, and it was clear that a huge amount of hard work had gone into bringing this well-loved show to the stage. IYFTS delivered a spectacular production which captured the heart, humour and warmth of the story, while also giving its young performers every opportunity to shine.

One of the most striking features of this production was its impressive use of technology from director Jade-Leigh Hewitt ably supported by Billie Kay as Assistant Director and Nathan Johnson as Production Assistant. The interactive video wall was used to excellent effect, helping to create a visually engaging world that felt fresh, inventive and completely in keeping with the magical atmosphere of Frozen Jr. It added real impact to the storytelling, enhanced scene changes and gave the production an exciting contemporary edge. Used with confidence and imagination, this technical element helped lift the show beyond the expected and made it feel very special indeed, especially given the limited space which IYFTS have to contend with.  A raised rostra gave an an impression of space and height giving an additional edge to the production allowing the action to flow smoothly, and there was a strong sense of pace and purpose throughout. The magical moments were handled particularly well, to the delight of the audience especially with the development of Else’s powers and of course the big reveal at the end of Act 1. Jenni Watson as Musical Director had clearly worked hard to ensure that the cast were vocally strong and Steph Christie as choreographer had drilled some precise and intricate ensemble movement which was a delight to watch.

Performance-wise, IYFTS do notably excel with decisive casting and clear development and support being provided to the cast to ensure they perform to the best of their ability. This was a notably strong company effort. There were stand-out performances from almost all of the cast, which is no small achievement in a youth production of this scale. Principal roles were approached with assurance and character, while the supporting performers and ensemble worked tirelessly to create a lively and fully populated stage picture. It was especially pleasing to see such commitment to characterisation, good energy throughout, and a genuine sense of teamwork across the company. The cast should be very proud of what they achieved.

Young Elsa played by Ella and Young Anna played by Amelia were a gorgeous delight on stage, with just enough “cheek”, warm, lively and full of charisma.  Middle Else played by Ella and Young Anna played by Jasmine, although on stage for a short period of time in character, were a delight to see.  Elsa herself was played by Lucy who has really come into her own this year.  Suddenly maturing and commanding the stage, her presence was beautiful and she was a delight to watch.  “Let it Go” the signature track was delivered in a manner which was controlled yet powerful, giving depth to the vocal which is impressive for one so young.  I also loved the glitter use, you can never have too much sparkle in my view!  Anna played by Evie, whose confidence and multi-talent is growing every time I see her was equally as beautiful to see. Madoc excelled as Kristoff ably supported by the hilarious, confident Charley as Sven whose humour and puppeteering skill had the audience in stitches.  What a pair! I’ve never seen Orie play anything he didn’t absolutely excel at, he’s a dream to work with and so talented to boot, and puppeteering Olaf was no challenge for him with excellent timing and charisma.  Lexi as Hans and Pabbie, two entirely different roles, was excellent, really giving herself a challenge and dancing beautifully with Amelia as Bulda with some extraordinary lyrical movement and gymnastics. William was a comedic cheeky Bishop, always performing to his best, and Danny as the Duke of the ever-mispronounced Weselton was very strong indeed with clear diction and growing confidence as a performer.  Katie playing the Queen was beautiful and a joy to watch alongside the incredibly talented Luke as the King, who dually portrayed Oaken and utterly stole the show with a very high energy hilarious “Hygge” which had the entire audience in stitches.  Well done to you all, excellent!

Ensemble were strong, well rehearsed and complimented the principle cast beautifully, made up of Charlotte, Chloe, Faye, Hannah, Isabelle, James, Kitti, Lilly-Anne, Maddison, Molly, Niall, Nina, Sienna, Sophia and William.  I cannot wait to see you all grow with IYFTS.

Sound and light were extremely well delivered by the dream team of East Durham Audio (Duncan Baxter) and POSS Productions (Paul Oliver) who always seem to go that extra mile for the groups they support, who are extremely grateful to them for their support.

Congratulations to everyone involved in In Your Face Theatre Seaham’s Frozen Jr. This was a spectacular and thoroughly entertaining youth production, full of talent, creativity and ambition. The combination of strong performances, imaginative staging and excellent use of technology made for a memorable theatrical experience. The company is clearly nurturing young talent with care and vision, and on the strength of this production, they have every reason to feel extremely proud.

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