Disney’s Frozen, The Hit Broadway Musical is now on stage at Philadelphia’s Historic Academy of Music until April 7. You will be in for Thrills, Chills (naturally), and  Amazements galore. Not only is this a stellar production with outstanding stagecraft, special effects, and live music, but stars from Broadway and beyond make this an outstanding entertainment. 

 

As Queen Elsa, Caroline Bowman is every inch a star. This woman can sing beautifully, with emotion and power, (the hit song “Let It Go” was truly moving), move splendidly, and look every inch a queen; nay, a goddess. 

 

As her younger sister, Anna, Lauren Nicole Chapman leaves nothing to be desired as she sings wonderfully, brings emotional immediacy to her role, and involves the audience in her personal journey as she meets and conquers every pitfall in her path with unalloyed optimism.

 

So many actors shine in their roles, it would take pages to celebrate them all. Preston Perez is outstanding as Hans. Jeremy Davis is incredibly entertaining as Olaf, while Dominic Dorset charmed us as Kristoff.

 

However, who could deny the unsung hero of the show, Sven! This daunting role is shared between two outstanding actors: Collin Baja, and Dan Plehal. Wearing a formidable reindeer costume, it amazes audiences constantly just how Sven moves about the stage with personality and heart, making audiences “oohh” and “ahh” many times at their skill as each man is buried under a formidable costume. It took us a long time to figure out how one man inhabits the costume under such Herculean stress, with leg extensions and facial movements, with no sign of being able to breathe, even while dancing and prancing about the stage. Sven must be seen to be believed. Just another instance of Disney magic, and acting prowess.

 

Speaking of magic, the special effects are awesome. The coup de theatre at one critical point has Elsa singing “Let It Go” in a turmult where her clothes change amid a blazing storm. Spectacular! Audible gasps loudly flowed from the audience for this spectacle. Bravo to Jeremy Chernick, credited in the program for Special Effects Design. Stage amazements were many and extraordinary. The world freezing up, storms, blowing snow, magical beings popping up, all with the utmost stage splendor. Undoubtedly, Finn Ross’s Video Design, Michael Curry’s Puppet Design, Christopher Oram’s Scenic and Costume Design, and Natasha Katz’s Lighting Design all spoke Disney Magic. 

 

The Frozen touring orchestra led by Music Director and Conductor Faith Seeto were splendid. 

 

Frozen is for anyone who loves theatre, spectacle, acting, singing, dancing, supernatural magic, and a ripping good yarn. You will be happy that you saw this outstanding production of Frozen. 

Frozen will be on stage until April 7. The current season has many more offerings coming up, so for information about this and other plays and musicals to come, visit …

www.ensembleartsphilly.org .