Frozen Headed to Broadway!

[Jonwo]

Sven I imagine would be cut, animals that don't talk seem to cut from Disney stage musicals, Olaf I think you could do either as a puppet or as a human in an elaborate costume. I've been thinking how they could Let it Go and I think a mixture of revolving sets and quick change for when Elsa transforms her dress.

2016 is the earliest I think Frozen could be ready and it may not go to Broadway, Disney premiered Hunchback in Berlin and Mary Poppins in London so its possible Disney could premiere it in London then move to Broadway although I think Broadway first is more likely,

[JohnyBroadway]

I imagine Let it Go will also close the first act.

[darquegk]

I don't know if this one will work as well onstage... The two biggest elements in it are both dependent on the constant malleability of snow: a wizard/Snowbender who can conjure ice and snow at will, and a living snowman whose body is infinitely flexible in terms of shape and construction.

This isn't like the magic in Beauty and the Beast which comes in small, stage-worthy bursts. In Frozen, it's all magic, all the time, and I worry that trying to focus on the stage worthy parts neglects the fact that the main plot is about an ice wizard, and ice wizards, unlike Enchantresses or Witches, are very hard to do live.

[bwayphreak234]

^ My thoughts exactly.

[mjohnson2]

Ugh. I liked Frozen well enough, but there are so many better Disney movies, both for the stage and in general. HERCULES, Tangled, Princess and the Frog, Dumbo, Mulan, etc.

[Liza's Headband]

...And I'm sure they all grossed $660 million worldwide (before hitting China or Japan) in less than two months. Right?

[Sutton Ross]

The money is just too good, they will put it on stage as soon as possible. The Disney-fication of Broadway is really gross.

[RW3]

I wonder who would direct?

[bwayphreak234]

Francesa Zambello. She could recycle the plastic shower curtains and feminist themes from The Little Mermaid!

[JohnyBroadway]

Julie Taymor? After all she did have a great working relationship with Tom Schumacher and his team. Vs. The clunker team of Spider-Man.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

As excited as I am, I agree with darquegk. I can picture the transformation of Elsa like how they do it in Cinderella, but Marshamallow and Sven (I think they'll remove them like how Disney removed Abu and the Tarzan elephan). i can't picture Sven as a puppet), the ice castle, and the magic? They need a heck of a creative team to pull this off.

[musicalfool]

I would hope that Disney will find another new and interesting director who wouldn't have to rely on previous Disney stage adaptations but will find his/her own visual storytelling devices. That said, the source material is FANTASTIC and I would love to see this.

[Jonwo]

Disney don't tend to reuse directors, maybe Diane Paulus could tackle a full scale musical after her success with Hair, Porgy and Bess and Pippin although she's doing Finding Neverland first.

Another suggestion is Marianne Elliott who directed War Horse, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time and The Light Princess.

I think that whatever ends up on stage will be very different from the film as it stands now. The songs will definitely be intact, as well as the main plot and characters, but I think a lot of the other aspects will be reworked to play better onstage.

[JohnyBroadway]

I wonder if Jennifer Lee would adapt her screen play to the stage like Linda and Irene Mecchi?Or would they in fact bring in another seasoned Broadway Librettist ala Harvey Fierstien.

[Liza's Headband]

We're already talked about directors? What happened to the writing process? Even as an adaptation, that all has to happen first... Talk about putting the cart before the horse.

[jbroadway4]

^^^^
We can dream all we want! hahaha

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

If they want someone new, how about Diane Paulus?

[C. C Baxter]

I think Diane Paulus would be a great choice and would retain all the heart the movie had by zeroing in on the central relationship between the two girls. Alex Timbers is an amazing visual director and is working with the Lopezes on their next stage musical so that's another possibility.

As another timeframe reference, HUNCHBACK's Berlin production also ran three years after the film was released. The problem with bringing that to Broadway wasn't so much problems adapting it, but more because of the darker story and how to market it in America. The foreign production allowed them to take it in a darker direction than most Disney shows.

I can't wait to hear the new songs, especially that rumoured ballad for Kristoff that was cut from the film.

[Jonwo]

Alex Timbers has worked with Disney as co-director of Peter and the Starcatcher and has done full scale musicals as he directed Rocky so he'd be an interesting choice.

[JohnyBroadway]

I imagine big dance breaks would be added to incorporate a major Choreographer.

[oasisjeff]

Hmm, by the time I find a husband, settle down for a bit, and then have kids, hopefully they'll be at the right age for when this hits Broadway... *crosses fingers*

[DustyC]

Hey guys first post in a looong time. But how exciting eh? I can't stop listening to the sound track can't wait to see how bring it to the stage.

[theatregoer3]

I just hope it scores the Winter Garden.

[yankeefan7]

"I don't know if this one will work as well onstage... The two biggest elements in it are both dependent on the constant malleability of snow: a wizard/Snowbender who can conjure ice and snow at will, and a living snowman whose body is infinitely flexible in terms of shape and construction.

This isn't like the magic in Beauty and the Beast which comes in small, stage-worthy bursts. In Frozen, it's all magic, all the time, and I worry that trying to focus on the stage worthy parts neglects the fact that the main plot is about an ice wizard, and ice wizards, unlike Enchantresses or Witches, are very hard to do live."

Exactly, that is what I was trying to say earlier in thread and got a response that Digital Projections would be used.