What would have made Frozen Better

[222disneyland]

its not even Aladdin  Quality from what I heard

[taylortrensch]

Whenever there's a post talking trash about Frozen, you're always the poster. Which is funny because you have a Disney username and you haven't seen the show.

But to answer your question - I think they should've put in an ice castle.

[CATSNYrevival]

I would have been curious to see it structured with “Let it Go” in its spot in the film and have the act one finale be some type of “Esmeralda” type medley like in Hunchback. I also would have liked a duet between Anna and Elsa in act two even if they were singing together but not in the same location. Even “True Love” would be more interesting to me if a light came up on Elsa locked up offering some kind of counter point.

[Call_me_jorge]

I honestly want to know what alex timbers version was like, because I bet that would’ve made it better.

[Dancingthrulife2]

Guts and vision.

[BwayLB]

I live in California and have yet to see this show. I did enjoy the movie of Frozen. But I just don't feel in the craze enough to see this new version. So I have to agree about Let It Go. It works as Act One's finale vocally but doesn't make sense any other way. And No Ice Castle definitely a big mistake.

[LightsOut90]

Alex Timbers as the director

[RippedMan]

Yeah, this version - saw it last week -just has no creativity! Nothing interesting happening musically. I’d have loved a quarter with the 4 romantic leads, or something interesting. All the new music is pretty terrible save for “Monster” but that is so awkardly staged. The projections are cool, but that’s it. Just think they needed one clear vision and it didn’t get that. And def a director who understands a big musical. Grandage is a great director but this isn’t “Red.” Even “Evita” is quite simple compared to this. I think Olaf should have been a muppet style puppet. You never see the person controlling him.
The way it is now is beyond weird and why the actor looks like Baskets the clown is beyond me.

[BwayLB]

About the four leads part of what you said, trust me when I say this. Before I saw the movie, I predicted Anna and Elsa were going to switch boys in the end. But it would have partially ruined their sisterly love emotional core.

[springwillcome]

I personally really loved the show, so I’m definitely not commenting negative here - but I think it would’ve been so fun if Olaf had a huge tap number at the top of Act 2 or just somewhere in there. They could’ve expanded In summer for sure and it would’ve been amazing to see, but not essential so I get why it isn’t there. Also: would be a much better experience overall if they followed their no children under 8 “policy”....

[CindersGolightly]

Elizabeth Marie Wolfe.

[ChildofEarth]

A different cast, a better director, and someone willing to tell Disney they need some edge.

I think Caissie is a massive talent but both Elsa and Anna read so old on that stage - especially Patti, who reads at least 5 years older than Caissie.

[Elegance101]

ChildofEarth said: " someone willing to tell Disney they need some edge."

That’s probably what got Alex Timbers fired.

[Elegance101]

Generally, they needed to take more chances. If the cast had been made up of Jelani Alladin-types (fresh faces, actually looked the ages of the characters, etc) and if they had taken a chance on a more interesting director, it would’ve been a super creative, new piece. It’s just overall very bleh. The actors are good, and Caissie does tear the roof off of the place with her voice, but I think Patti is simply too old. Talented lady, but Anna is 18. She is 20 years older than the character. I’m not saying she should’ve been played by an 18-year-old, but Anna’s mother is probably around Patti’s age when you think about it.
And Grandage has made it a very cold (don’t say it) production. Dark and cold.
Really a shame. It’ll still run, but as a Disney fan, this could’ve been so much more. Waiting for the next one...

[Dollypop]

Maybe it was just a bad idea from the start. Not every animated film is suitable for live theater.

[MrsSallyAdams]

Danger. Just as Elphaba is less "wicked" on stage than her book counterpart, stage Elsa never gets to be a "monster."

Spoilery example:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Film Elsa throws her sister out of the palace with an ice golem, then attacks and nearly kills the invading soldiers before being knocked unconscious.

Stage Elsa politely asks Kristoff to get Anna "home safely," then puts some icicles in the soldiers path, sings that she "will not be a monster," then politely surrenders to said soldiers.

Without the risk that Elsa will harm those around her there are no stakes. She's just lovable and misunderstood.

[BroadwayConcierge]

It needed better and bolder direction, a fresher and less dark design, substantially less boring musical additions if they needed to add things beyond the film's score, more "Defying Gravity" and less "We went cheap" for the staging of "Let It Go," lead actresses who are 15 years younger than the current ones, and to be one act long instead of two agonizingly over-extended boring acts as they currently are. 

I think the film is deeply theatrical and had amazing stage potential. They just totally ruined it with what's at the St. James right now.

[raddersons]

To me the biggest issue is the theme of Elsa's isolation. She's by herself for almost the entire show, which puts the writers in a corner they can't get out of. Almost every time she sings, she's alone and brooding. Getting her to have any additional interaction with any character would have fleshed out her character way more, and she wouldn't have seem so... pointlessly tragic?

[disneybroadwayfan22]

-More stage time for Elsa. Like what is her journey like before Let It Go? Did she do more damage? Did she meet Oaken? The trolls/whatever they are now?

-Redo the direction of Let It Go completely.

-For God's sake, MAKE IN SUMMER A FULL TAP NUMBER. From what I heard in the audio, they did nothing with it! What springwillcome says, give him another song/tap number

-Redo Hygge. ALL OF IT.

-Why did they delete the jail scene with Hans? Great character spot. And with that, give more foreshadowing that's evil

-More interaction with the Duke and Elsa. Like he flirts with her, make him go all Frollo on her ass

 

[little_sally]

My biggest problem is that they just put the movie on stage, and really did nothing to enhance for the stage. That's okay for a theme park show but not Broadway. The new songs are terrible, Elsa is useless (like someone said, she doesn't interact with anyone and whenever she'd appear I'd think, "oh, right, she's in this show too), and they really had no idea what to do with Olaf. They could've cut him completely and the show wouldn't have suffered.

[robskynyc]

LightsOut90 said: "Alex Timbers as the director"

and Betsy Wolfe as Elsa in an Ice Castle

 

[Broadway_Boy]

little_sally said: "My biggest problem is that they just put the movie on stage, and really did nothing to enhance for the stage. That's okay for a theme park show but not Broadway. The new songs are terrible, Elsa is useless (like someone said, she doesn't interact with anyone and whenever she'd appear I'd think, "oh, right, she's in this show too), and they really had no idea what to do with Olaf. They could've cut him completely and the show wouldn't have suffered."

 

The broadway production is absolutely nothing like the movie. The theme park production in Disneyland is the film put on stage and it’s fantastic. The Broadway show made so many choices to change it, just all of them are for the worse. 

[JudyDenmark]

Some innovative technology that would've left us all saying "how'd they do that?!" It's 2018 and Disney has the budget to technically knock our socks off. It's a movie about magic and about 'testing the limits and breaking through... no right, no wrong, no rules'... It's a shame they played it so safe. 

Also, I second the thing about casting younger actresses. Nothing at all against Caissie Levy and Patti Murin as they're both wildly talented, but it was hard to take them seriously as innocent teenagers/young adults, especially Anna.

[JayElle]

"Guts and vision"

Great answer!

 

[Kad]

I had heard Timbers' vision was characteristically huge and visionary, with immersive elements, but with a price tag that made Disney balk.

Frankly, even had Disney given Timbers a blank check, I think Frozen itself is sort of an inert property. Timbers would've distracted from the flaws, certainly. But at the end of the day, Frozen is Frozen.