Interview: 'Everyone is Blown Away By the Spectacle': Actor Oliver Ormson on FROZEN THE MUSICAL, Audience Reaction and Acting with Sincerity

In September, Disney's Frozen the Musical celebrated its second birthday at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, welcoming in a new West End cast. The show, an adaptation of the animated hit, tells the story of Princess Anna and Princess Elsa as they go on an unforgettable journey and learn how true love can thaw a frozen heart.

BroadwayWorld spoke with Oliver Ormson, who returns for a second year to play the role of Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. We discussed what it has been like taking on a character from the beloved animated movie, how the musical expands upon the original, and fun audience reactions!

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What made you want to be a part of Frozen The Musical?

I have a lot of young nieces and nephews, and I knew the animation was such a big franchise. I heard the soundtrack a couple of years ago when it opened on Broadway, and I was just very excited. With Prince Hans, I looked at him as a character and I thought, “I could see myself doing that one day.” It was quite enticing to play a Disney villain, but also a Disney prince! So as soon as the auditions happened here, I just had to be a part of it. And I'm just very happy to be one of the original members that’s still here today!

What has it been like with the new cast coming in? 

It's been amazing! Every year we've had a different Anna and a different Kristoff, and it just feels like they bring a new, fresh energy to it. Something to play off, something different. A lot of my scenes are with Princess Anna, played by Laura Dawkes this year, and she's come in with a new interpretation, a new idea of what her Anna is. And because Hans is quite cunning in the way he plans to overthrow Arendelle, and with the way that she plays her scenes, I have to be a chameleon and act in the way that will charm her Anna. So even my Hans is different now from the original cast. So every year feels different, and it's been fantastic.

How have you worked on making the character of Prince Hans your own?

I always thought that when he arrives in Arendelle, he has no idea to overthrow Arendelle and become king. So I always played him as, in the first couple scenes, quite honest. And it's only by opportunity, by certain things that happen in the show, that he feels like he can become king. Sometimes people might play him like an outright villain, so I always thought it'd be quite nice to play him as someone who's more of a victim of circumstance, someone who takes things too far. All of a sudden, the snowball starts rolling, and he can't stop it. All he wants is to become king. And it gets to a point where he'll do anything to become king. I always thought that was quite a good thing to do, and I wanted to make that part of him my own.

Do you have any favourite scenes or songs in the show?

I love doing “Love Is An Open Door” with Anna. It's one of those songs where it was in the original animation and it's one of the favourites with “Let It Go.” So everyone loves that song, but it's got a really cool dance break in it, and the audiences seem to love it! That's my favourite moment for my show.

https://cloudimages.broadwayworld.com/upload13/2273634/tn-500_forthefirsttimeinforever-castofdisney_sfrozenthemusical-photobyjohanpersson©disney.jpgWhat has it been like working on an adaptation of the film, not sticking exactly to the script of the original Frozen?

It's been fantastic. What the show offers is more context for the characters - we have more time. We've got some new numbers in the show that give added context to these beloved characters. “Love Is An Open Door,” for example - in the original animation, there's no dance break. But Rob Ashford, our amazing choreographer, put a dance break in to amplify their young love. They're figuring each other out as their characters, and it really works to progress that attraction and that love. Because at the end of “Love Is An Open Door,” I say, “Will you marry me?” So we got to get to holding hands for the first time to marriage within three minutes, and you can do that in a musical. The dance break echoes and amplifies those emotions. Anyone who loves Frozen and loves the animation, if you come to see the show, you'll realise there's a lot more context and a lot more backstory to these beloved characters.

Would you say you were a fan of the movie before joining the cast?

I remember watching it for the first time - watched it with my nieces and nephews. I was a fan of the movie, but I was probably a bit too old to be a big, big fan. [Laughs] But I realised, looking around, you can go anywhere in the world and people know what Frozen is. So I was definitely a fan of what the film accomplished. And it broke some boundaries because most films before, the prince would swoop in and save the day. And this, our show and the animation, is not about that. It's not a love between a prince and a princess, and the man doesn't sweep in and save the day. It’s a love between sisters. That was one of the first times I can remember that Disney Animation did that. So I'm a big fan of what Frozen did and changed the scope for a lot of future animations.

What is it like seeing the audience reactions at each performance?

Oh, it's fantastic! It's great. When we come out for the bows at the end, you can see a lot of happy families out there. And naturally, you would think it'd be the kids jumping up and down. But also, you see the parents and the family members jumping up and down as well! They just love it! We're very, very lucky. Everyone who comes to see the show, they're just blown away by the spectacle that it is.

What do you hope audiences take away from Frozen? 

I think we're very lucky that a lot of younger [audience] members, it might be their first West End show. So I'd love them to come to see Frozen and really latch onto a love of theatre, and come back and watch other theatre shows and come back and watch us. But I think what I would hope they take from it is that it's a really classy show - the level of performance is very high.

People might come and see Frozen and think it's just gonna be just for the kids, just for the younger members. But it really is a clasy production. And I think that people can watch our production of Frozen and be very much blown away by its class and high performance. I think they'll realise it's not just for the young ones - it's for everyone.

Do you have a favourite line in the show?

Probably the twist of Hans being not who he said he is, and he says, “Oh, Anna, if only there was someone out there who loved you.” That's the moment where we get the gasps from the audiences and even hissing and booing sometimes! [Laughs]

My director, Michael Grandage, always said to me, “Never assume that everyone knows the twist, that everyone knows that Hans isn't really who he says he is.” And I've always remembered that. So I've always played completely with sincerity and make sure that people hear the twist. Because people have their kids to watch Frozen, and I'm sure that they even sometimes miss that twist, because they might be in the other room making dinner or something. So I think even some parents might be surprised sometimes!

Frozen runs at Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Photo Credits: Johan Persson © Disney

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