Review: FROZEN is Definitely 'Hygge' at City Springs Theatre Company

City Springs Theatre Company returns to the stage with the southeast’s regional premiere of Disney’s FROZEN. Directed by Robert W. Schneider, this production is special for a lot of reasons.

Disney’s FROZEN first hit movie theatres in 2013, and debuted on Broadway in 2018. For those familiar with the movie, the stage production includes all of the original songs, plus 15 new songs to help move the story along as only musicals can do.

The musical tells the story of Anna and Elsa, two sisters and princesses of Arendele. Elsa has magic that can create ice and snow, but she’s unfortunately unable to control her powers. The girls’ parents go in search of a way to remove or control Elsa’s powers, but die in the process. Elsa inherits the throne. On her coronation day, she is overstimulated and unintentionally casts an eternal winter over Arendele and flees. Anna, of course, goes after her. Along the way, Anna makes friends with Kristoff and Sven (a reindeer), and encounters Olaf, her childhood creation. Meanwhile, Hans of the Southern Isles is trying to take over Arendele. 

CSTC is the first theatre in the entire southeast to put on a production of FROZEN! This makes it such a unique experience, especially for those not familiar with the Broadway production or the national tour. 

We are welcomed into Arendele with “Let the Sun Shine On,” and a vibrantly colorful set (without it being overwhelming). The cast is also dressed in bright colors, making this opening number feel like pure joy. The staging and choreography was immaculate, including the “May Day pole”. 

Cleo Saliers (Young Elsa) and Hensley Peters (Young Anna) were just too cute together. Their dynamic as sisters made sense, and they also matched the personalities of their grown counterparts. It’s lovely to see so much talent in ones so young. 

Nick Walker Jones is so endearingly awkward and adorable as Hans that I forgot he was a bad guy in the show. He and Leigh Ellen Jones (Anna) were the perfectly quirky pairing. I found myself rooting for their “cute love”. 

Sarah Stipe (Elsa) and Leigh Ellen Jones (Anna) are proper Disney princesses come to life. Characters like Anna and Elsa are easy to go over the top. Anna could easily be cheapened, and Elsa could easily come across as too hard. However, Stipe and Jones found the perfect balance individually and together. 

Jones was pure light onstage. She was kind and warm and so unbelievably talented. Her character arc throughout the production was well timed and graceful, going from bubbly and a little ditzy to strong and empowered, fighting for her sister every step of the way.

Stipe, with songs like “Let It Go” and “Monster”, beautifully rose to the occasion of such powerful songs. She blended regal with powerful, timing her “thaw” delicately at just the right moment. She aced these songs (and the entire show) without coming across like she was trying too hard or attempting to be an Elsa who had come before her. Just excellent. 

Though this was out of the control of the creative team of this production of FROZEN, I found it almost criminal that we didn’t get a proper harmonizing duet between Stipe and Jones until “I Can’t Lose You” in Act II. All future iterations of hearing that song will be compared to theirs. It was beautiful and emotive and just what sisterhood is all about.

I wish FROZEN offered a bit more of Kristoff (Michael Stiggers). Stiggers was jovial and cheeky, and made the most of the time he did have in this role. He was easy to root for, starting in “What Do You Know About Love?”

One of the most creative numbers in the show is “Fixer Upper”. Between Caitlin Belcik’s choreography and Ryan Moller’s costuming, it brought the forest to life. For someone unfamiliar with the show, it was unexpected but not out of place (unlike “Hygge”). The entire number had that family-style feel where things had thawed a bit (pun intended). It seemed like everyone in the ensemble had the opportunity to be someone other than themselves, many even changing hair colors!

A special shout out to Scott Molampy and Geppetto Studios, Inc. for the creation of Olaf and Sven. It’s characters like these (think Milky White from INTO THE WOODS) that can sometimes be overlooked or “phoned in”. Brian Wittenberg (Olaf) brought his personality out and gave proper life to Olaf. Ben Ohnemus did not utter a word, but still brought Sven to life through expressions and great comedic timing.

Now, I have seen many shows with City Springs Theatre Company before, and am always impressed with the sets and overall stage design. Unfortunately, parts of FROZEN did not seem up to the company’s usual caliber. Most specifically, I’m referencing Elsa’s ice castle. Now, the staging of her powers throughout “Let It Go” and more were amazing and truly felt magical (credit to the lighting design by Dalton Hamilton). However, the ice stairs just cheapened the entire look. It almost felt as though there had been some sort of mechanical failure with the real stairs, and what I saw was what they could pull together in a short amount of time. The rest of the sets were simple in functionality, but detailed in design.

FROZEN is a show perfect both for families as well as the holiday season. It will delight viewers of all ages, and is a can’t-miss event this holiday season.

FROZEN is onstage at the Byers Theatre through December 29 (and selling out fast), so grab your tickets soon!

Note: The production our reviewer saw included Cleo Saliers as Young Elsa and Hensley Peters as Young Anna. These roles are shared, and other performances may include the pairing of Hoku Griffin as Young Elsa and Haley Bird as Young Anna

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