Review: DISNEY'S FROZEN at Music Theatre Of Wichita At Century II Concert Hall

In continuing with MTWichita’s 2024 Season Theme “The Year of the Woman,” I had the privilege of seeing Disney’s Frozen on the Century II Concert Hall Stage. MTWichita is one of the first indoor regional theatres to produce Disney’s Frozen after the show closed on Broadway. This can be a challenge because the sets and costumes cannot look the same as the original Broadway production, so all the design elements, including choreography, need to be reimagined. The MTWichita team exceeds expectations here, creating some magnificent, otherworldly realms for the denizens of Arendelle to inhabit. You do not want to miss this show, which runs until July 14th.

With music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and book by Jennifer Lee, Disney’s Frozen is based on Walt Disney’s 2013 animated musical film Frozen. The musical is adapted from the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale The Snow Queen. Two Princesses, sisters Elsa and Anna, have a deep, loving relationship. Unfortunately the eldest sister, Elsa, has magical powers to freeze objects and people, which causes her great frustration after nearly killing her sister Anna by freezing her heart. Because neither Elsa nor anyone around her can help her control these powers, Elsa wants to be a good girl and works diligently to conceal these powers. Upon inheriting the throne, Elsa flees the castle at Arendelle, inadvertently causes the kingdom to become frozen in an eternal winter, and nearly kills her sister Anna again. Elsa begins her journey of self discovery after her father’s urging to control her power, asking her to “Conceal! Don’t Feel,” which sets her up for a lifetime of unresolved emotional trauma. Fortunately for all involved, there is a happy ending.

Set Designer Michael Downs has created a visually stunning world. There is a very cohesive design story and collaboration between the set, projection, lighting, and costume department. At first I thought Downs borrowed heavily from the 19th Century Art Nouveau movement, and from the Illuminations of ancient biblical texts, but my companion was quick to point out the Celtic vibe of some of the aspects of the work. I tried to place the work in a time period, and place, ruminating between the Danish Viking Age, the woven framework of the Danish tapestries, and the Illuminations in the Book of Kells. The Kells Abbey, which housed the Book of Kells, was pillaged by Vikings many times at the beginning of the 9th century, so I would love to have a conversation with Michael Downs on his visual research. All of this was combined with the nod to the Disney cartoon style, right down to the signature ultra-saturated Disney Indigo Blue. The front drop illuminations were a rich gold, and animated. The forced perspective backdrop changed from scene to scene with masterful animations and projections. The animations and projections are supplied by Michael Salvatore Commendatore, who has provided MTW with superior projections and animations for the last 6 years. Commendatore has really outdone himself with his work on this show. When the Princess’ parents drown, the water effect over the snow set is formidable. During the first act finale, Let It Go, there is a visual feast of swirling snow projections. In the second act, Elsa’s Ice Castle Monster rage rampage is bolstered by the iconic Disney blues as the projections morph the set into a frozen wasteland, replete with chilling, crackling, and freezing sound effects. Sound Designer David Muehl does a wonderful job here, giving us an exceptional arctic soundscape. Lighting Designer Maranda DeBusk’s amazing work supports the entire design collaboration by lighting the set superbly yet subtly with so much saturated color, supporting the projections/animations, and keeping our focus on the characters at all times.

Costume Designer Jacob Locke did a beautiful job collaborating with the design and color schemes, using rich greens, golds, purples, pinks, and blue to inform his color palette. Anna’s gown at the top of the show was particularly stunning, with lots of green and gold, giving it a rich tapestry feel, as complex as Anna’s character. Also particularly whimsical were the costumes in the 2nd Act number Hygge. Miriam Webster defines Hygge as “a cozy quality that makes a person feel content and comfortable,” and the cast couldn’t have looked more cozy in terry cloth wraps, touks, and slippers! But the real stunners here were the Hidden Folk’s costumes. I called them the “grass people” because their dress were layers upon layers of some kind of grass that swished and whipped about so exquisitely while they danced. Hair and Makeup Designer Joshua Harris outdoes himself in this production with the best bed hair wig I ever laid eyes upon, which is Anna’s hair after waking from a deep slumber before her sisters coronation, and garnered huge laughs from the audience.

Brian J. Marcum’s choreography runs the gamut here from the elegant waltzes of the townspeople of Arendelle to the inspired folk movement of the Hidden People and the contemporary dance of the Ice Ghosts in Colder by the Minute. Music DIrector/Conductor Thomas W. Douglas shows his masterful skill in molding many voices and a small orchestra into a heavenly choir and formidable wall of sound.

Before I can get on with the rest of this review, I have to talk about MTWichita’s 2025 season, which was announced with the help of the Rising Stars Youth Ensemble, who performed selections from each of the shows! First up is Waitress! The second show can’t be announced because Artistic Director Marcum is still waiting on the rights! The third show will be Newsies, the fourth will be Something Rotten, and the fifth and final show for 2025 will be A Grand Night for Singing!

In the number A Little Bit of You, we are utterly charmed by Young Anna, played exceeding well, with lots of spunk, by Ivy Sailing. This is Ivy’s second role at MTW. You may have seen her as the Little Girl in Ragtime. She has a wonderful voice, and I can’t wait to see what she does next. Young Elsa, played by Josie Gooch, a CYT veteran, possesses a beautiful voice and does a great job of capturing the character, and hits her marks so well in terms of executing all the animation cues needed to make her magic! Do You Want to Build a Snowman is nothing short of adorable.

Time passes, and we get to meet the adult Anna in For The First Time in Forever. This is Aubrey Matalon’s debut here at MTW. This Pace grad was an Alternate in SIX: The Musical, on Broadway, and has some Off Broadway and Regional experience. Her performance as Anna is bold, saucy, and confident. Her voice is rich, strong, and full, and she fully embraces Anna’s character and runs with it. Matalon gives an energetic and committed performance from beginning to end. Her voice blends beautifully with adult Elsa, played here by Kennedy Caughell. The women play perfectly off each other, their contrasting characters highlighting and supporting each other and the story.

Caughell, also making her MTW debut, appeared in a recent run of tick, tick…BOOM! at the Kennedy Center, which was directed by Neil Patrick Harris. She also played Elpheba in the National Tour of Wicked, and Carole King in the Broadway and National Touring production of Beautiful: the Carole King Musical, and has a BFA from Elon. Caughell has perfected the conflicted ice princess demeanor, carrying herself in a cool, guarded manner. Caughell is exquisite, walking down the staircase in a gorgeous blue/green shimmering gown, carrying a scepter, and not missing a beat while singing Elsa’s Coronation song, Dangerous to Dream. Caughell’s voice is crystal clear and her amazing high belt and perfect control easily carries her through the most flawless rendition of Let it Go I have ever heard. We get to see Elsa’s inner conflict thrown into stark relief, though, during Monster, where Caughell breaks it down for us and sings as though her life depends on it.

Tyler Okunski handily plays Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, with his boyish good looks, great charm, earnest delivery, and his warm, wonderful voice. Okunski matches Matalon’s energy and vocal prowess in Love is an Open Door, and we believe Hans when he tells Anna he loves her. Okunski does a wonderful turn when he betrays Anna, turning from a wide eyed young man into a greedy opportunist. This is Tyler’s MTW debut, after appearing in an Off-Broadway production of Do Re Mi, and several Regional shows. He is an Elon grad.

You may remember Isaiah Bailey from past MTW shows such as Smokey Joe’s Cafe and Red, White, and Broadway. Isaiah plays the Iceman Kristoff in such a smooth, matter-of-fact way. Bailey’s voice is very powerful, though, and he shows Kristoff’s quiet strength in a gentle manner. Bailey’s energy is a perfect foil for Matalon’s Anna, as evidenced in What Do You Know About Love, and we realize the Hidden People were right all along!

Olaf, the snowman, was a puppet manipulated and played here incredibly well by Andrew Fleming. Olaf's character voice was spot on, and Fleming’s body language matched the emotional energy of the puppet. Olaf interacted so well with the other characters you couldn’t help to think he was real. Simply outstanding work.

Local Actor and MTW Veteran Steve Hitchcock does a great job lending comic relief as the weasely, uptight Duke of Weselton. The character Oaken, the trading post entrepreneur in Hygge, is portrayed here by Joshua Messamore, another MTW Veteran. The number has a Spamalot feel - think Finland - and Messamore is having so much fun here, smiling, singing, and giving us some excellent athletic dancing. Wichita native and OU Grad Brayden Worden plays Pabbie and Hannah Remian, a rising senior at Chicago College of Arts, plays Bulda, the leaders of the Hidden People. Both have gorgeous voices, and their performances are imbued with equal parts traditional reverence when we first meet them trying to heal Anna in First Joik, and then later with great jovial exuberance when they try to hook Kristoff up with Anna in Fixer Upper.

There are so many great moments in this production, and I don’t want to give away all the surprises. Anna spends a couple of times doing some fabulous quick changes onstage. I love some of the Easter Eggs Marcum tucks into the choreography, like the barricade steps from Les Mis when Hans is hunting for Elsa. The dress change in Let it Go did not disappoint! The ensemble was a solid unit, and gave us some incredible vocals and magnificent singing. I also wanted to give a shout out to ensemble member Marcus Byers Jr. for having some standout energy in his small featured roles within the chorus numbers. Make sure you get your tickets to this ASAP!

Next up? Roald Dahl’s Matilda, which runs July 31 through August 4, 2024. MTWichita is also asking you to “Save the Date” for their event Night Among the Stars at Brick and Mortar, 230 S. Topeka Street on August 27th at 6pm. MTWichita will be hosting dinner, drinks, live auction, and Musical Theatre Magic! Go to mtwichita.org to order tickets for both events online, or call the Box Office at 316-625-3107. The Century II Concert Hall is located at 225 W. Douglas, Wichita, KS 67202.

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