By SARAH CLARK
News Editor
The lights fell on the audience, the pit began to play, and applause filled the room as the familiar introduction began to echo the theater at Proctors.
The Student Events Board at The College of Saint Rose hosted a trip to see the hit Broadway musical “Frozen” on Nov. 23 at Proctors. The musical ran for two weeks and opened on Nov. 15 for its first stop on the U.S. national tour.
“I absolutely loved it,” wrote Jordyn Veihdeffer, the vice president of the Student Events Board. “The effects were awesome and there was so much talent.”
Leading roles include Caroline Bowman (Elsa), Caroline Innerbichler (Anna), Austin Colby (Hans), F. Michael Hayne (Olaf), Mason Reeves (Kristoff), Jeremy Morse (Weselton), Collin Baja (Sven at certain performances), Evan Strand (Sven at certain performances), Stella R. Cobb (Young Anna at certain performances), Arwen Monzon-Sanders (Young Anna at certain performances), Alyssa Kim (Elsa at certain performances), and Jaiden Klein (Young Elsa at certain performances).
“The players in the show are absolutely spot on,” wrote Brandon Mason through a Facebook message, a Saint Rose student who attended “Frozen” at Proctors. “The songs are just as beautiful as the movie version.”
Positive aspects of “Frozen” at Proctors include the set, special effects, and the music, however, the acting and singing was inconsistent at times throughout the show.
Although the show was well-received among audience members and “Frozen” fans, criticism is warranted, as some theater-goers pointed out.
“As for songs exclusively made for this show, they seem like fillers to make the show longer and do not bring too much to the story compared to Lion King’s ‘He Lives In You’ which actually carries the story along in a huge way,” wrote Mason. “But aside from that, I think what takes this stage production home is the visual effects. It seems like Disney knew that visuals had to play a big role to really feel the magic of Elsa’s powers and they did a fantastic job.”
A noticable difference between the Broadway version of “Frozen” and the performance at Proctors was the omission of the song “True Love” sung by Anna. The piece is after Hans leaves Anna to die from her frozen heart that Elsa caused. In the Broadway version, the addition of the song is an emotional journey into how Anna’s loneliness impacts her during the present and past setting. For those who may have seen the Broadway version, seeing the show on tour may distract them from paying attention to the end of the show, as something feels as if it’s missing.
“Overall, ‘Frozen’ may not add more side plots or meaningful songs to add to the story compared to other shows on broadway, visual effects will keep audiences engaged along with the actors and actresses who portray the beloved,” wrote Mason.
ran at the theater for two weeks and Frozen is currently on the U.S. National Tour. / Sarah Clark
