[TF Review] Familiar Yet New... A 'Frozen' That Comes to Life

The performance in Seoul will be held until March 1st of next year, after which the stage will be moved to Busan.The musical "Frozen," based on the film of the same name that captivated 10 million viewers in Korea upon its release in 2014, had its premiere in Korea. /S&CO[THE FACT|Park Ji-yoon] "Frozen," which graced the screen, has finally landed on the domestic stage. While the story is familiar, the performance, unfolding vividly before our eyes with its dazzling and astonishing scale, reawakens the forgotten world of fantasy for adults and firmly protects the precious innocence of children.The musical 'Frozen', based on the eponymous film that captivated 10 million viewers in Korea upon its release in 2014, begins with the childhood of two sisters from the Kingdom of Arendelle, Elsa and Anna, just like the original work. Elsa, who accidentally put her sister in great danger while playing with Anna due to her inability to control her powers, locks herself in her room after losing her parents in an accident and lives in hiding, concealing her magical powers to manipulate snow and ice.As time went on, Elsa's coronation day arrived. The ceremony proceeded smoothly until Elsa, unable to control her emotions, revealed her secret in front of a large crowd. Frightened by this, she fled to the northern mountains, where she unleashed her magic for the first time without restraint. To save her sister and Arendelle, trapped in eternal winter, Anna embarked on a perilous journey. She was joined by Kristoff, whom she met by chance, his reindeer Sven, and Olaf, a snowman who was a perfect blend of Elsa and Anna.In this process, the work transcends dazzling magic and fantastical adventures to convey the true power of love to the audience, delving deeper into the restoration of relationships, solidarity, and growth, as Elsa, who feared and hid her special abilities, finds true freedom by accepting herself as she is, and Anna, with unwavering faith and love for her sister, opens Elsa's heart.Jeong Seon-a as Elsa exudes an irreplaceable presence with her delicate expressiveness and explosive vocal power, while Choi Ji-hye as Anna completes a bubbly character with her refreshing and clear tone. /S&Co"Frozen," which premiered at the St. James Theatre in 2018, received critical acclaim and audience praise worldwide for perfectly bringing the original story to the stage. The production then went on to tour North America, and was successfully performed on major stages worldwide, including the West End, Japan, Australia, Germany, and Singapore. After visiting Amsterdam, Netherlands in 2024, it is set to premiere in Korea in 2026.Accordingly, there may have been quite a few people who had directly or indirectly experienced "Frozen" on stage, but since there were more audience members who hadn't, there was a lot of interest in how the magical scenes from the screen would actually be realized ahead of the domestic premiere. The key point was how scenes that seemed possible only in animation, such as Arendelle covered in snow and ice, Elsa's magic, and the ice palace, would be vividly brought back to life through real actors and stage sets.And finally, "Frozen," which has unveiled its veil, is fully armed with sights and sounds that captivate the eyes and ears, completely dispelling the audience's concerns and fully responding to their expectations.First, the main scenes of the original work are illuminated with stage and detailed costume designs based on Scandinavian nature and worldview, laser visuals, and special effects, organically harmonizing to complete a visual spectacle. In particular, the audience is led into a fantastical world by expressing the work's core images such as ice, snow, and aurora, and Elsa's magic, through changes in light and space.Familiar masterpieces like 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman?', 'For the First Time in Forever', 'Love Is an Open Door', and 'Let It Go' exert a powerful force on stage, making the audience hum along from the very beginning.The musical expands the characters' inner lives and narratives with newly added numbers, such as "Monster," which captures Elsa's anguish over her magic, and "I Can't Lose You," where Elsa and Anna build an emotional bond. This serves as a device to meticulously build upon the fleeting emotional moments on screen, allowing audiences to experience a different depth of emotion than in the original work.'Frozen' will meet audiences after its run at Charlotte Theater until March 1, 2027, before moving to Dream Theater in Busan. /S&CoThis "Frozen" performance, which masterfully blends familiar hit songs with new music on an unprecedented scale, translates the original's emotions into the language of the stage. The highlight is undoubtedly the end of Act 1. Elsa's costume change in the blink of an eye as she belts out "Let It Go," a song capturing the moment she embraces her true self without being confined by the world's gaze, leaves a powerful impact and a deep impression during the intermission.The performances of the actors leading this magical world, unfolding in a realistic manner, are also indispensable. Jeong Sun-a, who plays Elsa, expresses the character's inner fears and anguish with delicate acting, showcases explosive vocal power, and once again exudes an irreplaceable presence.Choi Ji-hye, who plays Anna, vividly brings out Anna's bubbly charm with her refreshing and clear vocal tone. From her bright and lovely appearance to her affection and deep longing for her sister Elsa, she delicately weaves the character's diverse emotions into each number, creating a three-dimensional portrayal. Choi Won-young, as Olaf, becomes a puppeteer, moving as one with the puppet Olaf, and injects vitality into the production with his witty performance.Of course, it's a story you already know, but it's also fun to discover some of the newly refined settings and narratives tailored for the stage, such as the trolls being transformed into hidden characters of the spirit race. "Frozen," which captures the emotion of the original work while adding a new flavor unique to the stage, will be performed at Charlotte Theater until March 1, 2027, and will then move to the Busan Dream Theater.[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]jiyoon-1031@tf.co.kr