Bravos to Theatre Under the Stars!
First, because TUTS has produced its own most lively and animated production of Disney’s mega-hit Frozen. Second, that TUTS convinced the Disney conglomerate to do it in the first place.
Disney does not allow competing versions of its Broadway shows. If you want Lion King or Aladdin or Beauty and the Beast or Mary Poppins, you buy their existing touring shows. You get what has been audience-tested and set-in-stone. No changes allowed.
But TUTS convinced Disney to produce its own version. I’m sure it had to do with TUTS’ history with Beauty and the Beast. You may remember that TUTS premiered Beauty in “try-outs” in 1993. Disney’s first venture on Broadway was such a stupendous success (running 14 years in its original production) that it convinced the company’s upper echelon to re-imagine their other cartoon franchises into live-action musicals.
Disney may have had a soft spot for Houston’s production expertise, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Tony-nominee power of TUTS’ artistic director Dan Knechtges wasn’t also a major factor in the agreement.
Since taking the helm of our local musical theater company, Knechtges has upped the ante. Whether as director, choreographer, or producer, he has consistently been lauded by our Houston Theater Awards. Here, again, he proves what a talent he is.
Frozen moves like the best of Olympic skaters. It glides smooth and sure, yet full of athletic leaps and spins. For all the over-abundance of power ballads that weigh down the show (the Disney animated movie had nine songs; this musical has 26, plus reprises), it doesn’t seem excessive. Director and choreographer Knechtges supplies movement to distract us.
Other than the ear-worm power ballad “Let It Go” (songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez’s answer to Wicked’s “Defying Gravity”), the songs are rather dispensable. The most distinctive are the throw-a-ways: the opening Norse-infused, ghostly “Veulie;” Kristoff’s short paean to his trusty and hoofed friend Sven, “Reindeers Are Better Than People;” the sprightly unpronounceable “Hygge,” performed by a birch-branched, sauna-loving kickline led by sporty, trading post capitalist Oaken. None of these songs advance the plot in any significant way, but all are breezy production numbers that are wondrously staged and get sustained audience applause.
Needless to say, TUTS doesn’t have the bottomless financial resources of Disney, but the physical production, while a bit meager, is nonetheless impressive. The projections and icy video design by Mike Tutaj, the vivid costumes by Colleen Grady, the pin-spot lighting by Jason Lyons, the impressionistic scenic design by Tim Mackabee, and the 21-member orchestra under Stephen W. Jones (holy Ziegfeld, when was the last time you heard such a large orchestra?) is quite majestic.
The cast is quite majestic, too. Everyone shines: power-ballad-loving Jenna Lea Rosen (Elsa); feisty Cailen Fu (sister Anna): sweet-sounding Fergie Phillipe (“valiant and pungent” Kristoff); adorable Mark Ivy (audience-favorite snowman Olaf); operatic-voiced Manuel Santos (oily Hans); earthy Braden Tanner (high-spirited Oaken). It’s a lovely ensemble all around.
The animated Frozen was Disney’s highest grossing hit ($1.28 billion), until Frozen II ($1.45 billion). The musical is a cult favorite as witnessed by all the little princesses in ice blue tulle prancing around the Hobby Center. The allure of sisterly empowerment is strong. Under Knechtges’s superb supervision, TUTS gives us a holiday gift we are proud to unwrap.
Frozen continues through December 29. Performances are scheduled at varied times, so check their ticketing website. Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. For more information, call 713-315-2525 or visit tuts.com. $34.50 to $138.50.
For added holiday joy, don’t forget:
Angel Chimes. 9:30 p.m. December 16 and 17. Paul Hope Cabarets. Ovations Nightclub, 2536 Times Boulevard. For more information, call 713-522-9801 or visit paulhopecabaret.com. $32-$148.
Handel’s Messiah. 7;30 p.m. December 20 and 21; 2 p.m. December 22. Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana.. For information, call 713-224-7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. $54-$145.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
