Let The Love Shine On at Frozen the Musical

By Claire McConnell

January 16, 2019

Frozen is just a show that you need to go see for the fun and magic. The lighting design is incredible and one of my favorites of any show. Set design is amazing and you really feel like you are in Elsa’s castle. The gorgeous crystals that hang from the ceiling are breathtaking and really make the ice castle real. It’s an absolutely gorgeous set and a very talented cast.

Alyssa Fox is Elsa standby in Broadway’s “Frozen” ( via @alyssajoyfox on Instagram )

I was fortunate enough to see Alyssa Fox, a panelist for The Broadway Vlog’s The Understudies. Alyssa is a standby for Queen Elsa and KILLED it. The role of Elsa is normally played by Caissie Levy.

Alyssa Fox is so talented and has an incredible voice. The role she gets to play in this show is a role that I dream of playing. She is moving these kids in the audience because they are seeing Elsa. They are seeing this magical ice queen and they are living their best lives at the St. James Theatre thanks to this amazing cast. It was really a dream to get to see Fox perform and see this show because it really reminded me why I love the theatre and why I want to be an actress on the stage.

Fox embodies the character of Elsa and really shows Elsa’s thoughts and feelings through her physicality and facial expressions. The role itself is vocally tiering and she just does amazing at pacing herself with the amount of belting and crazy notes she has to sing. She totally owns that pants suit as well and has the Elsa strut down to center stage on point.

Patti Murin is hilarious and is a perfect Anna. She just has this kid like joy that makes you smile from ear to ear watching her dance around. Anna is such a clumsy relatable character and I think Patti has done really well at capturing that.

Jelani Alladin is dreamy and I’m so excited that I got to see him perform. He is so much fun to watch as Kristoff. His voice is incredible and he has such a fun connection to Murin and Andrew Pirozzi who plays Sven. It was announced recently that Alladin will be departing the show February 17th. Cast member Noah J. Ricketts will assume the role.

Greg Hildreth is AMAZING as Olaf. Hilarious and warm and cute and just all of the above. He is so much fun to watch and I love how the creators decided to show Olaf in the show. The puppet is so cute and you really just wanna run up and squeeze it. Hildreth will also be leaving the show along with Alladin. The show has cast Ryann Redmond to play the role. This will make her the first female to perform the role. She'll begin performances February 19.

John Riddle’s voice is one of my favorite things. He doesn’t have that many vocal parts but he does get to sing a song explaining who Hans is. When I first heard it I just melted because his voice is like...the creamiest chocolate ever. I love it. He plays a great villain as well. Joe Carroll will be stepping into the role of Hans in February, replacing John Riddle.

Robert Creighton as the Duke of Weasletown...sorry Weselton is hilarious. A fantastic comedic actor and was so lovely at the stage door.

Kevin Del Aguila is so much fun, and the kids loved him. There is a section in the show where he breaks the 4th wall, and the kids lose it because Oaken is talking to them. They love it.

Jelani Alladin is Kristoff and Andrew Pirrozi is Sven in Broadway’s “Frozen” ( PHOTO NY TIMES)

Andrew Pirozzi and Adam Jepsen play Sven in the show. Jepsen is the alternate which means he is an understudy with scheduled performances in the week. If you don’t know how this costume works they basically are holding a plank the whole entire show. Here is an article that explains the costume. (The Costume)

They also work the ears and eyes in the head of the costume. The costume is gorgeous and is much more lifelike than the cartoon. Huge, huge, HUGE props to these two who bring this adorable reindeer to life.

Zoe Glick and Leila Rose Gross play young Anna and alternate shows. Mimi Ryder and Jenn Weird play young Elsa and alternate shows. These little ladies are just having fun, and it’s a joy to watch. The magic in the snow and the way they have made it come to life on the stage is fantastic. The children in the show are fun to watch and hear when all of the ice swirls around the stage. All four of them stage door so you get to meet them at the end of the show.

Frozen is a show you go to see to have fun. Don’t walk in thinking it is a perfect replica of the movie because it’s not. It’s longer and goes deeper into the connection between Kristoff and Anna as well as the love between Anna and Elsa. I do wish that Elsa had a more substantial part of the show, rather than just the story of Anna in search of her sister. But they have added more songs for her showing you her mental state of the time. Monster, a new song for the Broadway production, is a song Elsa sings going back and forth asking herself if she were dead would the storm end and would it allow her people to live their lives again. For a ‘kids show’ this is very deep and most likely goes over the kid’s heads when they hear the song in the show. But it is a song that I’m sure resonates in some way to the audience members who understood what the song is about.

The new orchestrations and songs are amazing and beautiful. I encourage you to listen to the music and to hear the words they sing. They are words that need to be shared right now in the world we live in. The final message of the show is that we just need to love.

“I take this warmth within and send it up above. Goodbye to dark and fear

Let's fill this world with light and love.

I'm here surrounded by a family at last.

We're never going back

The past is in the past

Let it go, let it go

Then we'll rise like the break of dawn

Let it go, let it go

The fear and cold are gone

Here we stand in the light of day

Let our true love go

Let it go.”

 

Visit the St. James Theatre for tickets

246 West 44th Street

(866) 870-2717

For more information and tickets please visit https://frozenthemusical.com/

Something Wicked This Way Comes

By Claire McConnell

January 16, 2019

Wicked is just one of those shows you HAVE to see. The story, the music…just all of it is amazing. The story takes place in the land of Oz before Dorothy dropped in. This was probably the 7th or 8th time I’ve seen Wicked but my first time seeing it on Broadway. The magic is still there after all of the times I’ve seen the show. I was so excited that I had the chance to see Jessica Vosk play Elphaba. I’ve fallen in love with her voice and now her acting in this beautiful show. 

Jessica Vosk as Elphaba in Broadway’s “Wicked” (Joan Marcus)

Vosk's voice is just incredible. Her understanding of the character is, and she puts a little bit of herself in the green witch that I love. It’s the same show but a bit different than other times I’ve seen because she’s made the character her own. It was actually a dream come true getting to see Jessica play Elphaba. She is vocally one of the best Elphabas in my opinion. 

I loved the show so much that the next day I went and bought a ticket for that night. I didn’t know I would be introduced to another powerhouse. That night I got to see standby Laurel Harris. Laurel Harris is crazy amazing. I was actually very excited when I saw she was performing. I had never heard of her before until then, but I was excited to see a new take on the character after just seeing Vosk’s version of Elphaba. Her version is much grittier than others that I’ve seen, and a lot of it reminded me of Idina Menzel’s original version of the character. She has excellent comedic timing and knows how to get a laugh. And the woman has insane pipes. 

Lisa Livesay is lovely and is good at the bubbly comedic character of Glinda. She seems to have so much fun on stage and has a fantastic connection with both Jessica and Laurel.

Nancy Opel is a great Madame Morrible and puts her own twist on the evil character.

Kevin Chamberlin is a great comic. My favorite was watching him sing Wonderful with Laurel. He is best at physical comedy which he uses throughout the show.

Jake Boyd’s voice is delicious, and he is a wonderful Fiyero. He and Harris had one of the greatest (and hottest) "As Long As Your Mine" kisses with a loud “woohoo” from a man a few rows behind me. It was also probably one of the longest kisses I've seen because the audience just went wild.

Jamie Jackson is a great Dr. Dillamond and is an excellent comic in such a dark role.

Left to right: Kristin Martin, Jye Frasca, Amanda Jane Cooper, Isabel Keating, Jessica Vosk in Broadway’s “Wicked” (via Amanda Jane Cooper on Instagram @amandajanecoop)

The current cast still includes Kristin Martin and Jessica Vosk

Jessie P Johnson has a great voice and is fun to watch as Boq. His interactions with Glinda are perfect and very true to that character. 

Larkin Bogan is such a great Boq, and I love his interactions with Glinda as well. I enjoyed the scene before "Dancing Through Life" when he’s talking to Glinda, and she touches his arm. Boq has a short line that says “you’re touching me,” but Bogan's use of physicality was funny and worked for that character. He was great in act two as well before the change into the Tin Man. 

Kristin Martin is an excellent Nessa Rose. A girl with big hopes and dreams that is naïve in a way and I love her take on the character. One of my favorite songs in the show is "Wicked Witch Of The East" which is not on the recording. Nessa is finally getting to say to her sister what she’s wanted to say ever since she knew Elphaba had magic within her. This song turns from anger at her sister to anger because she is scared. It is a plea for help to save this boy that she fell in love with from the moment she laid eyes on him. Earlier in the show, when Dr. Dillamond is teaching, I watched as Boq handed out the rest of the papers to his fellow classmates. Martin physically showed her want to talk to the character. It was small, but I noticed it. Only until Glinda mentions her does Boq look to see who she is. She’s now scared of what will happen to Boq and has seen her reflection as the Wicked Witch Of The East. ‘We deserve each other’ she sings in contrast to Dancing Through Life when she sings it about Boq. 

Notable Mentions: These are ensemble members that drew me in with their energy, light, and love for what they do. The whole ensemble is amazingly talented, and I loved watching every single one of them. These are just a few that stuck out to me. 

Teneise Mitchell Ellis

Katie Lander

Marissa Lupp

Dominic Giudici as Chistery 

I got to sit front row on the far stage left side my first round seeing the show. Because I had seen the show multiple times before, I was watching the ensemble a lot. I was able to look at the detail in the costuming which is incredible. I knew this fact already, but all of the Ozians have different costumes. No one is wearing the same costume which works perfectly for those who live in Oz. But the detail in all of these costumes is crazy good and small. Elphaba wears this gorgeous white jacket/top during I’m Not That Girl as well as the scenes before that. If you aren’t in the first few rows, then you just can’t catch the small flower details on the jacket. They match the new pink hairpiece that Glinda has recently put in her hair. Other little details are that none of the Ozian costumes are symmetrical. I also noticed the small jeweled details of the costumes that they wear while in the Emerald City.

There are also a few things you miss from the Broadway version if you see a touring show because they don't have to move the full set on the Broadway show. You must go see this show. MUST.

EDIT P.S.

I have to also add one more note about the people that make this show happen and that is the crew in blacks backstage. I want to thank every single person who works backstage who helps with costuming, lighting, orchestrations, sound, all of the special effects, hair, makeup, just everything. I got to see some of you working while I sat on the side and you guys work so hard and I feel like you don’t get the credit you deserve. You guys rock and the theatre would be no where without you. So standing ovation to you guys who work in the dark.

 

Visit the Gershwin Theatre for tickets

222 W. 51st St. Midtown West

877-250-2929

For more information and tickets please visit https://wickedthemusical.com/