Review: New Regional Production of Disney's FROZEN Debuts at La Mirada

With scorching summer temperatures once again breaking thermometers everywhere, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts is offering a bit of a cool, air-conditioned reprieve (at least for two acts) in the form of a brand new production of a very familiar, kid-friendly title: Disney's FROZEN - THE BROADWAY MUSICAL, the 2017 stage adaptation of Disney Animation Studios' 2013 global big-screen hit. This new Los Angeles premiere production—directed and choreographed by Dan Knechtges—continues performances through June 29 in the city of La Mirada. 

This fresh stage iteration—produced by McCoy Rigby Entertainment—is being touted as the first "non-replica" regional production of this Disney Theatrical property mounted in Southern California, providing local audiences a new take on the frigid fairy tale. But, rest assured, despite not simply being a carbon-copy reproduction of Disney's own previous stagings (last seen locally during its first national tour stops at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre and at OC's Segerstrom Center for the Arts), this newly reimagined version—with all its snow flurries, silly goofiness, princess angst, and wow-inducing theatrical effects—still has plenty of Disney-esque magic to offer young and old audience members alike seeking to revisit the land of Arendelle.

Yes, that inescapable Disney-branded magic from its source material is still sprinkled quite generously in this new production—from its familiar characters that your very young children are likely still obsessed with, all the way to the original earworm songs penned by married songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, the Oscar-winning team behind tunes like "Do You Want to Build a Snowman," "For The First Time In Forever," "Love Is An Open Door," and, of course, the ubiquitous "Let It Go." 

But as one would expect with a film-to-stage adaptation, the Lopezes had to expand the movie's existing songlist to fill out the stage show's longer, now two-act stage structure, allowing its pair of sister-princesses to sing their innermost feelings more overtly with new songs (by the way, the film's original co-director Jennifer Lee wrote the stage show's book, which she based on her own screenplay that, itself, was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen").   

The resulting stage musical—as witnessed in this new, well-oiled La Mirada production—is fairly impressive, quite engaging, and an admirably pleasing revisit to the property. 

While the hit-or-miss computer-animated background projections used in this new production feel a bit of a disappointing downgrade, this otherwise entertaining new regional production—enhanced significantly by an energetic ensemble cast led by a pair of compelling lead actresses—is lively, colorful, and grand-sounding overall, and will definitely enchant young theatergoers eager to experience the animated film come to life in a stage version.

For the few that have been living under a glacier, FROZEN (both on film and on stage) follows the tale of two sisters who belong to the royal family that rule over the pleasant kingdom of Arendelle. 

At the start of the musical, pre-pubescent Elsa (Bellami Soleil Smith)—born with unexplained magical powers that allow her to conjure and control ice and snow—accidentally injures her younger sister Anna (Everleigh Kim-Bergman) during playtime, rendering her unconscious but alive. 

Fearful of further dangers Elsa's powers might do to Anna and Elsa herself, their parents Queen Iduna (Ashley Moniz) and King Agnarr (Gabriel Navarro) decide to isolate Elsa away from Anna for both of their safety until further notice, instructing Elsa to "conceal… don't feel," a mantra she will repeat to herself going forward. 

With the help of some mystical "Hidden People" Pabbie (Kenneth Mosley) and Bulda (Regina Le Vert)—who are conjured from the remote forests outside of Arendelle—Anna is healed with a magical spell that erases any memory of the accident.

As the sisters grow up, we witness them each feeling sad about being pulled apart from each other. Anna, for her part, doesn't understand why her sister suddenly doesn't want to hang out or play anymore. Elsa, meanwhile, struggles with her identity—is she ever going to escape feeling like a cursed child and to be alone forever?

Later, things get even darker. Hoping to find some kind of "cure" to heal their snow-spewing child, the King and Queen set off on a journey across the seas, but run into a fierce storm that tragically sinks their ship—leaving the sisters orphaned but still sequestered from one another as they continue to age into adulthood.

Several years later—on her official Coronation Day as the Queen of Arendelle—the now mature Elsa (played by the incredibly talented Jenna Lea Rosen) nervously awaits facing the people of Arendelle for the first time (in, like, forever) in order to participate in the ceremony. 

Luckily, all goes well at her crowning, where no one is accidentally hit with a cold zap from her fingers.

Afterwards, newly-coronated Elsa has an awkward but ultimately lovely reunion with her long-estranged sister Anna (now played as an adult by the terrific Cailen Fu) during the party reception, where residents of the kingdom and neighboring lands have been invited inside the castle walls after years of it being closed to the public. 

It is here where Anna has an adorable (or is it?) meet-cute with Prince Hans (a convincingly charming Garrett Clayton), the handsome and debonair 13th heir of the kingdom of the Southern Isles. The two form an instant connection, discovering that they have lots in common (both are "not the heir, but the spare") and, soon after—rather abruptly—fall in love and get engaged within the span of a jaunty song. 

Annoyed by Anna's rash decision to marry a dude she literally just met a few seconds before, Elsa—in a fit of uncontrolled anger—accidentally reveals her powers to all of the attendees, which unleashes a magical winter over all the kingdom. 

A mob led by the uppity Duke of Weselton (the hilarious Derek Manson) accuses Elsa of being an evil monster, forcing the new Queen to flee to the remote mountains where she magically creates a fabulous ice palace, embracing her newfound freedom to accept her gifts of power—which, naturally, includes gorgeous, sparkly new outfits that complement her Snow Queen persona. 

Anna, worried for the now-missing sister, sets out on a journey to find her—and, you know, maybe convince her to reverse this freezing spell. 

Along the way, she is joined by cute and rugged ice vendor Kristoff (Alexander Mendoza), his reindeer Best Friend Sven (Thomas Whitcomb), and a lovably aloof talking snowman named Olaf (played by scene-stealing Mark Ivy, who puppets and voices the character to the delight of all the children in attendance). 

Through highly-dramatic and mostly humor-filled trials of love, sacrifice, and self-discovery, the sisters, of course, ultimately reunite, with each learning that love—especially familial love—is the necessary ingredient to not only thaw out a frozen heart, but to also save the day. 

Mostly successful in transforming the movie experience into a theatrical one, FROZEN - THE MUSICAL—though certainly not a perfect stage musical—is still a genuinely enjoyable, broadly-appealing adaptation that retains much of the heart and whimsy of its original source material while also adding some palpable, well-intentioned depth and complexity, as dictated by its expanded running time. 

But I feel, to a certain extent, that this very expansion also contributes to the show's weak spots as well, because the longer run-time facilitates two uneven acts with, at times, uneven pacing and tone. 

Similarly, a few of the new songs written for the stage version feel like fillers to merely move things forward to the next magical sequence rather than purport character or plot-building ones. This new La Mirada iteration hasn't quite solved that problem either, and, though only a minor hiccup, the new beginning sequence here actually feels even more truncated than its original staging.

I'm also still not totally sold on the stage adaptation's choice to transform the roly-poly rock-trolls from the film into, um… essentially mysterious forest mystics (I guess?) for the stage version. Sure, I suppose they're a bit more humanly grounded—but I just wish we got a bit more intel on them rather than just showing them as these tribal "natives" that enter this world as McGuffins to fill in the show's narrative gaps. 

And though there is a noticeable, admirable effort to give Elsa's inner conflict and Anna's emotional journey more weight than in the film, they do feel slightly unfinished—as if its full narrative potential is still in a draft phase. I do, however, appreciate the stage version leaning into darker, more mature themes that touch on repression, isolation, and fear of things (well, people) being different from the norm, giving the story a more adult-skewing slant… though not enough that would alienate younger viewers from enjoying all the fun and silliness. 

But, with all that said, there is, of course, lots to love about the stage musical and, in particular, this new regional production that exudes so much genuine joy and heart. 

Especially noteworthy is its magical properties that have been restaged for this production. 

No matter how many times I see it—even though everyone knows it's coming—Elsa's quick costume transformation during "Let It Go" is still just a wondrous thing to behold. La Mirada's version of that magical moment—executed flawlessly during the Sunday matinee of the show's Opening Weekend—deserves the thunderous cheers it receives. I can only imagine the feeling of awestruck wonder all these little girls in attendance thought of that truly magical moment.

And… I hate to admit it… but I totally enjoyed the second act cheese-fest opener: the super silly "Hygge" led by the expanded-from-the-film character Oaken (played by the frikkin' funny Daniel Dawson, hamming it up to a full 10), proprietor of Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna. 

An even more dizzying, full-tilt production number here that is just so unabashedly goofy and hilariously ridiculous (and, I would dare suspect featured every single cast member on stage somehow), some patrons might totally think it's just waaayyy too much, while others (like me) will just happily surrender to its outlandish antics. 

The fact that the whole number feels much more grandiose and over-the-top in this new production than how it was staged in the original Broadway national tour is definitely worth rushing back from your intermission bathroom break (may the odds be ever in your favor at the La Mirada theater lobby) to catch every single silly minute. 

Kudos to director/choreographer Knechtges for cranking up the volume on this number, giving the show a needed comedic jolt to get us back to the story following that dramatic flourish delivered during the act one closer.

In terms of visual aesthetics, La Mirada's iteration successfully carries over the magic of the original staging, as displayed in Tim Mackabee's intricately designed sets (Elsa's ice palace is particularly majestic), Colleen Grady's colorful, billowing costumes, and Jason Lyon's excellent lighting designs that envelope them all together. 

While, yes, I was hoping the animated background projections that are supposed to represent Arendelle didn't appear like low-resolution 90's-era computer graphics, the majority of the show's digitally-rendered backdrops—designed by Mike Tutaj—still managed to stand out as full, fun environments that adequately serve the production's narrative needs, especially the animations used to mesmerizing effect at Elsa's ice palace. 

Sound-wise, the production's invigorating orchestral score—as musically directed by Brad Gardner—sounds lush, vibrant, and, well… magical.

And, of course, much of this production's endearing qualities can be attributed to the show's enthusiastic, terrific ensemble, led by the talented sister-duo of Rosen and Fu. Rosen nails all her musical moments that she kicks off with a gorgeous lower register that seamlessly climbs up to her stratospheric high notes while offering luxe vocal riffs in between that had me uttering yassss a lot under my breath. Fu exudes effortless joy in every line reading and lyric interpretation that you can't help but love her instantly. 

Grown-up Disney expat Clayton—last seen on this very stage in the comical farce THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG—returns this time with a slightly knowing sinisterness disguised under a convincing sweet exterior that perfectly fits his Prince-ly character (all while still sporting perfectly coiffed hair). 

Mendoza's more subdued, sometimes perturbed straight man is a great counterpoint to the more animated Fu in their scenes together. And Ivy, to no one's surprise, is so much fun as Olaf that, very quickly, we all end up focusing the puppet rather than the much taller actor making him move and talk (shoutout to puppet designer Afsaneh Aayani for creating awesome Olaf and Sven). And the collective ensemble, especially during group numbers, are so much fun to watch as they joyfully dance and sing up a (snow) storm. Every so often, my eye wandered to various cast members acting (and reacting) on stage during group scenes and they are all feel very present.

Plus, in their hands (er, throats?), the show's more familiar songs sound as wonderful as you remember. Of the new songs, "Dangerous to Dream" and "Monster" are the strongest and most powerful, deepening the emotional turmoil Elsa is feeling as she analyzes and evaluates who and what she is with her unexplained powers. And, of course, the crazy shenanigans of "Hygge" is just a lot of fun—a completely nonsensical escape from the reality of our real world.

Overall, La Mirada's fun new production of FROZEN is worth checking out, particularly for the little ones that are fans of the movie. Though it may not hold the distinction of being one of Disney's best film-to-stage translations, this cool treat of a show can still stand as a respectable modern musical in its own right, filled with likable characters, relatable emotions, and some genuine laughs. And though it may be easy to nitpick at its flaws and missteps (as I did here), sometimes in order to enjoy the sum of its parts, you have to just learn to—as Elsa herself attests—let it go and soak in its more delightful offerings. 

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Photos by Jason Niedle / TETHOS courtesy of La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Performances of the McCoy-Rigby Entertainment production of Disney's FROZEN - THE MUSICAL at The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts continue through Sunday, June 29, 2025. The theater is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in the city of La Mirada, CA. Parking is Free. For tickets, visit LaMiradaTheatre.com or call (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310.

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