This production had dual casts in principal roles. In the interest of fairness to all, we reviewed both casts. Emma Knights reviewed the Winter Cast and Brian Godfrey reviewed the Summer Cast.
Winter Cast
Taking on an iconic piece like Disney’s Frozen is a bold task, and with clever staging from Hannah Smith, elegant choreography by Emma Dalton, and an enthusiastic cast, Adelaide Theatre Academy delivers an enchanting hour of entertainment.
The Goodwood Institute stage opens with a blue haze, ladders set creatively, and an auditorium buzzing with holiday excitement. Alessia De Nitto (young Anna) and Natalie Warnest (young Elsa) bring charm and energy, setting up the story with the sweetness and drama of two young sisters. Though Daisy Henderson (middle Anna) and Chloe Hyde (middle Elsa) had brief stage time, all four young performers provided strong foundations for their older counterparts.
Clare Wilks then captured the spirit, naivety and girlish wonder of Anna and was a highlight of the production. Her scenes with Bennett Blaine, who played the arrogance and character of Hans to a tee, were excellent, and their voices worked well together in their duet. Lucy Parkes’ Elsa had some fantastic notes; her final riff in “Let It Go” was delivered with the flair of a more mature singer. While some lower notes got lost, Parkes shows great promise with further vocal and acting development.
Comic relief came in the form of Kristopher Sudaj’s animated Duke of Wessleton and Olive Kennedy’s delightful Olaf, whose joy was infectious. Lauren Thyer’s hilarious turn as Oaken stole a big laugh, especially during the family song-and-dance number, enhanced by the full cast joining in.
There is another important duo in the story of Frozen, Sven (Tilda Kilsby) and Kristoff (Aled Yeoh). Kilsby and Yeoh played this lovable duo with all the charm required. Yeoh, in particular, stood out with his natural expressiveness and confident stage presence. Both showed strong potential in acting and singing.
The ensemble supported the leads well, with nicely tuned harmonies and standout moments from the dancers portraying Elsa’s magic and the healers’ group. Some costume elements felt a little unbalanced on stage, but highlights included the chef’s hat and the excellent designs for Sven, Kristoff, and Olaf. Anna and Elsa’s costumes captured their animated counterparts well, though the Elsa wig may not have been necessary.
The ladders were a clever and versatile set piece, serving as doors, gates, and even stalagmites, creating effective visual levels, especially during Elsa’s magical scenes. Occasionally, they blocked action from certain sightlines. The lighting never missed a beat, capturing all the dramatic moments of the story and adding to it with colour and shadow.
Though there were some microphone and sound balance issues, along with the need for a bit more vocal projection at times, Frozen Jr ticks the boxes that make the story so loved. It was a pleasure to watch such a young, developing cast tackle this beloved show with energy and heart.
Summer Cast
It was quite appropriate that I reviewed the Summer Cast on a cold Winter’s night as these young people just shone bright as the sun and warmed our hearts.
The entire cast strive for perfection and achieve it fairly well. The ensemble worked well in supporting the main cast, especially in the number involving the hilarious Oaken family.
Luna Clear and Darcy Meathrel (Young Anna/Young Elsa), Claire Saint and Emma Sayers (Middle Anna/Middle Elsa) have wonderful presence and quite strong voices for their young age.
Thomas Wake-Dyster as Hans gives an excellent performance looking every inch the young dashing Prince and displaying vocals which should carry him well into the future. His manner change towards the end is well handled, if not just a touch rushed. A slight pause in his sentence just before the big revelation would add even more of a shock factor.
Jack Wake-Dyster makes a great Kristoff, with a wonderful likability coming through at all times. As his faithful reindeer sidekick, Sven, played by Isabelle Strelan is beautifully energetic and bubbly without ever overdoing it. She is definitely an audience favourite as is Charlotte Venning as snowman Olaf. She captures the cheekiness required of the character fairly well and gives a nice confident performance.
As the grown up Anna and Elsa, Emma Palumbo and Charlotte Delaere respectively give well considered and delivered performances. Emma is ideally playful and yet strong, while Charlotte is regal and serious, and demonstrates her powerful vocals with an excellent rendition of “Let It Go”. However, the night reviewed, I think some of the audience showing their appreciation during the number may have caused her to lose the frosty attitude required to really sell the number and start to smile. I think this will probably improve with more performances under her belt.
Well Done Summer Cast, you brightened everyone’s lives in the audience!
