I’m finally coming back around to this post, which I’d initially planned to write at the end of May, the day I’d been supposed to see the Broadway touring production of Frozen, back before COVID-19 upended everyone’s plans for the foreseeable future. I’ll admit that I’ve never seen a stage adaptation of an animated Disney film, but I’ve listened to a lot of cast recordings, and it seems like filling out the score is always a difficult thing. I don’t quite know why, but even with the exact same composers doing the writing, the added songs rarely equal the originals from the movie. It’s not like most shows written for the stage feel like overkill with 15 or more songs, so why is it that so many of the added numbers in Disney-on-Broadway adaptations feel extraneous? As such, this post, in which I’m focusing specifically on the non-movie numbers, isn’t the usual Top Five where I’m working to winnow my favorites down to five. Still, even if the score for Frozen the musical isn’t as impressive to me as the score for Frozen the movie, that doesn’t mean there isn’t some good stuff here.
“Dangerous to Dream” – Even though the film shows how Elsa’s isolation and the resulting distance in her relationship with Anna affects both sisters, Anna is the one who most articulates her feelings about that. The stage show gives Elsa this chance to voice her longing to be truly close to Anna again, juxtaposed of course with her fear of losing control and hurting her. It’s a pretty good song – the melody on the verses is really lovely, and I like the exploration of Elsa’s feelings.
Best lyric: “I can’t be what you expect of me, / And I’m not what I seem. / But I would love to know you. / Is it dangerous to dream?”
“What Do You Know About Love?” – I feel like my affection for this song probably outweighs its quality, but I’m okay with it. This song basically takes Kristoff and Anna’s “how do you get engaged to someone you just met?” conversation in the movie and turns it into a musical number that isn’t as snappy or funny. What it does have, though, is Jelani Alladin’s Kristoff, who I’m very much in favor of. He and Patti Murin’s Anna demonstrate some fun love/hate chemistry, and Alladin’s voice is just excellent.
Best lyric: “Love’s not a thing you get - / It’s work and tears and sweat.”
“For the First Time in Forever (Reprise)” – Okay, so this isn’t even a new song for the musical, but the opening is new, and I kind of love it. That opening verse from Elsa is gorgeous. Everything about it just works – the delicate melody, the understated lyrics, Caissie Levy’s wistful vocals, and the way it ties back to “Let It Go” without feeling cheap. No lie, it’s maybe my favorite piece of music written for the stage show.
Best lyric: “Standing frozen / In this life I’ve chosen, / Please don’t find me - / The past is all behind me.”
“Monster” – Another big solo for Elsa. This time around, she wrestles with the way both she and others view her powers as something to fear. She wonders if she should give into that perception and become the “monster” they want to make of her, or if she can stop the storm and save them by running from it, but this is the part in the Disney story when the hero has to face up to their mistakes, not hide from them. It’s not as well-written as “Dangerous to Dream,” and certainly not as well-written as “Let It Go,” but Caissie Levy performs it well, and it’s a nice way to dramatize this moment.
Best lyric: “Were they right? / Has the dark in me finally come to light?”
“When Everything Falls Apart” – Technically, this song isn’t even in the show – it was cut in the pre-Broadway tryouts, but it’s included on the cast recording as a bonus track. While its inclusion on this list is definitely reflective of my pro-Jelani-Alladin agenda, it’s also a fun friendship-romp of Olaf and Kristoff bolstering Anna in a moment when she’s discouraged. Between the movie, the musical, and Frozen II, this is probably the song that feels most like a family-friendly version of Robert Lopez’s earlier work – I enjoy the bouncy melody, and even though I know Kristen Anderson-Lopez didn’t write lyrics for Avenue Q or The Book of Mormon, the playful rhymes here are a little reminiscent of those shows (albeit decidedly G-rated.) Not to mention, it’s a good showcase for Greg Hildreth’s Olaf, who quite impressively channels Josh Gad, and we get more of Alladin’s terrific voice.
Best lyric: “What I’m most afraid of / Shows me what I’m made of.”
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