As a child, I certainly was not the world’s most avid Frozen fan. The movie’s songs were just so popular that I refused to take part in enjoying cult classics such as “Let it go” or “Fixer Upper.” However, as years passed, I can proudly say that Frozen is one of my top five favorite Disney movies. With lovable characters, a genuinely enticing story, intriguing worldbuilding, and of course, magical powers, the film evokes a feeling which simply cannot be replicated. Going into Mountain Lakes High School’s production of Frozen the Broadway Musical, I admit I felt a tad bit nervous. Not only had the MLHS theatre team lost many senior actors from 2024-2025 that I had become familiar with, but because I wasn’t sure how one of my favorite Disney movies would be translated on stage. Of course, these concerns were QUICKLY dismissed, as the show not only blew past my expectations, but also proved that the theatre program is constantly gaining incredible new talent each year.
My first viewing of the Frozen musical was magical. I walked into the school with some friends, being kindly greeted by Mr. Henry before I stopped to look at the amazing pictures on display from the Mountain Lakes Garden Club photo contest. As I walked into the theatre, we sat down and I was just giddy with excitement. In the first act, the musical plays out similar to how the movie does: Anna and Elsa are introduced, we learn about Elsa’s burden of becoming queen of Arandelle, and travel in search of Elsa with the legendary group of Sven (Camryn Gauthier), Kristoff (Carter Nikolsky), and Anna (Mia Bezalel). What really struck me in this first act was the incredible acting from every character on stage; there truly never was a dull moment with this cast. Of course, songs like “Love is an Open Door” featured incredible vocal and dance performances from Jayden Trogani as Hans, and Mia Bezalel as Anna, but I also found a lot of entertaining side-plots happening behind the windows on stage between other characters. For example, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Keith Cullen’s various ‘tangos’ as the Duke of Weselton. Busting out the modern dance moves in Arendelle just really resonated with me for some reason, and Keith really fit the vibe of the duke perfectly in the show. Regarding “Love is an Open Door,” I would really like to just exclaim how elated I was to see Jayden play the role of Hans. He delivered his lines with such gusto and made me physically jump up and down with glee whenever he was on stage. Below is my reaction to seeing Jayden on stage.
It is the combination of incredible choreography along with the synergy that everyone on stage has with each other that makes the musical so entertaining to watch! Some other songs that really stood out to me this act were “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” in which Grace Shuhet (Young Elsa) and Bridget Keyt (Young Anna) delivered performances which warmed my heart and kept me smiling, and “Dangerous to Dream,” where Ella Thomas (Elsa) introduced me to an emotionally moving song which became my favorite of the show upon my second viewing.
After I stocked up on candy and bought a stunningly gorgeous tiara from my producer friend Brandon Keyt, the second act commenced.
I obviously have to highlight Hygge, including fantastic choreography and an incredible accent by Allesandra Wianecki (Oaken). My friends and I loved this song, laughing and singing along gleefully in our seats as we watched the whole cast perform eye-high kicks just like the Rockettes. What really impressed me this act was how big a role the ensemble played in the last few scenes. I absolutely loved when Elsa, Kristoff, and Anna are all navigating through the blizzard on the frozen lake, trying to find each other, while multiple cast members are fluidly dancing around them, mimicking the harsh wind while melodically singing “colder by the minute.” The scene was so cohesive yet frantic, it really had me on the edge of my seat in anticipation, while still making me smile in awe at the amazing performances from the stage and pit.
Overall, Frozen was such a wonderful experience, and every member of the production from crew to the cast to the pit orchestra should be proud of their fine work. The talent displayed not only by the upperclassmen, but also the multitude of underclassmen foreshadow great things to come for MLHS theatre!
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