Frozen Enchants Little Girls
Adults Not So Much
By: Karen Isaacs - Feb 18, 2026
At any Disney musical, you can expect to see children, little girls in particular, dressed up as the princesses in the show. At the performance of Frozen I saw at ACT-CT in Ridgefield, little girls dressed as Anna or Elsa crowded the lobby, anticipating seeing the musical version of the Disney movie they had watched multiple times
They enjoyed it. I’m not so sure about the parents and grandparents in the audience.
ACT-CT has presented some outstanding musical productions, and they have the critical raves and awards to prove it, but this production is lacking.
When a production doesn’t succeed, it may be because of, the performers, the production values, or the work itself.
In this case, the performers are good. They are talented and nicely directed by Robert W. Schneider.
The problems begin with the work itself. Frozen does not feature the best music or lyrics. Many of the songs are ho-hum. The story makes the plot of The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast Pulitzer Prize eligible. The music and lyrics don’t elevate the story.
Set someplace in the Scandinavian region, more on that later, two young princesses are happily growing up, until the elder (Elsa) accidentally “freezes the younger (Anna). You see, she has magical powers. When their parents die, Elsa becomes Queen. She has developed methods to keep her power under control, but one day she accidentally freezes not only her sister but the entire kingdom. She flees, and Anna, though frozen, goes after her with the help of a reindeer (Sven), a snowman (Olaf), and Kristoff (Jalon Matthews). Assorted people- both good guys and bad – are also chasing Elsa.
But like any Disney musical, all ends happily with true love winning out and a message about sisterhood.
On Broadway, much of this was hidden, at least from audiences, by the production values and “adorable” special effects. So, when Elsa freezes the scene, the effect was spectacular. The stage did look like it had turned to ice.
But these special effects are very expensive. ACT has done its best to approximate this, but it was not entirely successful.
In the film, Sven and Olaf were animated characters. Here, each is a puppet with a person attached. Sven was charming. He was a large puppet. With a puppeteer/actor (Niko Charney) operating him in the middle of his body, he is totally delightful. Olaf (Katelyn Lauria), the snowman, was less successful.
The musical has another problem. In a misguided attempt to bring in the culture of the Scandinavian region, one character, Oaken, played by Mark Sumner, opens the Second Act using an excruciatingly stereotypical Scandinavian accent, which leads into the song “Hygge,” the Danish concept of warmth, comfort, and home. The song mangles the concept. The combination is cringe-worthy, and those of us with Scandinavian roots do not find it charming or humorous. In addition, the Hidden Folk, who are called upon to help reverse Elsa’s actions, seem like trolls.
This production features excellent costumes by Travis M. Grant. The sound design by Shannon Slaton was also very fine. Both scenic designer Matthew Imhoff and lighting designer Jack Mehler tried their best to create the magical, ice-like effects.
Kudos to ACT for not skimping on the band; eleven musicians are located behind the stage, providing the musical accompaniment.
ACT-CT also doesn’t skimp on cast, with over 20 performers filling the stage. Leigh Ellen Jones makes a terrific Anna, creating a character with real depth. Her renditions of “Love Is an Open Door” and “What Do You Know about Love?” with Matthews were effective. As Elsa, Kyrie Courter displays the de rigueur high belt voice that is so popular in musicals today.
Excellent work was shown by Sumner (despite the stereotype), Brody Redman, as one of the villains, Hans; Charney as Sven, and Patrick Brady as Weselton, another of the two villains.
When it opened, the authors – Jennifer Lee (book), and Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (music and lyrics) – talked extensively about deepening the work with more emphasis on Elsa and Anna’s psychological issues. That may have been the intent, but it didn’t make it to the stage, at least not in this production.
Kids will enjoy this, and parents/grandparents will find it tolerable.
The run of Frozen at ACT-CT (through Sunday, March 15) is almost sold out. You might be able to snag a ticket at ACTofCT.org.