Slow Burn’s Frozen Enthralls, Clicking All The Boxes

By Oline Cogdill

Slow Burn Theatre Company’s high standards for assembling top-notch talented cast glow red-hot in its enthralling presentation  of Disney’s Frozen, running through Jan. 4 at the Broward Center.

Directed with finesse by Patrick Fitzwater, Slow Burn’s Disney’s Frozen clicks all the boxes with superb singing and acting, sharp dancing choreographed by Cat Pagano, excellent stage craft including lighting, set design and projections and magnificent costumes. Fitzwater, Slow Burn’s artistic director and co-founder, seamlessly manages his cast of 32 with precision.

Surely by now, most people—at least those who see movies, attend theater or don’t live under a rock—have heard of Disney’s Frozen, or at least the most famous song “Let It Go.” As with many Disney works, Frozen can be enjoyed by children and adults.

At its heart, Disney’s Frozen is about family bonds, especially those between sisters, as well as finding and accepting your identity, embracing kindness and positiveness and letting go of negativity. Those are timeless themes that endure. And the song “Let It Go” adds another level—a showstopper that’s an anthem about growing up, taking responsibility and the future.

Disney’s Frozen revolves around two sisters—princesses Elsa and the younger Anna of Arendelle who also are best friends. Elsa’s magical powers can create ice and snow, which entertain Anna (“Do You Want To Build a Snowman?”). But after Elsa accidentally harms Anna, nearly killing her, their parents, the king and queen, separate the sisters and close the castle to the community to keep the princesses safe. In addition to healing Anna, the leaders of the nearby troll community also erase Anna’s memory.

The king and queen die in a storm at sea, but the sisters’ separation continues until Elsa is crowned queen of Arendelle when she is 21. Anna is overjoyed to see Elsa, who is reserved, fearing her powers. At the coronation, Anna meets dishy Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. It’s love at first sight. He proposes and she accepts, but Elsa refuses her permission. Don’t marry someone you’ve just met, Elsa advises. The sisters quarrel, causing Elsa’s powers to erupt, putting Arendelle in permanent winter. Elsa flees to the mountains, planning to live alone. Anna follows with the help of ice salesman Kristoff, his reindeer, Sven, and Olaf, that snowman the sisters built as children.

Lea Marinelli as Elsa and Kristi Rose Mills as Anna exude chemistry, making the audience believe they truly are sisters and best  friends with  a deep love for each other. Marinelli’s powerful voice commands the stage. She also is steely and, of course, icey in order to protect Anna, her community and herself. Mills’ strong voice is the definition of exuberance as she is both playful and determined. Marinelli’s rendition of “Let It Go” is indeed a showstopper—in several ways. (No spoilers!)

The sisters receive terrific support from Jason Ivan Rodriguez as Kristoff and Milo Alosi as the charismatic Hans, Aaron Atkinson as the puppeteer maneuvering reindeer Sven. Comic relief and constant smiles shine from Kalen Edean as Olaf and John Luis Mazuelos as Weselton. The Trolls Kareema Khouri as Bulda and Jarod Bakum as Pabbie are high energy.

The large ensemble is on point with an extra boost from several performers who have had starring roles in Slow Burn productions such as Mikayla Cohen and Jerel Brown.

The child actors alternate with, on the night we saw Frozen, delightful as Blaine DiMisa as young Elsa and Penelope Martone as young Anna.

The production staff deserve many kudos, visualizing the constant swirling snow fall, flashes of a storm through the sky, Elsa’s ice palace and the mountains. These are brought to life by scenic designer Nikolas Serrano, lighting by Eric Norbury, projections by André Russell, sound by Dan Donato with Timothy Shaun Dickey as technical director. Wilhelm Peters as Production Stage Manager and Jolie Rubinchik as Assistant Stage Manager keep the production running smoothly.

Rick Peña’s costumes are nothing short of magnificent. He worked more than a year drawing, designing, fabricating and sewing each of the costumes, from the beautiful gowns of Elsa and Anna and each of the supporting cast to those of the servants, mountain people and more. This includes a jaw-dropping stunner that we won’t spoint here. That means double or triple 32 costumes as most of the cast and the ensemble have multiple roles. Peña had only occasional help sewing the costumes. This hard work shows.

Live music is such a joy and adds immensely to the experience of theater going and to the value of the production. The musicians, under music director Gianfranco “Gio” Tio were outstanding. The musical is based on the Disney film written by Jennifer Lee and features original songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, with a book by Jennifer Lee.

Slow Burn again has produced a highly entertaining production. Sing “Let It Go,” but do not let Disney’s Frozen go without seeing this musical.

Disney’s Frozen presented by Slow Burn Theatre Company through Jan. 4 at the  Amaturo Theater, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. 7:30 p.m. Thursday the 18^th through Saturday the 20^th, 1 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays and Wednesday Christmas Eve and Jan. 2,  7 p.m. Tuesday the 30^th and noon the 31^st New Year;s Eve. , Tickets start at $91.45. Call 954-462-0222 for tickets, at www.browardcenter.org or in person at   the Broward Center’s Auto Nation Box Office. Info at www.slowburntheatre.org