Capturing the spirit of the story and the characters, the Broadway Cast Recording features a wealth of talent vocally to make it a joy to listen to.
There is no real doubt that musically Frozen was written with a transfer to the stage in mind. The full power behind songs such as ‘Let it Go’ and ‘For the First Time in Forever’ was written to fully blow live audiences away and now finally on Broadway this has become a reality.
As well as featuring songs from the original film, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez have written additional songs for the musical with some such as ‘Dangerous to Dream’ and ‘What Do You Know About Love?’ fitting in perfectly with the story well while others such as ‘Hygge’ feel a bit more awkward, almost like a filler for in between scenes.
However, it has to be said there is a wealth of talent in the cast, all of whom are more than capable of bringing the beloved characters from the 2013 film to life while making their own mark on them – particularly in terms of the singing as evidenced on this strong cast recording.
Caissie Levy was filling a huge pair of shoes when taking on the role of Elsa – particularly when it came to singing the iconic song ‘Let it Go’ best known for Idina Menzel’s rendition. But Levy gives a richly emotional performance of the song that feels as though it gives the entire song a whole new meaning and refreshing it for a new audience perfectly. Her rendition of ‘Dangerous to Dream’ is exquisite and really highlights the character’s vulnerability.
Elsewhere, she is matched vocally by Patti Murin’s playful and pleasurable to listen to vocals on tracks such as ‘For the First Time in Forever’ and ‘True Love’. She has a light and delicate vocal tone that also contains a lot of the character’s spirit in it.
Greg Hildreth is also able to make his own mark on the character of Olaf – capturing the character’s sense of joy and fun in ‘In Summer’ that for me was always a standout song from the film.
Overall, the additional songs in the musical are a bit hit and miss but for the most part fit in with the original songs well. Yet it will be songs such as ‘Do You Want to Build a Snowman’ and ‘Let it Go’ that will ultimately stand out in the minds of those who listen to the recording, but in terms of vocals there is no flaws to be found among the cast.
By Emma Clarendon
Frozen: The Broadway Musical Original Broadway Cast Recording is available to buy now .