I saw Disney’s Frozen last weekend in the West End – it’s worth every penny

I saw Disney’s Frozen last weekend in the West End for my daughter’s birthday – it’s the best show I’ve seen in ages. It felt ludicrous to pay £90 per ticket, particularly for two young children aged three and five. But I was blown away – it’s worth every penny.

Now people think I’ve gone mad as I keep recommending my friends and colleagues go to see it, even without kids. The whole audience – old and young – stood up for a standing ovation at the end. So, why is the West End show based on the hit 2013 Disney film and directed by the British theatre director Michael Grandage hitting the mark so well?

Is it the twinkling icy beauty of the set? The power of the Oscar-winning ballad “Let It Go” sung live? The comedy in Olaf the Snowman brought to life on stage? Or is it the palpable depth of pain the sisters feel as they are torn apart, and the utter terror we feel when Elsa is about to be executed for accidentally freezing Anna’s heart? Or maybe it’s simply the wow factor of the special effects, including Elsa’s seemingly instantaneous costume change when she transforms into the dazzling ice queen?

The interesting point for me is that the kids’ show is far superior to even the top adult blockbusters I’ve seen: Billy Elliot, My Fair Lady, Phantom of the Opera, Barnum, Wicked, to name a few. This isn’t some half-baked puppet show or traditional panto for children either – it’s the real deal.

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You couldn’t hear the rustle of crisps or the murmur of a child in the audience as I did in the Peppa Pig live show. All kids fidget – but not here. It really pulled out all the stops. Perhaps it was even better than the film. I would happily sit through it again. I just hope there’s a sequel. 

Yours,

Charlotte Cripps

Culture writer