Disney’s アナと雪の女王 musical starts rehearsals with Broadway in mind 

The first day of rehearsals for Disney’s new Broadway bound musical Frozen just took place. The show is destined to join Disney hits Aladdin and The Lion King on Broadway in the spring of 2018 at the St. James Theatre. In the meantime it will be playing out-of-town in the Buell Theatre in Denver, CO where the cast and crew can safely tweak and adjust the show so that it is ready for the big time.

This Broadway-bound Frozen, a full-length stage work told in two acts, is the first and only incarnation of the tale that expands upon and deepens its indelible plot and themes through new songs and story material from the film’s creators. Like the Disney Theatrical Broadway musicals that have come before it, it is a full evening of theatre and is expected to run two and a half hours.

Thanks Disney Theatrical we an peek in on the cast in their rehearsal space:

Brian Usifer, Stephen Oremus & Chris Montan

Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, Christopher Oram & Natasha Katz

Michael Grandage, Thomas Schumacher & Christopher Oram

Patti Murin, Michael Grandage & Caissie Levy

Travis Patton, Rob Ashford & James Brown III

Based on the 2013 film written by a trio of Oscar winners, Frozen features music and lyrics by the creators of the film score Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Up Here, Winnie the Pooh, In Transit) and EGOT-winner Robert Lopez (Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon, Up Here) and a book by Jennifer Lee (Zootopia, Wreck-It Ralph), the film’s screenwriter and director (with Chris Buck). Frozen won 2014 Oscars for Best Song (“Let It Go”) and Best Animated Feature.

Frozen’s director is Michael Grandage, a Tony Award winner (Red) and director of three Olivier Award-winning Outstanding Musicals (Merrily We Roll Along, Grand Hotel and Guys and Dolls), and Rob Ashford, Tony Award winner (Thoroughly Modern Millie) and multiple Tony and Olivier Award nominee, is choreographer.

The design team for Frozen includes scenic and costume design by Tony and Olivier Award winner Christopher Oram (Wolf Hall Parts 1 & 2, The Cripple of Inishmaan, Evita), lighting design by six-time Tony Award winner Natasha Katz (Aladdin; Hello Dolly!; An American in Paris), sound design by four-time Tony nominee Peter Hylenski (The Scottsboro Boys, Motown, After Midnight), video design by Tony winner Finn Ross (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), puppet design by Michael Curry (The Lion King, Spamalot), hair design by David Brian Brown (War Paint, She Loves Me), makeup design by Anne Ford-Coates (On Your Feet!; On the Twentieth Century) and special effects design by Jeremy Chernick (Aladdin, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child).

Two-time Tony Award winner Stephen Oremus (Avenue Q, Wicked, The Book of Mormon) is music supervisor and creates vocal, incidental and dance arrangements. He is joined on the music team by Tony nominee Dave Metzger (orchestrations), Chris Montan (music consultant) and Brian Usifer (music director).

Frozen is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions under the direction of Thomas Schumacher.

Broadway tickets will go on sale later this year. To get notified of ticket sales for the Denver engagement, visit DenverCenter.org.

Photos courtesy Disney Theatrical / Jenny Anderson photographer.