PAYSON — Payson Community Theatre brings Elsa, Anna, and Arendelle to life in the Payson High School Auditorium with Frozen: The Broadway Musical. Frozen is adapted into musical form from the 2013 animated film by creators Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Music and Lyrics) and Jennifer Lee (Book). Director Colleen Carrasco stages a warm, spirited production of the beloved characters in this engaging, family-friendly atmosphere.
The production begins with “Vuelie”, a powerful opening number with strong vocals. The ensemble grew confident throughout the song, their voices becoming clearer and more unified. Friday night’s performance featured the understudies filling the roles of Anna, Hans, Kristoff, and young Elsa and Anna.
Emma Crump brought a bright spirit to Young Anna alongside Janey Killian’s more reserved portrayal as Young Elsa. The two young performers shared a bright, childlike stage presence. Crump’s boundless energy contrasted strongly with Killian’s softer, quieter nature. Their early scenes, like constructing Olaf in “A Little Bit of You” are sweet. The props used to construct this earliest iteration of Olaf are well sized and easy to see from the audience. The use of a ballcap with the painted face of Olaf was a nice touch to make the snowman recognizable.
Emma Crump’s bright delivery during “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” highlighted the song’s cheery opening before skillfully navigating its sudden emotional turn in the final verse as Megan Crump finishes the number as the older Anna. Emma Crump sang her part of the number with playful energy, effortlessly riding a tricycle while clearly singing the notes. The end, which shifts to the older Elsa and Anna now orphans separated by fear is well directed. Director Carrasco stages the scene with the closed door in the back of the stage. As the door turns on the final line, it reveals Elsa’s profound sorrow, creating a visually compelling moment.
Kenna Carrasco plays Elsa and captures the wide range of emotions of the character well. Kenna Carrasco moves well from quiet restraint to radiant exuberance by the climax of “Let It Go.” The iconic number serves as the production’s emotional peak, showcasing Carrasco’s vocal strength. Kenna Carrasco starts quiet, then as the momentum and volume builds the final chorus is delightful. The quick-change dress reveal was performed flawlessly to immediate applause.
Megan Crump as Anna was a perfect match to Emma Crump, especially fitting as they are portrayed by mother and daughter. Megan Crump brought joyous energy to “For the First Time in Forever” and established delightful comedic chemistry with Joshua Craft (Hans) during “Love Is an Open Door.” Jace Crump (Kristoff) and Megan Crump sell the slower burning romance of Anna and Kristoff well beginning with their bantering duet “What Do You Know About Love?”. Jace Crump’s performance of Kristoff’s solo “Kristoff Lullaby” is sweet and pondering as Kristoff recognizes his love for Anna.
Trevor Brackney as Weselton is a memorable and distinct performance fully embodying the pompous Duke. Brackney’s Weselton struts onto the stage with bravado commanding the energy of the space. Brackney’s performance of Weselton’s tango is hilarious and really leans into the Spanish vibe of the character.
The big ensemble cast works well to fill the stage during the Arendelle scenes. The choreography by Chantelle Wells maximized the stage space, keeping large group numbers lively and visually balanced. The costume design by Brooke Holahan makes the cast perfectly outfitted for a royal coronation with beautiful gowns and suits. Later, the transformation into the Hidden Folk with costumes using natural colors and elements is an effective contrast to Arendelle. The large ensemble portrayed the Hidden Folk with warmth and unity. The camaraderie and high-energy choreography during “Fixer Upper” was a highlight of Act II. Using the children of the cast during Olaf’s number “In Summer” was a nice callback to Elsa and Anna’s childhood relationship with Olaf.
Sound balance across vocal microphones had moments of inconsistenty throughout the evening. Softer dialogue and quiet musical sections became lost under prerecorded orchestration including during Kenna Carrasco’s solos in “Dangerous to Dream,” “Let it Go,” and later with Megan Crump in “For the First Time in Forever (Reprise).” Dialogue delivered loudly, especially joyous celebrating or excitement was uncomfortably distorted over the sound system.
The set design by Michael Carrasco used large painted panels to create the interior and exterior of Arendelle castle. These panels transformed the stage into a bedroom, hallways, a ballroom, and sitting room. A scrim was used throughout to allow projections (designed by Chris d’Argy) and set changes to take place. The best visual effect using the scrim was watching a digitally projected ice spread across the scrim representing Elsa’s ice magic spread freezing Arendelle.
However, the rear projections suffered from technical hiccups throughout; a system display alert repeatedly popped up onscreen, briefly breaking audience immersion. While minor, this visual distraction was frequently disrupting to the scenic environment. Additionally, scene transitions slowed the production’s pacing leaving transitional musical cues feeling stretched waiting on the set change.
A highlight of scenic design was for “Love is an Open Door” featuring a beautiful romantic digital backdrop, accentuated with physical set pieces of a terrace railing and white pillars to the side. The stage filled with fog and felt perfect for the carefree, rushed romance of Anna and Hans. The environment of the scene complemented the tone of the musical number.
Elsa’s ice magic and construction of her ice castle is a key element of the show. The technical representation of Elsa’s magic was straightforward, relying on simple yet effective visual cues by technical director Jason Young. Elsa’s ice blasts are dramatized by a burst of stage fog. The use of soap bubbles falling from the ceiling was a nice touch to represent gentler falling snow during several musical numbers. Elsa’s ice castle was represented by a platform in the rear of the stage with a projected background filling the space leaving the downstage area bare. During “Monster” two icicle features rotate and move remotely, which was a nice touch, though integrating these physical elements during “Let it Go” could have better filled the open stage space with technical magic.
Payson Community Theatre’s production of Frozen offers an accessible, heartwarming evening ideal for families introducing young children to live theatre. The lead performances pay affectionate homage to their film counterparts, and “Let It Go” delivers the theatrical magic young fans expect. There are even magic light wands sold for attendees to use during “In Summer,” “Let it Go,” “Fixer Upper,” and bows. With affordable ticket pricing, the production delivers exceptional community value and celebrates local talent. Frozen reminds audiences of the strength of sisterly love, anchored by spirited performances that leave a lasting impression.
MORE INFO: Frozen: The Broadway Musical presented by Payson Community Theatre plays at the Payson High School Auditorium (271 W 800 S, Payson, UT 84651) through September 7th. Performances are at 7:30PM on August 31st and September 3-5. Additional Matinees are at September 5th at 2:00 PM and September 7th at 3:00 PM. Tickets range from $10 to $12. For more info, visit https://paysoncommunitytheatre.com/.
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