The third production I’ve seen of Disney’s smash hit that children have played on loop and irritated parents for the last ten years (wow I feel old), Frozen has seen huge success internationally compared to its surprisingly short Broadway run. And yes, including in Germany which is where I went to see my most recent viewing. The main reason why I wanted to see the Hamburg production of Frozen was that its latest cast change included not one, but two actors I saw in Vienna earlier this year now filling Elsa and Anna’s very big shoes: Willemijn Verkaik and Abla Alaoui.
I’ve already reviewed the West End production of Frozen which you can read here, so this one is mainly going to answer two questions: How is this cast, and were there any elements that made the German version unique to the other productions I’ve seen that improved the material? If you’ve read the headline, you know where this is going.
Die Eiskönigin (Frozen)
Cast
- Anna: Abla Alaoui
- Elsa: Willemijn Verkaik
- Kristoff: Owen Playfair
- Olaf: Roberto Tomassoli (u/s)
- Hans: Bob van de Weijdeven
- Sven: Paolo Ava
- Pitzbühl: Eric Minsk
Rating: ★★★★
What changes are made?
I’ve already expressed my feelings on the West End production of Frozen when it comes to the storytelling, new songs and pacing issues, and my feelings still stand so there’s no point in repeating them. While the German production is ostensibly the same as others using the US tour mould, there are a few interesting differences that I felt improved the material. I think some of it is due to there being less pressure to imitate the film’s characters (especially when we have one actor in this production reprising their role) than in English speaking countries, but it felt like the actors were given more freedom to offer their own takes on their roles and play certain scenes out differently.
The most interesting one is no naked people during the act two opener Hygge (with the German version using the correct pronunication which English productions need to make a note of), which was a frankly welcome surprise given how out of place and bizarre I always felt that sequence was. Is it because Europeans tend to be more liberal with nudity and it doesn’t have the same shock value? Probably.
When reading the Frozen cast list, you were probably wondering who Pitzbühl was. The other big change is he’s the Duke or Weselton. While his personality and lines are exactly the same as other productions, his vibe hues closer to the film with his crazier comedic side being emphasised and his actor being around the same age range unlike other productions ageing him down for no real reason.
What was the cast like?
I was beyond excited when I heard the newest cast change, and let me tell you they delivered some of my favourite versions of these characters so far.
While continuing the tradition of casting previous Elphabas, what makes Willemijn Verkaik’s casting notable for Frozen is she provided Elsa’s voice for the film’s Dutch dub and singing for the German dub. Some have tried saying she’s too old to play Elsa being 48 as of this review, but I never saw age as an issue as A) people would only see the blonde wig and ice dress and B) Her stratospheric performance I saw as Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca proved she had the vocal chops to pull it off.
If the tears I shed during Let It Go were any indication, her performance was phenomenal. Even putting her one of a kind vocals aside in Monster and Dangerous To Dream, it felt so freeing watching her bring these new quirks to Elsa that she probably wasn’t able to do when dubbing the film. You always empathised for her during the moments she had to be more reserved towards Anna and I loved that she wasn’t afraid to show off a goofier side of Elsa’s personality by the end.
In another polar opposite performance to the one I saw her in Vienna as Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Abla Alaoui was a perfect Anna. I always felt Anna was an underrated role compared to Elsa despite being the real main character in Frozen, and seeing Abla cartwheel, climb and run around the stage while delivering flawless vocals gave me a bigger appreciation for how demanding the role really is (bravo to every graduate currently playing her). She never felt like a caricature during Anna’s quirkier moments and she just left me smiling throughout the show.
Now that I’ve got the main two Frozen leads out of the way, now I want to shower praise on the rest of the cast. Owen Playfair was funny and charming as Kristoff and had great chemistry with Alaoui. Cover Roberto Tomassoli brought plenty of sweetness and laughs to Olaf akin to Josh Gad even when in a different country with a different voice actor.
One other highlight for me Bob van de Weijdeven as Hans. While bringing bravado, princely charm and some of my favourite vocals so far, my absolute favourite thing about him was his delivery of the twist line. Unlike others I saw who copied the film’s take on that scene, his felt refreshing in that he just came out and said it as if he knew EVERYBODY knew the big twist after ten years, so there was no point in building suspense.
What are my overall thoughts?
While still a four star rating, this is a higher four stars thanks to those small changes that made me enjoy the material more. With a phenomenal cast led by Willemijn Verkaik and Abla Alaoui, Frozen in Hamburg is still a dazzling Disney musical all ages will enjoy that I’m glad I took a plane and a ferry ride to see (yep, the theatre’s on its own island). If you’re somehow near Hamburg or around Germany, all I’ll say is go and see it with this new cast if you can.
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