By Charly SHELTON

I know already “Frozen” is a musical. The 2013 movie is prolific and has inundated all aspects of life. How can someone have lived through 2014-16 without hearing “Let It Go” at least six trillion times? Though “Frozen” was already a musical it’s now a stage musical from Broadway, so somehow it’s even musical-er. And after a run in Denver in 2017 and Broadway in 2018, the touring show has finally reached LA, arriving at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood in all its icy glory.

The stage musical book is written by Jennifer Lee, who also wrote the script to the movie, with songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, who also wrote the songs for the film. With the same team behind the script and music, how well does the stage program hold up to the initial screen effort? Not as well as you would think.

The show follows the plot of the film, though it is padded here and there with additional content to get a longer runtime. For the last three people in the world who haven’t seen “Frozen,” it follows the story of two young princesses; one – Elsa – has magic ice powers that she is afraid will overtake her. When she is crowned queen after the death of the girls’ parents, Elsa’s powers do get out of hand and their kingdom is thrown into a magical winter during the height of summer. Elsa then leaves the kingdom to avoid further destruction.

The other princess, Anna, must save her sister, bring back summer and along the way learn what true love is. Accompanying her are Kristoff, an ice salesman put out of business by the magic winter, and Olaf, a snowman inadvertently brought to life by Elsa’s magic.

The film is fantastic. It is one of the best Disney films ever made and the first real addition to the Disney princess lineup since Belle from “Beauty and the Beast.” Except for a moment here or there, I wouldn’t change a thing in the film.

However, when converting a 102-minute movie with eight songs into a 130-minute musical with 22 songs, expect some fluff. Not all the songs are needed – they could be handled with a line or two of dialogue or cut altogether and it wouldn’t make a difference. In addition, I think the stage production throws into sharp relief how good the movie is because it’s clear that this script was meant to be on screen. The stream-of-consciousness jokes from Anna’s awkward interactions are charming and cute on screen but when the actress has to hold for laugh lines in between statements on stage it just feels cringe-y. Some of the subtleties inherent in the film have to be enlarged to fit the stage style of acting, which makes it feel over-the-top and like the script is over explaining things to the audience because there’s a fear we might not pick up on them. The production is not perfect, but its imperfections are issues inherent when transferring a film script to the stage medium.

However, it must be noted that the cast and crew did an amazing job. The sets are unbelievable, especially for a traveling show that has to pick up shop and move every few months. While my big fear coming into the show was that everything would be projections of ice and magic swirls, the number of real sets and practical ice effects is well-balanced, mixed well with the projections to add just a touch of magic to the existing practical effects.

But the one thing everyone wants to know – did stage Elsa hit that high note in “Let It Go”? Following Idina Menzel, who voiced and sang for Elsa in the film, is no easy task. One note in the show-stopping song is a high crescendo that many have tried to hit and many have failed. Even the Elsa actresses at the Disney California Adventure park musical production of “Frozen – Live at the Hyperion” don’t always hit that note. But Caroline Bowman, who plays Elsa in the touring cast, is no stranger to taking on these tough vocal roles that Menzel pioneered, having also starred as Elphaba in “Wicked” on Broadway. So when Bowman hit that iconic “Let It Go” note, closing out the first act and leaving the audience in a quick cut blackout, the whole house erupted with everyone immediately leaping to their feet. Hearing that song on a recording is great, but hearing it belted out in person on stage is something else entirely. The energy of that moment in the story and the electricity in the room from the live performance are things that this reporter will never forget.

“Frozen” is playing now at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood through Feb. 2. Tickets and more information are available at FrozenTheMusical.com.

  Charly Shelton