Two sisters, kept apart by fear, learn to connect in “Frozen”

Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn has a track record when it comes to presenting stage musicals based on Disney films. In the past, Paper Mill has presented Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, and The Little Mermaid, among many others. This year’s Disney offering is Frozen, based on the 2013 animated movie. I am pleased to say that this production is probably the best of all the Disney shows I have seen at Paper Mill.

Taking its basic concepts from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Snow Queen, Frozen tells the story of two sister princesses: the elder, Elsa, who was born with powers over ice and snow; and the younger, Anna, who was born without powers. Their parents, King Agnarr and Queen Iduna, rule over the tiny kingdom of Arendelle. The sisters are close and loving, but their parents have warned Elsa against using her powers. Anna coaxes Elsa to set up a winter playground in their bedroom, even building a living snowman, Olaf. But a mis-aimed blast of cold strikes Anna, leaving her unconscious. Iduna calls out to the Hidden Folk to cure her daughter; they do, but suggest that the royal couple take steps to train Elsa in the use of her power. Instead, Agnarr and Iduna keep Elsa secluded in her room away from everyone, including Anna, from whom the true story of what happened that night has been kept.

Elsa finally comes of age and can reign as Queen of Arendelle. During the coronation celebrations, with the castle and the kingdom open to visitors, the nervous Elsa lets loose a blast of cold. Elsa flees, and Anna, afraid of losing her sister yet again, pursues her, leaving behind her love-at-first-sight boyfriend, Prince Hans. With the ice seller Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and the recreated snowman Olaf, Anna reaches an ice palace created by Elsa. She tries to get her sister to return home to an Arendelle rapidly freezing from Elsa’s uncontrolled powers. But Elsa, trying to protect Anna by sending her away, accidentally hits her with a cold blast which affects her heart and threatens her life.

What makes Frozen different from other Disney productions I’ve seen? For one thing, new songs written for the stage do not feel inferior to the ones originally written for the movie. The entire stage score is by the writers of the movie’s score, the husband-and-wife team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, with one exception: the opening number “Vuelie.” Written by Frode Fjellheim and Christophe Beck, based on traditional northern European music, it is used to create a sense of community among humans and Hidden Folk in Arendelle.

For another, the book, adapted by Jennifer Lee from her movie script, is tighter than most other Disney adaptations. Lee manages to go deeper into the motivations behind several of the characters while keeping the basics of the film’s plot firmly in mind. Even if you know some of the plot twists from seeing the movie, there’s new information that does not feel shoe-horned into the production.

The cast, directed by Paige Price with choreography by Shea Sullivan, applies polish to the familiar material. Leads Samantha Williams as Anna and Mary Kate Morrissey as Elsa capture all the anguish of sisters, once close, separated by secrecy and guilt yet still caring for each other. Anjali Roa and Hazel Vogel, as their respective younger selves, capture this quality from the very beginning of the play. Daniel Yearwood as Kristoff is sweet if reluctant to act on whatever romantic feelings he has for Anna. Sam Gravitte’s Prince Hans is a smooth charmer with a persuasive leadership style covering  his hidden agendas.

Stealing the show, though, are the puppets. Thomas Whitcomb is completely contained within the full-body suit of Sven the reindeer yet manages to convey a range of reactions to the foolishness of the humans around him. Todd Buonopane is a knockout as the irrepressible snowman Olaf, working the puppet’s body on rods while delivering a vaudeville-sized singing and dancing performance in his own all-white suit. It comes off well, especially in his big number “In Summer” where the imaginative snowman imagines what he would do in warmer weather (hint: melting does not occur to him…)

While the scenic design of Timothy Mackabee is functional, the on-stage spectacle is handled mostly by the lighting designs of Ryan J. O’Gara and Don Hanna’s sound design. They evoke everything from a castle coming back to life after too many closed years, to snow and ice storms, and even Elsa’s use of her powers. Colleen Grady’s costumes are colorful and character-defining, with touches of magic in Elsa’s transformation during the first-act finale, the Oscar-winning “Let It Go”.

With this production, Frozen joins the ranks of musical winter holiday entertainments for the entire family. Well-constructed, eye-catching, with a mix of humor and suspense, I can recommend making the trip to the land of Arendelle to enjoy the musical adventure that is Frozen!

Frozen is presented by the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn through Jan. 11, 2026. For more information or to obtain tickets, go to papermill.org.