SANDY  —  I’m always a little skeptical of Disney movies turned into musicals, and this was definitely the case for Frozen the Broadway Musical. However, I have a little girl who loves the movie, so I decided to take chance and bring her with me to Hale Center Theatre‘s production of Frozen. I have no regrets. It was an incredible night out that firmly cemented my daughter’s love for theatre and was thrilling for both of us.

Frozen, with music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and book by Jennifer Lee, was directed at Hale Center Theatre by Ryan Simmons. It tells the tale of Elsa whose secret magical ice powers that have caused her to isolate herself from others including her younger sister, Anna. It is a story of sisterly love. As always, this production was double cast.

Elsa was played by Jessica Hudson in the production I saw. She was everything I had hoped to see in the role. Strong voice, good commitment to character. “Let It Go” was definitely a show stopper between all of the technical theatre spectacular and Hudson’s power voice and acting. She was also moving in her moments of distress of hurting Anna in her ice castle, though she might have been shown up slightly in that department by young Elsa, played by Penny Hodson, when she first strike Anna with her magic. Hodson’s terror made the early scene hit with such power it carried into her motivation to isolate herself from Anna in order to keep it from happening again.

Frozen plays on the Young Living Centre Stage through Feb. 14, 2026 | PC: Leavitt Wells

I was especially impressed with the cohesion between the younger and grownup versions of Elsa and also Anna. It was very easy to believe that the women were truly the grown up version of the younger girls, especially with Anna. Young Anna was played by Bentley Nuila and Anna was played by Kelly Pulver. Both actresses were able to convey great energy and zeal for life, with just the right level of awkwardness that comes from being left to own her own devices to entertain herself. “A tornado in pigtails,” was the perfect description for both actresses.

Some stage adaptations mean the loss of the comedic creature side kick, but not this time. Sven (by Alan Brinkeroff) and Olaf (by Landon Horton) are both still present, and are represented with puppetry (design, fabrication, and direction by AchesonWalsh Studios) at HCT.  Horton did a great job of not only giving voice to and operating the Olaf puppet, but finding the perfect balance of allowing the puppet to be the center of attention while being lively and animated and apart of the scene. During “In Summer” kids could be heard gleefully laughing throughout the theatre. Horton’s voice was powerful and I especially enjoyed his last notes of “In Summer.”

Ethan Kelso as Kristoff did well in not only his own singing and lines, but he was really great at being Sven’s voice. “Reindeers Are Better Than People” had my daughter giggling. Kelso was also great at balancing out Anna’s flightiness. “What Do You Know About Love?” was a great duet, which showcased good chemistry with the right amount of antagonizing each other.

This production was ideal for showcasing the talents of light designer, Jaron Kent Hermansen, and associate lighting designer Collin Schmierer. From amazing northern lights and clouds projected onto fog over the audience in the opening scene, to perfectly timed magical snow swirls from Elsa, to fast changing scenes and weather, this show was a masterpiece of light design, and it beautifully complimented the scenic design by Nate Bertone. With so many set pieces continually rolling in and out and rising up and down its a wonder that they can all fit off stage.

Photo: Leavitt Wells

For every incredible scene there were beautiful costume designs by Jen Caprio and costume design assistant Elise McMurray. This production has one costume for Elsa that particularly has to be well executed to really cinch the scene and they did beautifully. I also loved how many of the costumes became instrumental in creating the scenery, such as the dark sea during a shipwreck or a blizzard. I could easily gush more over the incredible technical theatre but it wouldn’t do it justice and I also don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say the real star of this production was the production team. This production could not have been pulled off so beautifully without it’s talented production team of designers, creators, and technicians.

Easily my favorite part of the evening was see my child react to the magic that can only be found in live theatre. Out in the lobby during intermission a gentleman was telling me about the delighted gasps and reaction of a child sitting near him. I wholeheartedly think the very best way to experience this production is to take a child you love with you and see them experience it. The cast was incredible from the youngest performers to the most experienced and the production team was phenomenal. I’d go again in a heartbeat.

[BOX] FROZEN plays at Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy until Feb 14, with performances Monday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Matinees are offered on many weekdays at 4:00 and twice on Saturdays at 12:30 and 4:00. Tickets range from $43–$97. For more information, visit htc.org. [/BOX]

These reviews are made possible by a grant from the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks program.