Disney’s planned stage adaptation of Frozen is skating along as new details emerge about the upcoming musical.
Disney Theatrical Productions has, according to the Daily Mail, enlisted director Alex Timbers to helm the daunting stage adaptation of its blockbuster 2013 animated hit Frozen.
For the first time (in forever), Disney has confirmed the show’s writers: The film’s Oscar-winning composing team will return to pen the full score, while the film’s co-director and screenwriter Jennifer Lee will adapt the book.
According to Disney Theatrical president Thomas Schumacher, no other creative team members or dates have been announced. (A report from The Daily Mail speculated that the adaptation will land on Broadway in 2017.) However, it’s important to note that the company’s official statement on the project refers to Frozen simply as a “stage adaptation,” not necessarily detailing that it is indeed meant for Broadway, despite presumptive reports.
The news of the creative team isn’t as surprising as it is reassuring, considering that the Lopezes’ score would be misplaced in any other hands than EGOT winner Robert, who boasts an impressive theater resume with The Book of Mormon and Avenue Q. Lee (Wreck-It Ralph) will make her welcome stage writing debut with the project.
Timbers’ involvement, meanwhile, would suggest a well-suited solution to the biggest problem that faces the adaptation, which is skepticism about its visual translation to the stage. The magic-heavy movie (with sentient snowmen and ice monsters, no less) will likely demand a strong showing of creative ingenuity—the showstopping “Let It Go” is a Mensa-worthy challenge in and of itself—but Timbers is a rapidly rising wunderkind who has earned praise in the Broadway community for his inventive direction of Rocky, Here Lies Love, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, among other projects. Timbers’ brand of stage magic should nicely align with Disney’s.
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