Frozen – The Brindley Theatre

Disney’s Frozen, with music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, was originally directed on Broadway by Michael Grandage and has become one of the most beloved modern musicals for audiences of all ages. Therefore, it was with huge excitement and great anticipation that I attended the Centenary Theatre Company’s production of Disney Frozen at the The Brindley Theatre. As one of the very first amateur productions of Frozen anywhere in the UK and the first production in the North of England, this was always going to be a special theatrical event, and the company certainly rose to the challenge magnificently.

Directed by Dan Grimes, this production captured all the magic, warmth and spectacle audiences have come to love from Frozen, whilst also bringing an enormous amount of heart and community spirit to the stage. The story follows sisters Elsa and Anna, whose bond is tested when Elsa’s magical icy powers accidentally plunge the kingdom of Arendelle into eternal winter. At its core, Frozen is about love, acceptance, courage and family, reminding audiences that true love comes in many forms, especially the unconditional love between siblings. It is a musical with an important moral message wrapped beautifully inside dazzling spectacle and memorable songs.

This truly is a family affair and a show for absolutely everyone, children, parents, grandparents and entire families alike. Looking around the auditorium, it was wonderful to see generations enjoying live theatre together. There was a huge sense of community surrounding this production, with many familiar faces both on stage and in the audience from previous productions across the North West theatre scene, as well as many loyal supporters of the Centenary Theatre Company itself. Equally exciting, however, was seeing new faces joining the company, bringing fresh energy and enthusiasm to an already established theatrical family.

Musical Director Simon Pickup, Choreographer Eleanor Jardine and Assistant Choreographer Danielle Segar should all be enormously proud of what they achieved. The scale of this production was incredibly ambitious, yet every aspect felt polished, professional and thoughtfully crafted.

Young Elsa, played by Sophie Grimes, and Young Anna, played by Charlotte Warburton, were both exceptional. These talented young performers carried their roles with confidence, professionalism and charm far beyond their years. Vocally, both were outstanding, portraying the innocence and emotional depth of the young sisters beautifully and immediately engaging the audience from the opening moments of the show.

As Elsa, Lydia Ann Foxley delivered a truly captivating leading performance. Foxley possessed stunning vocal clarity, beautiful tone and commanding stage presence throughout. Elsa is a demanding role emotionally and vocally, yet she handled every moment with elegance and strength. Her portrayal perfectly balanced Elsa’s vulnerability, fear and inner power, making the character deeply relatable and believable. Her rendition of “Let It Go” was, unsurprisingly, a major highlight of the evening and received an enormous audience reaction. The iconic dress transformation during the ice palace scene was absolutely magnificent – a truly magical theatrical moment that captivated the audience and perfectly recreated one of the musical’s most iconic sequences.

Equally impressive was Kristin Dunn as Anna, who brought warmth, humour, determination and infectious energy to the role. Dunn was a wonderfully strong leading lady with exceptional vocals and natural charisma. Anna can easily become overly exaggerated in lesser productions, but Dunn found the perfect balance of comedy, sincerity and emotional honesty. Her stage presence lit up every scene she entered, and she formed an immediate connection with the audience. Importantly, both Foxley and Dunn shared excellent on-stage chemistry, something absolutely essential when portraying sisters at the emotional centre of the story. Their duets were breathtakingly beautiful, blending harmonies effortlessly whilst conveying genuine emotional connection and affection between the characters.

Joel Merry gave a superb performance as Kristoff, bringing sincerity, humour and charm to the role. Kristoff is often the grounded heart of the story, and Merry made the role entirely his own with a warm and likeable portrayal. Vocally, he was excellent, delivering strong musical performances whilst also creating a believable and engaging character audiences could root for throughout.

As Hans, Josh Leech played the villainous role perfectly, balancing charm and menace effectively and ensuring the character’s darker intentions unfolded convincingly across the performance.

One of the standout performances of the evening undoubtedly came from Dean Callow as Olaf. Callow was absolutely outstanding from start to finish. His facial expressions were superb, making Olaf feel completely believable and wonderfully animated. His puppeteering skills were exceptional, bringing the lovable snowman fully to life in a way that delighted both children and adults alike. Vocally, he was equally impressive, and his comic timing throughout was flawless. Having seen this talented young performer in previous productions, he continues to impress time and time again with his professionalism, versatility and ability to create memorable standout performances.

Andrew Dunn as Pabbie and Clare Grimes as Bulda both delivered excellent performances as the mystical trolls who help heal Anna and guide the story’s emotional heart. Their performances brought warmth, wisdom and humour to the production, and both performers created wonderfully engaging stage characters.

Sven the reindeer, portrayed by Klaudia Kirkpatrick, was another visual triumph. The physicality, movement and stage presence were magnificent, creating an entirely believable reindeer character that became an absolute visual delight throughout the show.

The ensemble deserves enormous praise for maintaining such consistently high energy throughout the performance. The choreography was elegant, dynamic and wonderfully synchronised, which is no small achievement with such a large cast. Huge credit must go to the choreography team for creating routines that looked seamless, polished and professional throughout. Every ensemble member contributed fully to the atmosphere and spectacle of the production, helping create a truly immersive theatrical experience.

Visually, the production was stunning. The use of digital projection and digital scenery created seamless transitions between scenes and brought the kingdom of Arendelle vividly to life. The integration of modern technology into live theatre was highly effective and greatly enhanced the storytelling without overshadowing the performances themselves. Combined with the exquisite costumes, the production looked absolutely beautiful from beginning to end.

The audience reaction throughout the evening spoke volumes. Children were visibly enchanted by the familiar songs such as “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” and “Let It Go,” whilst adults were equally absorbed in the emotion, humour and spectacle of the production. It is productions like this that highlight just how important live theatre remains, especially for inspiring younger generations and encouraging a lifelong love of the arts.

What makes this achievement even more remarkable is remembering that these performers and creatives are not full-time West End professionals but individuals with everyday jobs and responsibilities who dedicate countless hours to creating theatre of this quality. The professionalism displayed on stage throughout the evening was extraordinary and genuinely worthy of a professional production.

This was clearly a labour of love from everyone involved. From the production team and creatives to the cast, ensemble, backstage crew and volunteers, every single person involved appeared to give their whole heart and soul to this production. Their passion, dedication and commitment shone through in every moment.

Congratulations to the Centenary Theatre Company on a truly magical evening of theatre and a magnificent production of Disney Frozen. I wish the company every success for the remainder of the run.

If you have not yet secured your tickets, grab them while you can. This wonderful production at The Brindley Theatre is absolutely well worth seeing and is a perfect reminder of the extraordinary talent that exists within amateur theatre in the North West.

Tickets can be purchased from Show Details: FROZEN THE MUSICAL and the show runs until the 16^th May 2026 with three shows on the Saturday.

Reviewer: Katie Leicester

Reviewed: 12^th May 2026

North West End Star Rating: