'Frozen' musical debuts to a not-so-chilly reception in Singapore - its only stop in Southeast Asia

Record ID: 1710743

  • Title: 'Frozen' musical debuts to a not-so-chilly reception in Singapore - its only stop in Southeast Asia
  • Date: 9th February 2023
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF O’CONNOR, PERFORMING ON STAGE O’CONNOR AND OTHER ACTORS PERFORMING
  • Embargoed: 23rd February 2023 09:24
  • Keywords: Disney Frozen Singapore musical premiere
  • Location: SINGAPORE
  • City: SINGAPORE
  • Country: Singapore
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Theatre
  • Reuters ID: LVA007878809022023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Despite its title, Disney’s ‘Frozen’ the musical received a not-so-chilly reception in tropical Singapore on Wednesday (February 8), during its ‘blue carpet’ gala for its gala premiere.
    With a literal frozen signage and several snowflake emblems, the global hit Broadway musical is making its first and only stop in Southeast Asia and attracting fans from overseas.
    “Last night I actually had a couple of people that I saw at stage door that have come from Manila. And they were so excited, and they were so grateful that the show came here so they were able to come to Singapore to see the show,” said prominent Australian theatre actress Jemma Rix, who plays the iconic lead character of ‘Elsa’.
    A significant number of tickets are expected to be sold around Southeast Asia, predominantly Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand, according to presenter company ‘Base Entertainment’. A tourist told Reuters how "amazing" it was to be able to catch the show with his daughter.
    Frozen, based on the box office hit and academy award winning animation film, ended its record-breaking Broadway run in 2020 after receiving multiple Tony award nominations, and most recently concluded its tour two and a half year run in Australia.
    “It’s so exciting to take show overseas, you know, out of your country. And you get to experience the culture,” Rix told Reuters.
    Bringing the musical to Singapore was an enormous logistical feat - involving 26 shipping containers carrying 440 costumes, 120 pairs of shoes, 145 wigs and 90 handmade hats from Australia, according to Disney.
    When asked if the show had been altered for a new audience, director Benjamin Osborne told Reuters that “the story is completely universal, family is such an important thing in every culture and so I feel as though we don’t need to change anything.”
    Osborne compared the energy at a preview performance on Tuesday (February 7) to that of a “rock concert”, adding that this strayed from the usual experiences he had in the past in Asian cities.
    Audiences were jubilant, many of whom were in awe of the show’s “magic”.
    “It’s way past their (his children's) bedtime but they’re still so awake because it was bigger than the movie. I mean, it just came to life,” said audience member and radio presenter Jerald Justin Ko after posing with his young children and wife on the ‘blue carpet’.
    The ‘Frozen’ musical will run for a six-week season until March 19 at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre.
    (Production: Lion Schellerer, Travis Teo)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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