Frozen genuinely works SO MUCH BETTER as a stage show then it does as a movie, probably because with musical's you have a lot more time to unpack everything, and Frozen is a VERY heavy story. Anna and Elsa's trauma is given so much more room to be explored in the musical because it doesn't need to be condensed for plot progression. We're allowed to just pause everything for like 3 minutes just to get a glimpse into what's going on in Elsa's mind, which I feel we really didn't get enough of in the original film. The extra time also gives them more of a chance to flesh out Anna and Kristoff's relationship, which, while I still think pairing them off at the end was unnecessary at BEST, does at least make them getting together make more sense then it does in the movie. They were also allowed to lean into the darker aspects of the story a lot more, since parents are less likely to take their kids to see a broadway show than they are to take them to a movie theater. The horror Elsa feels at the prospect of hurting people, or more specifically Anna, again is touched on so much more in depth in the musical. She also like, actively contemplates suicide that one time? "Do I kill the monster" - Elsa, in reference to herself. That would NOT have flown in the movie, I'll tell you that much. They're also allowed to be much hornier??? Which isn't necessarily a good thing, more neutral all things considered, but it is funny so I'll count that as a plus lmao.
Weirdly though, despite all the extra time, they did not take a minute to properly foreshadow Hans being the twist villain. Which you knew I had to bring it back to because complaining abt that fucking plot twist has been the only thing I've done in this fandom so far. In fact, I'd say the reveal is almost WORSE on stage, because they can't use all those camera angles that help build tension in the movie, and because the twist is so out-of-left-field there's literally no way to know it's coming unless you've already seen Frozen, which tbh I think the people that intially adapted the movie for broadway might've taken for granted. They took the time to give Hans his own solo number with TWO REPRISES, but don't take a moment to show the audience that he's actually the bad guy until the "if only there was someone who loved you" moment. Tbh it's kinda ironic, since the Hans plot twist is the #1 thing people tend to have a problem with in the original movie. My biggest issue with the Hans plot twist overall is that it really clutters the movie and just feels like a weird aside that distracts you from the actual. Plot. But since they have more room to work with it in the stage show, it didn't have to be that way! If they had revealed Hans' true intentions during, idk, maybe the end of the first Hans of the Southern Isles Reprise, it would've helped build tension in the later scene, because WE understand that Anna is in danger, but SHE doesn't. But alas, complaining about writing chocies you didn't like on the internet won't change them, so I am forced to look on the bright side. What is the bright side, you may ask?
RYAN MCCARTAN AS HANS THATS WHAT!!!!!!!
