The Broadway musical Frozen may not be nearly as preschool-kids-friendly as Disney’s The Little Mermaid or Beauty And The Beast, but Torrance Theatre Company once again gives professional regional theaters stiff competition with their splendidly performed and gorgeous-to-look-at big-stage production of the 2018 Broadway hit.

Frozen The Musical expands upon its considerably briefer 2013 animated source material with almost a dozen new songs (by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez) and new scenes (book by Frozen screenwriter Jennifer Lee) that deepen and darken the relationship between sibling heroines torn apart by one sister’s magic abilities that turn out to be more curse than gift.

We first meet Princesses Elsa and Anna as their preteen selves, the two sisters living a pampered life in the fairytale kingdom of Arendelle.

Unfortunately for the two young royals, Elsa’s magical power to freeze anything or anyone within earshot backfires when she accidentally ices Anna from the neck up, though fortunately for the frozen lass, the girls’ parents King Agnarr (Daniel Koh) and Queen Iduna (Roni Williams) manage with the aid of “Hidden Folk” leaders Grand Pabbie (Zavier Davis) and Bulda (Jammie Hampton) to have the spell reversed.

Realizing that Elsa’s supernatural gift could eventually wreak even more havoc upon her family and subjects, King Agnarr sequesters grownup Elsa (Chase Klein) in her own secluded wing of the castle, the better to shield Anna (Nico Fisher) from being entirely turned into ice.

Talk about family drama worthy of a daytime soap!

And this is just the beginning of Frozen’s tale of romance (Charles Keppler’s Prince Hans Of The Southern Isles arrives with wooing Anna on his mind) and intrigue (Steven Flowers’ weaselly Duke of Weselton plots to have Anna as his own).

There’s also adventure provided by the arrival of Christopher Tiernan’s ice-harvesting Kristoff and his reindeer sidekick Sven, whimsy provided by Kyle Wilson’s snowman Olaf who dreams of summering at the beach, and Scandinavian wackiness provided by sauna owner Oaken (Nathan Willingham) and the many pleasures of “Hygge.”

Is it all a bit of a hodgepodge of genres and tones? Does Elsa’s “Let It Go” come seemingly out of nowhere simply because Act One must end with a great-big-voiced bang? Are Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez’s new songs mostly not nearly as memorable as the ones they wrote for the movie? Is the musical adaptation’s darker psychological drama likely to cause preschoolers to fidget?

Yes to all of the above, but none of this stops a humongous volunteer cast from putting on a darned good show, because with leads and featured players as talented as these, direction as imaginative and assured as Jim Hormel’s, choreography as delightful as Sjaan Z. Trowbridge’s, and a full pit orchestra under the baton of music director Bradley Hampton, how could Torrance Theatre Company not deliver yet another August winner?

Stanford-bound Klein delivers such an assured and powerful star turn as Elsa, you’d hardly guess she has only just graduated from high school, rising star Fisher is simply captivating as the feisty and fearless Anna, and both princesses sing like angels.

 Keppler gives Hans equal parts sex appeal and charm, Torrance regular Tiernan’s growth as an artist is on full display in his dynamic star turn as rugged outdoorsman Kristoff, and Wilson delivers the evening’s most adorable and touching featured performance as the human half of puppet snowman Olaf.

Flowers does Blaine Edwards and Antoine Merriweather’s fabulous gay souls proud as Weselton while Bailey Walker and Ted Coonradt peek out of reindeer Sven’s front and rear to delightful effect.

As for Willingham’s Oaken, though he gets only one scene to steal, steal it he does (and then some) as Trading Post and Sauna owner Oaken. (I’d gladly put Willingham’s “Hygge” on auto-replay any day.)

Ensembles don’t get  any harder-working or execute more costume changes than Jake Asaro, Promise Bass, Mya Cannon, Kylie Christensen, Gelline Ibarrola, Thomas Eun Taek Kim, Kevin Mesaverde, Kiera Lee Miller, Tristan Moya, Lauryn Muraida, Roy Okida, Ivan Orozco, Lauren Oseas, Emmanuel Paredes, Emma Parker, Tyler Propst, Jackie Siegle, Erin Tardibuono, Madeline Yee, and Lindsey Yip as assorted Arendellians, palace workers, guards and soldiers, and magical figures.

Last but not least, Kaylee Delpit and Lily Dodson, and Khaya Schafer-Padilla and Collette Sullivan alternate in the roles of Young Anna and Young Elsa.

Once again, Torrance Theatre Company has built their summer musical from the ground up and it looks like a million bucks thanks to the design talents of Michael Aldapa (wigs), Diedre Allabashi (scenic painting), Steve Giltner (lighting and set), Bradley Allen Lock (costumes), Cary Jordahl and Gia Jordahl (props), and Colby Nordberg (projections), with special snaps to Cary Jordahl and Diana Mann for bringing Olaf the Snowman to life.

Gia Jordahl is artistic director. Giltner’s lighting design is provided by Streetlite, LLC and Maddi Deckard’s sound design is provided by Brian Hsieh, DNB Design Sound. Sarah Dobbins is stage manager and Jorge Macias is assistant stage manager.

Though decidedly not a show for children under six years of age (it’s too long and too dark to hold their interest for long), for anyone old enough to fully understand the depth of the story it has to tell and to appreciate the talent on the James Armstrong Theatre stage, Frozen provides further proof that community theaters don’t get any more professional or award-worthy than Torrance Theatre Company.

James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance. Through August 22. Fridays at 7:00, Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00. Also Saturday August 15 at 7:00.
www.torrancetheatrecompany.com

–Steven Stanley
August 8, 2026
Photos: Miguel “Mickey” Elliot

Tags: James Armstrong Theatre, Jennifer Lee, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Los Angeles Theater Review, Robert Lopez, Torrance Theatre Company