Disney’s Frozen The Musical
★★★★★ Extraordinary
Broughton High School (Venue 318): Sat 1 – Sat 8 Aug 2026
Review by Hugh Simpson
Forth Children’s Theatre is always one of the companies whose Fringe shows are a must-see. And, even if it is starting before the Fringe, Disney’s Frozen The Musical is definitely in that category. Visually impressive, technically impeccable and with some quite magnificent performances, this is genuinely wonderful.
The 2018 stage musical (music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, book by Jennifer Lee) is of course based on the 2013 film which surely needs no introduction. But if you don’t know, it’s loosely based on The Snow Queen, and features two sisters. Elsa, the elder, can magically create ice and snow, but cannot control her power, which creates problems for both her and her younger sister Anna.
Lara Shanks (Anna). Pic: Eric Whitelaw at Helios Media.
The stage adaptation has not had as much success as some of the other big-budget Disney stage musicals. This might be because (unlike Beauty and The Beast or The Lion King) it came just a few years after the film, which didn’t give its young audience time to grow up and become theatre ticket buyers. Or it might be because the stage representation of ice castles didn’t match up to the striking visual standard set by those earlier productions.
The stage musical has made quite a few changes from the film; the trolls have become more human ‘hidden folk’, there are more than twice as many songs, the sisters’ motivations are explored more fully, and there are various other tweaks.
makes light of all of this
Which does undoubtedly cause issues. An understandable desire to put Let It Go immediately before the interval, when it comes much earlier in the film, unbalances both the overall structure and Elsa’s story arc in particular.
But FCT’s production makes light of all of this. The potential problems with the setting are solved beautifully by having everything depicted on screens. Which isn’t always a solution, as too often it can be distracting or badly thought out. Here, however, it works brilliantly. The whole look of the production is first rate, and Tam Jardine (responsible for the physical set) and Callum Farrell (provider of its virtual equivalent) deserve the highest praise.
Isla Nisbet (Elsa). Pic: Eric Whitelaw at Helios Media.
There is a similar attention to detail throughout the production. Georgia Brennan’s direction is considered, energetic and wonderfully paced, while Taylor Doig’s choreography is inventive and imaginative, making full use of a huge and hugely impressive ensemble. Musical director Jack Gardner leads an outstanding 13-piece band.
All of which gives the best possible platform for a talented cast. In the opening scenes, Keira Swain and Ava Clark play the younger versions of Anna and Elsa with such energy, character and tunefulness that you are starting to regret that they will soon be replaced by older versions.
But there is certainly no cause for disappointment when Lara Shanks and Isla Nisbet take over the roles. As so often with FCT, there is no reason to make excuses, or to say that these are good performances for youngsters; they are quite simply brilliant in their own right.
beautifully judged reactions
Nisbet’s Elsa is conflicted and deeply human, and acts through song brilliantly. Any doubts about the dramatic logic of Let It Go’s placing are blown away here by a rendition that is tuneful, forceful (but not overly so) and genuinely affecting.
Shanks, meanwhile, is also an extremely impressive singer and a highly adept comic performer, with some beautifully judged reactions. Elsa and Anna’s duet on I Can’t Lose You (one of the best of the added songs) is an undoubted highlight, showcasing two nicely contrasted and exceptional performances.
Megan Hill (Sven the reindeer) an Jac Simpson Hobbs (Kristof). Pic: Eric Whitelaw at Helios Media
Not that the rest of the cast are inferior. Jac Simpson-Hobbs is likeable and sympathetic as Kristoff, the initially cynical ice-seller who helps Anna in her quest to find Elsa. Ryan Guthrie has a tuneful charm as Hans, the apparently charming prince who sweeps Anna off her feet; Guthrie and Shanks’s duet on Love Is An Open Door is another real standout.
Sean Tomassi is every bit as enchanting as you would expect as Olaf the snowman. His costume is beautifully realised – something that can also be said of Sven the reindeer, operated with charm by Megan Hill.
Maia Baxter and Ben Manion provide gravitas and authority as the princesses’ parents, while Emma Ssembatya and Emily Knowles have an otherworldly quality as the leaders of the Hidden Folk. Maisie Aitchison plays the weaselly Weselton with relish and real comic nous.
epic grandeur
Good as the featured performers are, however, many of the best parts of this production feature an ensemble which is just too large to mention everyone by name. Hygge, led by Olly Freeman-Ferguson’s trader Oaken, has some excellent choreography. The dancers (under dance captain Laila Wright) are notably well-drilled throughout.
Numbers which have more than one featured vocalist, such as For The First time In Forever, End This Winter and Monster come across particularly well. Monster, another song added for the stage version, in which Elsa goes to some pretty dark places for a Disney musical, in particular reaches a real kind of epic grandeur here.
All of this is helped by some tremendous technical work. Callum Farrell, Chris Combe, Owen Droudge and Caroline Richardson provide top-notch sound and lighting; the sound in particular puts many professional productions to shame.
Olly Freeman-Ferguson (Oaken), Sean Tomassi (Olaf) and members of the Frozen cast. Pic: Eric Whitelaw at Helios Media.
While some may consider that the original film has not made the transition to the stage unscathed, this production blows away any possible objections with its energy, momentum and copious amounts of onstage talent.
It’s a shame that the dates of the festivals are now so detached from school holidays. The usual recommendation that FCT is one of the must-see shows will be of little use when the demands of the performers returning to education mean that this production is ending just as the Fringe proper begins, to the extent that the full dates didn’t even appear on the Fringe website.
Which isn’t FCT’s fault, and is particularly galling when that recommendation should be even stronger than ever. I would be very surprised if there is a better production of a musical to be found on any stage in Edinburgh this year.
Running time: Two hours (Including one interval).
Broughton High School (Main Theatre), 29 East Fettes Ave, EH4 1EG (Venue 318).
Saturday 1 – Saturday 8 August 2026
Daily Tues – Sat at 7.00 pm; Sat, Sun, Wed at 2.00 pm
Tickets and details: Book here.
And from the Fringe: Book here.
FCT website: www.forthchildrenstheatre.org/
Facebook: @forthchildrenstheatre
Instagram: @forthchildrenstheatre
TikTok: @forthchildrenstheatre
The Cast of FCT’s Disney’s Frozen the Musical. Pic: FCT
ENDS
