Cara Frozen

If you have been following this blog, you may have noticed that I try to take Cara to the theatre once a year. Previous visits included What the Ladybird Heard Live, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Stick Man, Twirlywoos and all the way back to In the Night Garden. 2020’s theatrical experience was supposed to be Frozen the Musical, but unfortunately Covid scuppered that plan and it was delayed until now. Nevermind, the rescheduled performance conveniently landed near Cara’s birthday, so we made a weekend out of it!

Date Visited: 20th November, 2021

Location: Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Catherine St, London WC2B 5JF

Getting There: Serviced by many bus routes, or the Underground (Covent Garden, Temple and Embankment all fairly close)

Cost: Tiered pricing based on where you choose to sit. Our tickets were £99 each, including the theatre restoration levy, for seats in the Stall with unobstructed views. 

Let it gooooo

Cara’s first proper, full-length theatrical performance! I was slightly nervous that given the high cost of the tickets; 1. She wouldn’t want to sit through 2 hours of singing and dancing, even if it was Frozen the Musical. And 2. She had outgrown Frozen and would be bored. I had little to worry about as Cara loved it. 

I assumed it was going to be a word-for-word replay of the movie, which would have been a bit dull. But it was good to see that although it followed the story and all the big ticket songs were there, the show was slightly tweaked and adapted. There were some new songs like ‘Dangerous to Dream’ and my favourite, ‘Hygge’. All the performers were great, and it was fantastic to be back in the theatre after a long, enforced break. Plenty of claps and a standing ovation at the end! 

The experience

The seats we booked (Stalls, row R 14-16) were comfortable enough given that none of us are that tall. Having the aisle seat gave us the option to take Cara to the bathroom when she needed it prior to the intermission. The theatre does offer booster seats for the smaller kids which let Cara to see a bit more. Another benefit of having the aisle seat, allowing Cara to lean out to see more of the show. There is a cloak room up the stairs where we dropped off her scooter. From memory, it cost £1.50. Snacks and drinks were marked up significantly as expected. A bag of fruit pastilles were £4.00. 

If you can budget for all these expenses, then it is definitely worth it to see a live show and support the arts. We don’t venture to them often, so it’s always great to see Cara’s response and expression. We still YouTube some of the songs at home to listen to, and Cara is keen to go watch another show. Lion King or Matilda (or another sitting of Frozen the Musical) might be next! 

Frozen the Musical seats
Spot Cara!

ABC Dad Tips:
  1. If you’re planning to eat dinner before the 7pm session, book the restaurant in advance. We tried to wing-it and find one on the Saturday night and we were frantically searching for a place to eat as they were all full up!
  2. There are bag checks at the door, but I’m sure you can bring in your own treats as long as they’re not too noisy to eat!
  3. Before purchasing a seat, if you’re unsure of the view, you can try sites like Seat Plan or Theatre Monkey which provide photos or reviews of the theatre seats.
  4. There are limited tickets released at certain times for as low as £20. You just need to keep checking on availability and seat choices may be limited.
  5. Arrive earlier than the stated start time to allow you to settle in, visit the loo and soak up the atmosphere. This also means you won’t miss any part of the show!
Ratings:

Burn Time: 3.5 out of 5 – It’s over 2 hours long but includes a 15 minute or so intermission to stretch your legs and have a comfort break. Cara was more than okay sitting through it. 
Value: 2.5 out of 5 –
It is quite pricey, and we are conscious Cara (and me) are privileged enough to be able to watch it. There are cheaper tickets for seats further back or with restricted views. You can also try to buy them at various discount theatre outlets.   
Overall: 5 out of 5 –
Can’t fault the performance. Music, singing and dancing were great. Big smiles on Cara throughout the show, especially when Olaf, Sven and Oaken were on stage.

Have you seen Frozen the Musical yet? What did you think? Please let us know in the comments section, or if you have any other show recommendations!