Frozen Jr. As Presented by Bosco Drama Group

Bosco Drama Group 

Frozen Jr. 

Saturday 5th October 2024 

Frozen Jr. was a triumphant return to Newry Town Hall for the cast and crew of Bosco Drama Group. Only a year previously, their production of ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ was almost cancelled when the Town Hall was flooded, destroying costumes, sets and props. In true theatrical style, the show proceeded in an alternative venue, highlighting the indomitable power of community. What a joy it was for them all to return to their home and to bring this Disney classic to life with an enormous cast of 8–18-year-old performers; every one of them living their best lives and basking in the glow of the wonderfully inclusive and supportive ethos that is promoted so clearly in the Bosco Drama Group. 

Front of House was a hive of activity when we arrived and it was so lovely to see so many young children, dressed as their favourite ‘Frozen’ characters, excited for the forthcoming evening’s entertainment. We were escorted to our seats at the front of the balcony and my dodgy knee was never so grateful to have the most leg room I’ve ever had in a theatre! 

Director Corinna McCaughey brought this challenging show to the stage, doing very well with her extremely large cast. She created some magical, theatrical moments, culminating in a brilliantly effective transformation sequence which revealed Elsa’s iconic dress during the fabulous ‘Let it Go.’Ms. McCaughey elicited some fine performances from her talented cast as she guided us through the story with a light touch and good attention to the narrative. At times, I felt that some performers played directly to the audience, even when delivering dialogue to one another. As a former young member of the group herself, Ms. McCaughey must have been immensely proud of everyone involved in this production. 

As per the strict licensing agreement, Musical Director Aislinn McGinn was unable to use an orchestra for this production, as would be the norm for the group. Instead, she worked with the high-quality tracks provided by the licence holders. Whilst this allowed her to focus more on the vocal requirements of the show, it did restrict her somewhat, in places, and did not afford her the flexibility which having an orchestra might do. As well as the sizable onstage ensemble, Ms. McGinn conducted a large choir of young children whose angelic voices and enthusiasm added so much to the show. Principal vocals were generally of a good standard and the onstage ensemble acquitted themselves very well throughout. The stunning ‘Let it Go’ finale was the vocal highlight of the show for me. 

Ann Marie Morgan has spent the last quarter of a century choreographing for Bosco Drama Group. What an incredibly impressive record that is and, I’ll wager, it is highly unlikely to be surpassed in too many other groups. She created some wonderful routines which really suited the abilities of her young cast. There was inventive and fun use of props, which really helped to drive the narrative. ‘In Summer’ was full of comedic business and I loved the fun-filled ‘Hygge’ with its lederhosen clad ensemble and the clever tankard sequence a la ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ ‘Let it Go’ was a delight and I really loved the movement of cast in ‘Colder by the Minute’.

The iconic role of Elsa was played with great focus by the talented Robyn Cunningham. Ms. Cunningham brought us on an emotional journey from the fear and isolation experienced in the early stages of the show to the transformative ‘Let it Go’, in which she demonstrated her very strong voice. ‘Colder by the Minute’ was another vocal highlight. This was a huge role for Ms. Cunningham to take on and she handled it very well indeed. 

Emily Morgan was full of energy as Elsa’s younger sibling, Anna. She exuded character and likability in what was a most vibrant performance. Ms. Morgan was equally comfortable with the comic elements of her character as the more heartfelt aspects. She had a full, mature voice and impressed greatly in ‘Love is an Open Door’ with Hans. 

Driving Elsa and Anna’s backstories were some equally talented young ladies. Sophie McKernan, Eibhlinn McNeill, Kate O’Mahony and Daimhin Feehan played the roles of Young Anna, Young Elsa, Middle Anna and Middle Elsa respectively. Each of these brought great fun and commitment to their roles. 

Patrick McAllister was an impressive, if laid back, Kristoff, full of sarcastic fun. Mr. McAllister had good stage presence and had a wonderful onstage rapport with Ms. Morgan. ‘Reindeer(s) are Better than People’ was a beautiful moment, very well sung. 

Aidan McCaughey melted the audience’s heart as everyone’s favourite snowman, Olaf. This was a solid comic performance from Mr. McCaughey, who relished every moment on stage. He also deserves every credit for his management of what was a visually stunning, but nonetheless cumbersome, costume. Mr. McCaughey brought the house down with his fine rendition of the impressively staged ‘In Summer’. 

Conor Sands had good fun with his portrayal of the two-faced Hans. His performance was suitably over the top, when needed. He nailed the required duplicity of the role, segueing from charming to devious, seamlessly. I really liked his ‘Love is an Open Door’ with Ms. Morgan; one of the show’s many highlights. 

Holly Campbell’s costume, as reindeer Sven, looked as if it had just been swiped from the walls of the Natural History Museum. Ms. Campbell took what could easily be a forgettable character and captured our hearts with her great vocal expression and comic business. 

The show boasts a large cast of cameo roles, and this provided lots of opportunity for the production team of this wonderfully inclusive company to give valuable experience to many of its young members. Danny McGinn shone as a funny Weselton.

Shay Devlin also impressed as the heavily accented Oaken in the rousing ‘Hygge’. There was great work too from Eoghan Drumm and Olivia Ward as Pabbie and Bulda in their well-performed ‘Fixer Upper’. Faith Savage did well as Bishop and Micheal Sean McAteer and Sophie Morgan were suitably regal in their portrayals of King Agnarr and Queen Iduna. 

There were well over a hundred and fifty young performers, between the onstage ensemble and the children’s choir. The choir sang beautifully, giving excellent support to their fellow cast on stage. I was greatly impressed by their exceptional discipline between numbers as they never once distracted from the action on stage. How wonderful it was for all of these children to get the opportunity to take centre stage, dancing their hearts out to a specially inserted Disney medley at the end of the show. The large on-stage ensemble was kept busy all through the show. From the townspeople to the hidden folk, to the castle servants, to the summer chorus, to the snow chorus, we were treated to a constant conveyor belt of talented performers who sang with gusto and were fully committed to the well-rehearsed dance routines.

Stage manager Anne Marie McAleenan was also responsible for the show’s artistic design. She did a wonderful job of creating a suitably ‘Disneyesque’ world with exquisite attention to detail in all of the very solid, colourful trucks and set pieces which were seamlessly manoeuvred by a very skilled and efficient crew. The trucked ‘maypole’ was a nicely authentic touch, and the large, upstage ice trucks helped to create a dramatic setting for the wonderful ‘Let it Go’ number. My only gripe was seeing crew in blacks rotating the wonderful door truck in full light as it took us out of the story momentarily. 

Props were generally well chosen and in keeping with the fun of the show. There was nice use of parasols and beachballs for ‘In Summer’ and the chocolate cake was rather impressive too. I really liked the silver branches which really added to ‘Let it Go’ and I’m pretty sure that bucketloads of silver glitter were used throughout the run for Elsa’s many moments of magic. Good work from all! 

There was great work throughout from the lighting department with good use of moving lights and haze in creating some of the show’s most magical highlights. Gobos were very well utilised to help create mood and atmosphere, enhancing the visual impact of the production greatly. ‘Colder by the Minute’ was very dramatically lit as the show’s climactic blizzard took hold. 

Sound was in capable hands for this show. As one would expect at a final performance, cueing of tracks was consistently sharp, with no unnecessary delays. Cueing of mics was also very solid. Track levels were set well, ensuring that vocals and underscored dialogue were generally well heard. I would have liked more overall volume in general, but I suspect that positioning of speakers in the auditorium meant that those of us seated in the balcony were not getting the full impact from the PA system. 

There was a stunning array of costumes assembled for this production. There is a very definite template in place, dictated by the classic animated movie. To deviate from this too much would have crushed the expectations of a large cohort of children who packed the Town Hall in the hope of seeing their favourite characters come to life. There was no need for worry because boy did the costume team deliver! From the iconic dresses synonymous with Elsa and Anna, to Sven and Olaf’s superb looks, this was a costume plot to be very proud of. Nothing was left to chance with the ensemble either. I was particularly impressed with the attention to detail for servants, the fabulous coronation dresses, the fun lederhosen in ‘Hygge’ and the beautiful white dresses in the wonderful ‘Let it Go’. 

Hair and make-up were very well managed considering there were so many people on stage. Wigs were generally well chosen, especially for our Annas and Elsas whose iconic looks were very well recreated. 

This was an entertaining production of the familiar Disney classic. Familiarity with the source material contributed greatly to the audience’s engagement and it was a delight to hear so many little (and not so little) voices joining in with all of the familiar numbers. Equally delightful was hearing all about the amazing work which has been done by Bosco Drama Group over the years to promote inclusivity in the community. Every child who walks through the doors at the beginning of the summer, is guaranteed to get their chance to perform. And what an amazing experience that clearly was for them all. To everyone who helped to facilitate this wonderful ethos, take a bow. Love is indeed an open door! 

Pat McElwain 

Gilbert adjudicator 2024/2025