Disney’s Frozen musical – a new stage adaptation for the Nordic countries

Vesturport theatre, led by Icelandic director Gísli Örn Gardarsson, is creating a new version of Disney’s Frozen musical for Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The production is a collaboration between Vesturport theatre, Oslo’s Det Norske Teatret, the National Theatre of Iceland, Stockholm City Theatre and Helsinki City Theatre. The participating Danish theatre will be announced at a later date.

Together, the theatres will create a new stage version of the musical originally produced by Disney Theatrical Productions. Like the Broadway production, this production of Frozen will feature music and lyrics by Academy Award-winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, with a book by Academy Award-winning playwright Jennifer Lee. The new stage version will be directed by Gísli Örn Gardarsson and designed by a team including set designer Börkur Jonsson and costume designer Christina Lovery. Together, they will bring the full spectrum of Nordic colours to the stage.

Frozen is based on the hit Disney film of the same name and Danish author Hans Christian Andersen’s original 1844 fairy tale Lumikuningatar. It tells the story of two sisters: Elsa, who is isolated because of a mysterious secret, and Anna, who sets out on a journey to save her.

Drawing inspiration from the Nordic region’s diverse geography, mythology and cultural heritage, we are thrilled to bring the cultural phenomenon of Frozen to Nordic stages in a new and exciting theatrical event. The production will feature the songs “Let it Go” and “Do You Want to Build a Snowman”, alongside other hits from the film and 12 entirely new songs written especially for the stage version by the original Academy Award-winning songwriters.

The production will have its first premiere in Oslo on 14 October 2023, followed by Reykjavík in February 2024. Premiere dates for Stockholm, Helsinki and Copenhagen will be announced later.

The participating Nordic theatres are excited about both the musical and the collaboration:

Director Gísli Örn Gardarsson on the opportunity to bring Disney’s Frozen to the stage:
“Bringing Frozen home to the Nordic countries is a tremendous vote of confidence from Disney. And a great honour! I truly look forward to bringing this Nordic version of the hit musical to life.”

Erik Ulfsby, Artistic Director of Det Norske Teatret:
“Creating the adventurous winter magic of Frozen’s fairy-tale world is a challenge our theatre embraces with enthusiasm. We are thrilled that Disney has given us this opportunity.”

Magnús Geir Þórðarson, Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Iceland:
“We look forward to presenting a completely new stage version of this beloved work rooted in Nordic folklore, conceived by one of our leading directors, renowned for his imaginative and spectacular theatre work in Iceland and abroad.”

Maria Sid, Artistic Director of Stockholm City Theatre:
“We are delighted to be part of this collaboration, creating a Nordic version of H.C. Andersen’s classic fairy tale. Together with our Icelandic, Norwegian, Finnish and Danish friends, we have the opportunity to bring this musical into a Nordic context.”

Kari Arffman, Artistic Director of Helsinki City Theatre:
“Over the years, our theatre has staged several Disney musicals, but this is the first time we have co-produced one as part of a Nordic collaboration. Producing Frozen in this way therefore gives us twice as much reason to celebrate!”

Hans van Rijn, SVP and Country Manager for The Walt Disney Company Nordic & Baltic, adds:
“Nordic audiences have taken the stories and characters of Frozen to their hearts ever since the first film was released, which will be ten years ago this year. I cannot imagine a better way to celebrate than with the first Nordic production of our musical adaptation, featuring the book and score originally created for Broadway by Disney and, in this case, brought to the stage by a Nordic creative team. We sincerely look forward to working with Gísli Örn Gardarsson and the theatres to bring this cultural phenomenon to life on stage.”

Frozen and the original Broadway production:

Frozen was originally produced by Disney Theatrical Productions and opened at Broadway’s St. James Theatre in March 2018, setting a Broadway record for advance ticket sales. Frozen was also the highest-grossing new musical of the Broadway season during its first year on Broadway. The musical has enjoyed international success, with productions in Australia and North America, London’s West End, Japan and Hamburg, Germany.

Disney released the animated film Frozen on 19 November 2013, and it became a favourite with critics and audiences alike. The film grossed more than 1.28 billion dollars worldwide and was the highest-grossing animated film and musical film until the new version of Leijonakuninkaan surpassed it in 2019. The film Frozen 2 became the highest-grossing animated film of all time, earning 1.45 billion dollars worldwide.

The first Frozen film won two Academy Awards: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song (“Let It Go”), as well as two Grammy Awards: Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media and Best Song Written for Visual Media (“Let It Go”).

Further information:
Head of Communications Kaisa Pelkonen, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja, 00530 Helsinki