Frozen in London cast: Samantha Barks and Stephanie McKeon to play Elsa and Anna in West End
The lead casting for Disney’s Frozen The Musical in London’s West End has been announced.
Frozen The Musical will open at the Drury Lane Theatre in autumn 2020.
Samantha Barks will take up the role of ice queen Elsa while Stephanie McKeon will appear as sister princess Anna.
Director Michael Grandage said: “Frozen tells the story of two extraordinary women and we’re thrilled to have found Samantha and Stephanie who will bring their incredible talent to the roles of Elsa and Anna, allowing us to create a production of Frozen especially for London.
“Now more than ever, we’re looking forward to the day we can all get together in a rehearsal room to bring their story to the stage.”
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Barks previously told Daily Mail’s Baz Bamigboye of her character: “Elsa has got to learn to control her powers.
“She’s a strong woman, and all of a sudden she’s saying: ‘I’m not going to hold back any more!’ That’s so powerful, especially for a young girl. Actually, not just females…men are touched by that song, too.”
Grandage added of Bark’s final audition, where she performed the iconic song Let It Go: “You obviously need somebody who can sing the big numbers in an extraordinary way. Somebody who can act it. Somebody who can look amazing in the transformation — there are certain obvious things you look for…
“She brought an originality to it — and we thought there was nothing new we could see! But Sam showed us otherwise.”
Further casting is to be confirmed.
Meanwhile, it’s been revealed the London version of the 2013 animated film’s stage adaption will feature new song I Can’t Lose You which does not currently appear in the Broadway show.
Performed by Elsa and Anna, the duet was written by husband and wife team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez who wrote both the original songs for the film and more than 10 new songs for the Broadway show.
The musical’s book comes from Jennifer Lee, who wrote the film’s screenplay, with choreography from Rob Ashford.
Tickets for Frozen in London will went on general sale on March 6, 2020 following priority booking in January.
You can sign up for priority booking access and exclusive news and content from FrozenTheMusical.co.uk.
Photo credit: Disney/Julia Kennedy
