There’s not much we know for sure.
But we can say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that our 35-year-old cousin, Simon Flannery, loves musicals more than any other human on earth.
He’s been to… all of them.
Dirty Dancing.
Wicked.
Bring it On.
Les Miserables.
Matilda.
The Lion King.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
But recently, he discovered - dare we say - his favourite musical of all time.
On a warm Tuesday night, we took Simon to see Frozen the Musical in Sydney. Here's how it went down.
***
It's 6pm and we meet Simon at the Thai restaurant next to the Capitol Theatre that we frequent... far too often. Every musical experience starts the same way:
Dinner. Rushing to the theatre to put our bags in the cloakroom (okay, we don't actually have anything to put in the cloakroom, but Simon likes to put his empty backpack in there. It's his thing). Buying the program. Getting a snack. Getting to our seats early. And then waiting for the magic to begin.
At dinner, Simon is so excited. He's spotted the posters all over Sydney, and he can see everyone dressed up like Elsa. It's the first musical he's been to since lockdown, and there's excitement in the air. He tells the waitress that we're seeing Frozen and she understands the pure joy emanating from our table. When it gets to 6.30pm, he knows it's cloakroom time, so lets us know he'll meet us in the theatre.
Dinner time. Image: Supplied.
Unfortunately, COVID means no cloakroom. Which is very valid. Simon is chill about it, and also knows he has to wear his face mask when we're inside the theatre. He doesn't let it hinder his experience, and still walks confidently over to the man selling the programs, pointing and showing his $20.
Program purchased. We have a very happy Simon.
As we take our seats and wait for the show to start, we go through the cast in the program, recognising familiar faces from previous musicals we've seen. He loves all the photos of the set, and can tell which bits he's going to enjoy the most. Unsurprisingly, he points to Olaf and smiles. Yep. You, Sir, are going to goddamn love Olaf.
For context, Simon hasn't seen Frozen the movie. Weirdly, neither have we. The musical is our first exposure to the story, so we have literally no idea about what's going to happen on stage.
But SHHHH because it's starting and the little girls dressed as Elsa would like everyone to BE QUIET.
As the show begins, Simon is completely transfixed. The set. The costumes. The special effects.
None of us have ever seen anything like it.
The show started on Broadway so it's no surprise the quality is so high.
Then it happens. During 'Let It Go', Elsa's cloak and gloves literally fly off her and its hands down the most amazing thing any of us have seen on stage.
HOW.
At this point, Simon's yell bellows throughout the theatre. He stands up and rubs his hands together and this could potentially be the greatest moment of his life.
At intermission, he obviously needs to go to the bathroom so he won't be disrupted in the second act. As he makes his way to the line, he rhetorically asks every person in the foyer 'good?' 'good?' but it's not a question. It's a statement.
It is very, very good.
As we enter the second act, Olaf becomes a bigger part of the storyline, which Simon likes very much. We watch as Anna and Kristoff's friendship grows, and eventually, they get back to the castle for Anna's crucial kiss with her 'one true love', Hans.
But guys.
The twist.
Look. We understand we were likely the only people in the theatre who didn't see that coming but DEAR LORD WHAT FANTASTIC WRITING.
We watch as Elsa and Anna's relationship is repaired, culminating in a final rendition of 'Let It Go', and this has to be the most wholesome thing we've seen in a year: countless little girls, dressed in their Elsa costumes, approaching the stage in a trance to also sing 'Let It Go'. Does Simon want to join them? A little bit.
None of us want the musical to end, and we leave feeling so bloody lucky to have musical theatre back in Sydney. Simon asks us to take some photos of him in front of the poster, and we do exactly that.
Image: Supplied.
Everyone outside excitedly recaps the performance, and Simon joins in, showing strangers his program and pointing to his favourite characters.
On the way home, Simon demands we take him to see Frozen the Musical again, and like, yeah. We probably will, mate.
Frozen the Musical is now playing in Sydney's Capitol Theatre. It opens in Melbourne this winter, at Her Majesty's Theatre. Find out more here.
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