Frozen at Theatre Royal Portsmouth: final dates

If you have been waiting for a family outing that lands somewhere between a proper night out and something the kids will actually sit through, the Disney musical Frozen is currently in the middle of its run at the Theatre Royal Portsmouth. It opened on 19 September and carries on until the 27th, so there are still a handful of dates left to catch it before it packs up.

The show is built around the songs everyone knows from the films, so expect Let It Go, Do You Want to Build a Snowman?, For the First Time in Forever and Love is an Open Door to be the centrepieces. It is pitched as a family outing for all ages, which is shorthand for saying it is as much for the parents as it is for the children. The stage production comes from a serious creative team: Michael Grandage directs, Rob Ashford handles the choreography, and the music and lyrics are by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. Christopher Oram takes on scenic and costume design, Neil Austin is on lighting, and Peter Hylenski is responsible for the sound.

On stage, Samantha Barks plays Elsa, with Laura Dawkes as Anna, Craig Gallivan as Olaf, Jammy Kasongo as Kristoff, Oliver Ormson as Hans and Richard Frame as Weselton. The run is nearly finished, so the remaining dates are worth pinning down. There are evening shows at 18:30 on 24 and 25 September, a double bill on Saturday 26 September with a 13:30 matinee and an 18:30 evening performance, and a final 13:30 matinee on Sunday 27 September to close the run. The BSL interpreted performance was on 23 September, so that one has already passed. Times are still to be confirmed, so it is worth checking before you set off.

Tickets are £20 plus a ticket levy, and booking is required, so you cannot simply turn up on the night. There are concessions for under-16s, which keeps the price reasonable for families bringing a couple of younger ones along. The venue itself is worth a mention, as it is a bit of a Portsmouth landmark in its own right. The Theatre Royal is a Grade II* listed building on Guildhall Walk with a history that goes back two centuries, having evolved from the Landport Hall in 1856 before the current building opened in 1884 to a design by C.J. Phipps. It was later enlarged by the architect Frank Matcham and reopened in 1900, and it now holds around 1,000 people in the auditorium with a 190-seat bar for a drink before the curtain goes up.

Taken together, it is an easy plan for the autumn: a well-known show in a building with some real character, and at £20 a ticket it does not break the bank for an afternoon or evening out. With the run ending on the 27th, the window to catch it is closing, so if you are planning to bring the family, it is worth sorting a date now rather than leaving it to the last weekend.