Being the stage adaptation of one of Disney's highest-grossing animations meant expectations were always going to be high.But the Broadway production of Frozen seemingly failed to melt the hearts of its audience when it made its debut at the St.James Theatre in New York City on Thursday night, as the hotly-anticipated production received a rather icy reception from many of its critics.Despite being in the trusted hands of Broadway phenomenons Cassie Levy (Elsa) and Patti Murin (Anna), it seemed reviewers found the show made for lacklustre viewing as show-makers attempted to recreate Frozen's infinite kingdom, which is gripped by perpetual winter, on a finite stage.Deadline write: 'Exactly how far Anna has to travel is never made entirely clear here, largely due to a stage-bound claustrophobia that [Director Michael] Grandage doesn’t overcome.'We see lots of running back and forth across the set, along with some nifty and trapeze-like bridge-crossing, but Anna and her pals’ adventure lacks the journey-like feel of the film or Dorothy’s trip along the Yellow Brick Road.The stakes seem so much lower than they should.' While the 2013 movie is ultimately a tale of love and sacrifice, with darker moments softened by a peppering of comedy, The Hollywood Reporter claims the stage adaptation's anecdotes undermine the poignancy of the story.They write: 'Rather than serving to vary the tone and leaven the gloom, the comedy interludes too often just feel strained, as in the second-act opener, "Hygge," led by Oaken (Kevin Del Aguila), proprietor of a general store and sauna on the mountain route.'This silly, mock-Scandi ditty builds to an incongruous "nude" kickline as the chorus files out of the sauna wielding strategic birch branch body coverage.It stops the story dead in its tracks.' The comment conflicts slightly with that made by Variety, who claim that the 'soggy plot' is rescued by the humour delivered by actor Greg Hildreth, who portrays beloved snowman Olaf.They write: 'Finally, here it comes, what all of us grownups have been waiting for: the entrance of Olaf, the funny little snowman the sisters created long ago, when they were children playing in the nursery.'In “person,” Olaf is a goofy looking puppet.(“Hi, everyone.I’m Olaf, and I like warm hugs.”) As interpreted and manipulated by actor Greg Hildreth, he’s a clever little scamp who brings a lot of heart and humor to this chilly show.'To the extent that a plot exists at all, it’s a soggy one.There’s a lame attempt to make a villain of the ambitious Duke Weselton (Robert Creighton), but the real conflict, the stuff of drama, is all internal — Elsa battling her inner self — and difficult to dramatize.'The show succeeds best at this challenge in the familiar anthem “Let It Go,” Elsa’s despairing acceptance of her dark-magic gift.' The most brutal of reviews arguably comes from The New York Post's Johnny Oleksinski, who bluntly starts his commentary: 'For its new stage musical “Frozen,” Disney shoul
