6.4 Frozen!

The Gospel of Musical Theatre

What better way to celebrate summer than with a frozen cocktail of Disney Princess mania? It’s 2013’s Frozen, beloved by aspiring Elsas and Annas, reviled by parents and caretakers who threaten to lose it if they hear “Let it Go” one more time (trigger warning: you’ll hear it in this episode).

You’ll also hear:

• Love is an Open Door: a catchy romance ballad that sets up deeper questions about true love – both in the Disney tradition and in a contemporary society where women and men are navigating complicated and often contradictory relationship patterns.
• Let It Go: the power ballad to end all power ballads. Winner of the Oscar for Best Song, it’s the film’s great moment of self-actualization and release. How do we read this moment theologically? What does Elsa represent?
• Fixer-Upper, Vuelie and Summer: a strong score that incorporates elements of the Broadway tradition, Sami folk singing, and some beautiful choral writing that establishes an otherworldly, mythical atmosphere for this contemporary parable.

You’ll hear Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Santino Fontana, Josh Gad and the rest of the cast from the 2013 soundtrack recording.

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