'Frozen' musical sets Broadway timeline, creative team

The stage musical adaptation of Disney animated megahit "Frozen" is targeting a Broadway opening in spring 2018, following an out-of-town trying in the summer of 2017, with exact dates still to be nailed down.

Directed by Alex Timbers ("Here Lies Loves," "The Pee-wee Herman Show"), the production reunites three key members of the movie's creative team: songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez ("The Book of Mormon," "Avenue Q"), who'll pen additional original songs for the stage incarnation, and screenwriter and co-director Jennifer Lee, who will write the musical's book.

Peter Darling, the choreographer who won a Tony for "Billy Elliot" and is currently represented on Broadway with "Matilda," will choreograph, part of a creative team that will also include Disney regulars Bob Crowley ("Mary Poppins," "Aladdin," "An American in Paris") and Natasha Katz ("Aladdin," "The Little Mermaid," "School of Rock"). Peter Hylenski ("The Scottsboro Boys," "After Midnight") will design the sound, with Stephen Oremus ("The Book of Mormon," "Wicked") on board as music supervisor.

Given the theatrical pedigree of the movie's songwriters and the ongoing popularity of the 2013 movie, "Frozen" seems a surefire hit for Disney, the studio that has parlayed the stage version of "The Lion King" into the top-grossing title of all time. But there remain creative challenges in getting the tale to the stage, including the creation of the new tunes to bolster the movie score.

The try-out town for "Frozen" has yet to be announced, but in the past Disney has given brewing musical projects trial runs in towns including Denver, where "The Little Mermaid" premiered in 2007, and Seattle, where the 2011 bow of "Aladdin" launched that show's trajectory for Broadway.

Disney Theatrical Productions, under the direction of Thomas Schumacher, produces, with exact Broadway venue and dates still to be nailed down.