Disney’s Frozen musical to close in the West End – but open in UK schools

The show's run at Theatre Royal Drury Lane will end in September but British schools can then compete to stage it

Since the summer of 2021 it has drawn waves of excited theatregoers wearing Elsa dresses - alongside the occasional Anna or Olaf costume - but the West End musical Frozen is to close later this year.

On Monday, Disney Theatrical Group announced that the stage adaptation of the animated blockbuster was being extended for the final time. The show will complete its run at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 8 September, having been seen by more than 2.8 million people. Its closure comes as a surprise: the show received five-star reviews, including from the Guardian, and was hailed by critics as the perfect introduction to theatre for children. A second sequel to the 2013 film is destined for cinemas, suggesting Frozen fever" is far from over. The North American tour of the Broadway musical has been running since 2019.