Guest Blog: Bryony Lavery’s Frozen is revived at the Park Theatre

Mark Rose

Mark Rose writes about Bryony Lavery’s Frozen, produced by The Blueprint Theatre Company at the Park Theatre. Mark plays Ralph in the production which he has also co-produced.

It is no easy feat to get a production off the ground these days. As a small production company of three people, all with other commitments and time constraints, we have to be absolutely certain we are working with material that will make all the hard work and sacrifice worthwhile.

Bryony Lavery’s Frozen is in the consciousness of many people. There are those who never saw its original incarnations at Birmingham Rep or The National Theatre but are nevertheless aware of it and the impression it made at the time.

Critically lauded and award winning the play was an unqualified success in the UK and transferred to Broadway, where it was equally feted. So from Birmingham to London, to Broadway and back again, what is it about a play written nearly 20 years ago that resonates wherever and whenever it is presented?

The answer is in the writing. Bryony has taken a near-unpalatable subject and forged it into a piece of art; it has humanity and heart, it is bold and theatrical, it dares us to examine our reactions to a monstrous act and forces us to ask hard questions.