Watch Tony Nominees Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez Break Down Writing Frozen’s ‘Monster’

The Tony-nominated songwriters discuss composing a brand new Elsa song for the Broadway adaptation of their hit film.

“Every choice we make is about deepening the story,” says composer-lyricist Kristen Anderson-Lopez. Digging into the narrative of the Oscar-winning animated movie Frozen was the task at hand for Anderson-Lopez and her husband and writing partner Robert Lopez when re-visiting the score and expanding it for Broadway.

“When you’re doing a movie, in the late second actor plot really takes over and you want action to lead, not songs. Whereas onstage it’s all about emotion,” Lopez explains. Which is where the new power ballad “Monster” comes in. Caissie Levy raises the rafters of the St. James Theatre eight times a week in the Tony-nominated Best Musical with her vocal gymnastics, but Playbill wanted to know about how the song came to be. What came first: music or lyrics? What’s up with the 7/8 time signature? Who came up with the lyrical rhyming scheme? And what changed from the out-of-town tryout in Denver to Broadway?

Watch as 2018 Tony nominees Anderson-Lopez and Lopez break down their writing—of their Tony-nomined Best Score—in the exclusive video above.

And, take a look at the full music video of ‘Monster’ for the complete final product below.



Ruthie Fierberg is the Senior Features Editor of Playbill covering all things theatre and co-hosting the Opening Night Red Carpet livestreams on Playbill's Facebook. Follow her on Twitter @RuthiesATrain, on Instagram @ruthiefierceberg, or via her website.

