As Pittsburgh CLO executive producer Mark Fleischer looked out over the crowd at the Benedum Center before Friday’s opening night performance of Disney’s “Frozen,” he said, “It’s great to see so many blue dresses on young people. How many people are here seeing your very first live musical?”

The response was significant. Thanks to the CLO, so many members of a new generation are being introduced to the magic of live theater, through their enchanting production, running through July 27.

I went into “Frozen” with a significant advantage: I’m not a parent. I haven’t had to hear Idina Menzel’s blockbuster rendition of “Let It Go” from the 2013 animated film 8,000 times. Under those circumstances, I think I’d probably also wear a thousand-yard stare at the very mention of Anna or Elsa. But instead, I’ve had the opportunity to come at both the movie and musical in my own time and appreciate them without “A Clockwork Orange”-style forced repetition.

Not only was I immensely charmed by the CLO’s production itself, I was also charmed by how much the kids around me were enjoying themselves — and how much their parents were enjoying their kids’ joy.

But also, it’s just a really fun and touching show.

“Frozen” follows the same snow-covered plot path as the Disney film. Elsa, a princess of Arendelle, is first in line for the throne, but also has been blessed/cursed with the magic ability to create ice and snow. In childhood, she and little sister Anna are very close, until her power causes a tragic accident that hurts Anna. After that, Elsa — at the instruction of her (very nearsighted) parents — hides herself away from everyone in an attempt to control her magic.

The king and queen perish at sea and Elsa ascends to the throne. At her coronation, Anna meets Prince Hans and falls head over heels for him, and they decide to get married immediately. But when she announces her engagement to Elsa, the new queen becomes so distressed that her magic freezes the entire kingdom.

Elsa runs off, and Anna must go after her to save the kingdom — and their bond as sisters.

The music for both the film and musical (it contains most, if not all, of the film songs with several new ones added in) was written by Robert Lopen and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, which explains why the newly added songs are generally on-par qualitywise with the familiar tunes. The show’s book was written by screenwriter and co-director of the 2013 film, Jennifer Lee. Debuting on Broadway in 2018, it was nominated for three Tony Awards.

If there’s one reason to see this production, it’s Cate Hayman’s performance as Elsa. She portrays the icy-but-vulnerable queen with real heart, but her voice is the real showstopper; she could belt out “Let It Go” and several other emotional ballads with goosebump-inducing power. Her version of the show’s signature song was more reminiscent of Hannah Waddingham’s karaoke version on Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” — and that is a compliment.

But she wasn’t the only one whose heart thawed the whole theater. Daisy Wright’s Anna has a sincere sweetness that makes her heartbreak even sadder, but she’s just sunny enough to keep the show optimistic and light. Plus her songbird voice fits the character well.

Hans, Anna’s “love interest,” is portrayed by Kevin Hack while Kristoff, the goofy ice merchant who aids her in her quest, is played by Matthew Hydzik. Both are pitch-perfect additions to the cast. And everyone wants to hear about Olaf, that lovable snowman sidekick. Puppeteer and performer Kyle Kemph melted the audience’s hearts with his humor and gusto.

The production value of Pittsburgh CLO’s “Frozen” sparkles especially bright. Director Michael Heitzman and the entire creative team made the show not only emotionally impactful but gorgeous to look at, even with so many different scenes and backdrops to juggle. Choreographer Robbie Roby pulled off some impressive dance breaks, especially during second act number “Fixer Upper.” And video designer Bryce Cutler deserves a lot of praise for setting so many scenes, creating backdrops from the northern lights to formidable mountains.

Costume designer Ryan J. Moller had to make outfits fit for princesses, but also for a large ensemble — and the background characters’ costumes were fun to see. Scenic designer Tim Mackabee — with additional scenic elements by Adam Koch — and lighting designer Paul Miller so perfectly captured springtime festivals and ice palaces that you could swear the temperature actually fluctuated in the Benedum.

The Pittsburgh CLO Orchestra, conducted by Catie Brown, matched the powerful voices onstage perfectly with standout percussion, playful melodies and swelling moments. In newly-added numbers like “Dangerous to Dream” and “I Can’t Lose You,” the orchestra really packed an emotional punch.

The production pulls out all the stops, with fog, sound effects, quick changes and spinning platforms.

Unlike a lot of movie-to-musical adaptations, the new songs in “Frozen” don’t feel like a burden that forces the audience to slog through “the new stuff” before they hear “the hits,” like an impatient crowd at a classic rock concert. Everything flows together nicely, and the fresh material even adds some much-needed depth to Elsa’s character.

All of that to say, even if you’re sick of this modern Disney classic, there’s reason to be optimistic about Pittsburgh CLO’s production. Maybe this is a good time to give it another shot. You know, just “let it go” and enjoy yourself — it’s the magic of theater.

Pittsburgh CLO’s production of Disney’s “Frozen” runs through July 27 at the Benedum Center in Downtown Pittsburgh. For tickets, visit pittsburghclo.org.

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