Artist Spotlight: Meet Patti Murin and Hannah Corneau of Disney’s ‘Frozen’

As they step into the iconic roles of Anna and Elsa in Disney’s Frozen at The Muny, Patti Murin and Hannah Corneau bring not just powerhouse voices and Broadway cred but also a deep affection for each other — and for the story they’re telling. 

For Murin, who originated the role of Anna on Broadway, returning to Arendelle feels like a homecoming — in more ways than one. She’s performed on the Muny stage five times before, and this summer marks the first time her own children will see her play the fearless Disney princess who leads with love. 

For Corneau, it’s a return to The Muny and to another complex, magical woman. Having made her Broadway debut as Elphaba in Wicked, she views Elsa through a unique lens. 

We caught up with Murin and Corneau during a break from rehearsals to talk Frozen favorites, preshow playlists and the magic of finding family — onstage and off.

Q • What does it feel like to be back at The Muny? 

Murin • I love being at The Muny! It’s one of my happy places. You can tell, because I can’t sit still in rehearsal — I’m just so excited. And this is the first year I am doing a show that my children can come and see me in. I feel like it’s sort of launching an entirely new era of my life and career, and that is pretty fantastic. My husband grew up here, and my in-laws live here — they have season tickets. My parents are coming, too. St. Louis is sort of like a second hometown for me. 

Corneau • It feels like coming back home. [Artistic Director & Executive Producer] Mike Isaacson said, “Welcome home,” and it couldn’t have felt more appropriate. It’s a sacred place.

Q • What do you love about working here? 

Murin • Even though it’s fast, it never feels rushed. Everyone comes in with the same mindset — you do your work, and it feels kind of wild on the first couple of nights, but it really is always fun. There’s never an element of super stress, and it comes from the top. 

Corneau • What I love most about the process of working here is that only pros show up to do professional work in a very short amount of time, and that’s why it has to be at this certain level that I thrive in, I’m challenged in and I’m inspired by. 

Q • What do you enjoy about playing your character? 

Murin • I just love Anna’s spirit. I found it very easy to hop back into that mind frame and her physicality, and I love that she leads with love. She leads with wanting connection and wanting everyone to feel good. And she also doesn’t judge people. Even after she discovers what her sister can do, there’s no judgment. It’s just wanting to help, and that really resonates — to live in that headspace of extreme hope. 

Corneau • Aside from the tunes that we all know, I love Elsa. I love her vulnerability, curiosity and strength. I feel like I resonate with those traits. And in a song like “Let It Go,” we’re seeing her vulnerability, and therefore it’s this power anthem. The opportunity to step inside the world of Frozen is what really attracted me to the role. And as a singer — as someone who just loves diving into scores — what a gift to be able to step into this musical world. It’s a huge honor to be the one singing these songs that so many people love. 

Q • Patti, you’ve had a few years away from Anna. Has the distance changed how you approach the character this time? 

Murin • The last time I played her, I was not a mom. Now I have two children who are 5 and 2 who watch the movie. The 2-year-old watches the movie every single day, and my older one went through a period last summer when she thought she was Elsa. The difference this time is, when I look out and see all the kids in the audience, I’m gonna know that some of them are mine. The importance of this story to the young kids coming to the theatre for the first time is personal.

Q • Hannah, you made your Broadway debut as another misunderstood, powerful woman: Elphaba in Wicked. Is there anything about her that informs Elsa for you? 

Corneau • Most definitely. Elphaba and Elsa are like long-lost sisters. They’re in the “strange girls” club. Or — let me broaden it — the “strange person” club. And everyone has that strange person as a part of themselves. I am someone who kind of embodies that person more holistically, so I’ve been lucky to step into the shoes of these strange people who have such vulnerability and therefore power and charm and life and inspiration within them.

Q • What’s your favorite song or moment in Disney’s Frozen? 

Murin • I love “For the First Time in Forever.” I just love that it’s sort of a collection of all the characters — you’re introducing the people who will come into play. It’s the first time that the audience gets to clap, and it’s after, like, 15 minutes, so it’s a whole lot of pent-up excitement. 

Corneau • Singing “Let It Go” as a queer person is really meaningful to me. And I was so pleased to know that [Director] John Tartaglia also saw it as a pride anthem. It’s really exciting to step into those shoes and sing that song as Elsa but also to contextualize it as Hannah. That’s very, very meaningful. 

Q • What do you want audiences to take away from this show? 

Murin • I hope they’re just so joyful, and I hope they’re ready to hug their best friend, or their mother, or their sister or any person that they love. I hope they leave with a really good feeling in their heart. We need more joy, and I hope we help feed that. 

Corneau • I hope that audiences take away the fact that it is a wonderful thing to investigate who you truly are — to recognize those around you who see who you truly are and support you. Ideally, you’ll come see the show and resonate with a lot of the feelings that the characters are exemplifying. But I think the biggest lesson is in order to love one another you must love yourself first. It’s a story about sisterhood, and they’re able to strengthen that sisterhood by finding out who they truly are, and that brings them closer together. 

Q • What’s something about your onstage sister that you admire? 

Murin • Hannah is so open and so ready to connect and ready to share. She has a genuine interest in every person she meets, and that is maybe the most rare thing I’ve ever come across. I already can feel her inspiring me to do more of that myself, instead of just learning a name and walking away. She makes everyone feel seen, and I am honestly blown away by that.

Corneau • You know, I’m looking over at Patti and fangirling and gagging because I get to learn from a performer like her — a person who has been in this Frozen world for a while. She is totally a hero and also like a cohort. She’s always going to be on a pedestal, but she doesn’t allow anyone to put out the pedestal for her. I admire her knowledge of Anna — who Anna is. So for me, someone who’s taking on this role of Elsa, I have such a clear, true, authentic expression coming right at me that feels so safe and good and genuine. 

Q • How do you prepare yourself before a performance? 

Murin • I have a playlist that I made up, which is basically a lot of Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé songs. It doesn’t get me in the place vocally to sing the show, but it gets me singing as I’m putting on my makeup. And I’m very social, so I have to leave myself a lot of time at the theatre, before I go onstage, to say hello to people.

Corneau • I listen to my favorite music. Listening to good music prior to a performance is a good reminder of the outside world and that this show is just one piece of art within the whole tapestry of art. And this same playlist will be there for me to sing to before and after the show. It’s just really good perspective to listen to musical heroes, and then to go and be an artist, and then come out of that world and have that playlist to listen to again the next day.