‘Best stage musical ever’ starring ITV star is now streaming | Films | Entertainment

The “best stage musical ever” starring ITV star Samantha Barks is now streaming as fans were “moved to tears”.

Samantha triumphed in the sixth series of The Masked Singer back in February, with Gregory Porter and Marti Pellow finishing in second and third place, respectively.

Performing under the guise of the iconic Pufferfish mask, Samantha delivered a variety of pop and musical theatre classics.

Viewers will recall her impressive performance of Chappell Roan’s Good Luck, Babe, Teddy Swims’ Lose Control, and Don’t Rain on My Parade from Funny Girl.

In the grand finale, Samantha performed a stunning duet with McFly’s Danny Jones, belting out Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart, reports Surrey Live.

Samantha first shot to fame in 2008 as a finalist in I’d Do Anything – the BBC talent show that sought a new lead to play Nancy in the West End revival of Oliver!

Since then, she has graced the stage in numerous hit musicals, including Cabaret, Chicago, and Pretty Woman.

After portraying Éponine in Les Misérables on the West End, producer Cameron Mackintosh selected Samantha to reprise the role in the 25th Anniversary Concert of the show, as well as in the 2012 musical film.

Samantha’s rendition of On My Own remains one of the most celebrated to this day, even making it onto the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release.

Most recently, she took on the role of Elsa in the West End production of Frozen, which ran from August 2021 to September 2024.

Frozen enthusiasts can now relive the enchantment as the stage production, captured at the majestic Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, is available for streaming.

The acclaimed musical, inspired by Disney’s hit film, was recorded early last year and has made its debut on Disney+ today (Friday, June 20).

Samantha takes the lead as the enchanting Queen Elsa, with Laura Dawkes portraying her lively younger sister Anna.

Completing the principal line-up are Jammy Kasongo as Kristoff, Craig Gallivan as Olaf, Oliver Ormson as Hans, and Richard Frame as the Duke of Weselton.

Audiences can expect a dazzling display of music, magic, and awe-inspiring special effects on stage, complete with both beloved songs from the movie and 12 additional new numbers.

In a March interview on the WhatsOnStage podcast, Samantha expressed her delight at the prospect of her 20-month-old son, Rafael, being able to see her performance on Disney+.

“It’s really exciting. It was a really beautiful moment when we found out we were going to do that because you’re doing a show like Frozen, which means so much to me professionally and personally,” she said.

“Having Raffi, I was thinking, ‘Oh, he’ll never see it’. And then you find out you’re going to be filmed for Disney Plus, and it’s like, ‘Wow, it’ll live on forever’. My nieces can watch it everyday and Raffi can watch it if he wants to.”

The West End production was showered with accolades, as one theatre-goer exclaimed: “Magnificent is an understatement. I was overwhelmed with emotion at the whole thing, loved every minute.”

Another audience member was captivated, saying: “I was blown away by the West End production. The singing is stirring, the orchestration is phenomenal, the visual effects are stunning! I was moved to tears,” and a third declared: “It’s the best stage musical. A truly must see production of this generation.”

Frozen the Musical is available to stream on Disney+