Disney’s Frozen Makes You Want to Build a Snowman as it Brings an Arctic Blast of Magic to Children’s Theatre Company

Laura Marie, Julia Ennen, Gillian Jackson Han, and Adam Jones Photo by Glen Stubbe Photography

The Disney’s Frozen The Broadway Musical National tour came through the Twin Cities in the fall of 2021 where I saw it and was wowed by the stage magic employed by the touring company. Now The Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) has mounted their own production using a fraction of a fraction of the Broadway budget of $35 million. And you know what happened? I was wowed by the stage magic employed by the CTC. CTC’s original production can’t recreate all the awe and wonder of the touring production with all its Disney dollars behind it, but they find effective ways to bring their own sense of wonder. Even finding their own way to recreate one of the biggest gasp inducing costume changes from the Broadway production. I was as thrilled by that moment as the theater filled with parents and children, we all collectively gasped then applauded! It doesn’t hurt that that scene is accompanied by the best song in the show “Let It Go” sung wonderfully by Gillian Jackson Han as Elsa.

The cast brings all the characters from the beloved Disney animated film to life including Olaf a living Snowman played by Laura Marie and Sven the Reindeer played by Adam Jones in terrific puppet designs by Eric Van Wyk. Gillian Jackson Han is fantastic as Elsa and admirably keeps the character front and center even when competing with some elaborate special effects. Julia Ennen is delightful as Anna and the heart of the production. Matthew Hall is magnificent as Kristoff and gets to show of some very strong vocals in the song “Kristoff Lullaby“. Other highlights in the cast were CTC constants Dean Holt and Reed Sigmund, bringing their signature quirkiness to multiple characters each.

Scott Davis’ scenic design is grand and striking, the large wooden doors to the castle of Arendelle that dominate the stage at the opening led a sense of the epic to the production. The ice staircase is an impressive stage piece and I appreciated the fact that it didn’t simply roll on and off stage, it appeared in different locations of the stage. That added mobility gave the impression of the point of view changing as different characters came upon it, as if we the audience had ourselves moved position in the ice palace. The Lighting Designer Driscoll Otto, The Sound Designer Sten Severson, and the Projection Designer Michael Salvatore Commendatore pool their talents creating a seamless blend of elements to create the magical powers of Elsa, the Ice Queen. The show is wonderfully choreographed by Rush Benson making even a song like Hygge, which I had trouble understanding the lyrics to, a great deal of fun. Director Tiffany Nichole Greene keeps the story moving and lively and with the reveal of the true villain, it’s clear from the collective gasp, that despite 95% of the audience knowing what’s coming that Greene had us in the palm of her hand. The Music Director Denise Prosek gets a nice full sound out of her miniature orchestra, it never overpowers the vocals but feels rich and full and well, magical.

Disney’s Frozen The Broadway Musical runs through June 15th at Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. For mor einformation and to buy tickets go to https://childrenstheatre.org/whats-on/frozen/

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The Little Mermaid is a Visual Treat at The Ordway

The Little Mermaid is a musical based on the 1989 Disney animated film of the same name. When the animated film came out it ushered in a second golden age of animation for Walt Disney Studios which had been floundering for over a decade. It also introduced the the musical form to a new generation, suddenly there was an animated film that had great songs. It was like a Broadway musical, but in animated form. It’s no surprise that it would be adapted into a Broadway musical years later. The strange thing is that Universal turned Wicked into a two part movie the first part running as long as the stage musical, and it works great. Disney has taken the reverse route and turned an 83 minute film into a two and a half hour stage musical, and it’s too much. The show would be really good at 90 minutes, and would be perfect for it’s target audience. At well over two hours even without the intermission time, it’s padded with songs that just are nowhere near as good as the originals by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Am I saying skip it? No I’m not, I just want you to go in with the correct expectations. What works, works great. Those original songs are still great. And the production design, specifically all of the stage magic employed to create a world under the sea is fantastic. You will believe a Mermaid can fly.

The cast is game, they are doing their best to sell those new songs. Leianna Weaver as Ariel has a wonderful voice, which is a good thing given that the Prince has fallen in love with the voice. My other favorite in the cast was Dana Orange as the crab Sebastian, partly because my two favorite songs from the show are “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl”, which are very Sebastian centric. Orange captures that calypso voice I loved from the film perfectly. By the way, if you don’t know the plot of The Little Mermaid by now, and need a synopsis to help you decide whether or not to go. This isn’t the show for you. If you loved the movie and those songs, you’ll have a really nice time with this. I attended with a ten year old girl and a twelve year old boy, neither of whom had seen the movie, and they both enjoyed it, the young lady more than the young man, but it still elicited a thumbs up from both. So take your kids they will be amazed at all of the visual tricks and special effects. But this doesn’t transcend and become a crossover show. This is not The Lion King. But hats off to the design team and cast for making it worth the extended run time.

The Little Mermaid runs through December 29th at The Ordway Center for Performing Arts in St. Paul. For More information and to purchase tickets go to https://ordway.org/events/disneys-little-mermaid/

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Disney’s Newsies at Artistry in Bloomington Features Some Very Fancy Footwork!

Surprisingly this is my first exposure to Disney’s Newsies. When the film came out in 1992 I was in college and it just didn’t interest me, and though it’s a frequently performed show of late, the stars had not aligned until now. It’s the story of Newsies (children who sell the newspapers on street corners) in 1899 New York who strike to protest the increased cost of papers and thus their lowered earnings. Led by Jack Kelly, who once rode in a carriage with Teddy Roosevelt, and with the counsel and guidance of newcomer Davey and his little brother Les, the newsies take on Newspaper titan Joseph Pulitzer. It’s a fictionalized telling of an actual historical event that is really rather fascinating. With music by Alan Menken who’s music contributed to the 1990’s Disney animation renaissance with among others The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin as well as the musical Little Shop of Horrors (which coincidentally is running at the Guthrie theater through August 18th) and lyrics by Jack Feldman. With Book by Harvey Fierstein who came to prominence in the early 1980’s starring in his own play Torch Song Trilogy which won him two Tony Awards, he also did the book for Kinky Boots (which coincidentally is running at Lyric Arts through August 11th). It’s a great team and they have created a solid musical, with several stand out numbers that Artistry has staged wonderfully under the direction of Ben Bakken.

What really wowed me with this production was the choreography by Renee Guittar, the entire cast executed with precision and a rowdy sense of energy. The cast is led by Will Dusek, who recently shone as Frankie Valli in Chanhassen Dinner Theatres production of Jersey Boys, as Jack Kelly. Here he gets to put that east coast street smart persona to use again, and while the songs are quite as iconic, his performance is just as impressive. His love interest is a young reporter named Katherine, played by Audrey Parker, who gets a chance to show of her dancing skills and wonderfully matches Dusek as they argue their way into an attraction for each other. Jack’s best friend Crutchie, nicknamed such because he needs a crutch to walk, is played by Tyson Insixiengmai who has a beautiful solo song “Letter From the Refuge” that’s one of the best moments in the show thanks to their performance. Also amazing in the roles of brothers are Pierce Brown as Davey and Maddox Tabalba as Les. Brown’s less street smart but idealistic while Davey is really the heart of the play and the audiences entrance into the world, as he is new to the world of newsies. Tabalba, who’s character is nine and I would guess he’s about the same age, is fantastic in his performance and especially his dancing, really getting to show of his skills in the song “King of New York“.

The music, as is always the case at Artistry, is simply top notch under the musical direction of Kate Mariana Brown. I was pleased to see a more robust set design than we’ve seen lately at Artistry. I liked the detail and feel of 1899 New York by Scenic Designer Michaela Lochen with the huge backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge adding a real sense of scale to the production. Completing the look were the props designed by Katie Phillips and costumes by Meghan Kent all of which help to give the show a period feel. I had a great time with this show so much that I know have an interest in finally seeing the film version, and I’m immediately planning some googling to learn more about the actual historical events that inspired the show. It’s a great cast and along with some great songs, there is some really amazing dancing for fans who like some fancy footwork with their musicals.

Disney’s Newsies runs at Artistry in Bloomington through August 11th. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://artistrymn.org/newsies

Tired of missing reviews from The Stages of MN? Do you find yourself left out when all your friends are talking about that great new play that you didn’t even know about? Never fear that never has to happen again. Now you too can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. No more hoping the algorithm works in your favor and you actually see a post on facebook or Instagram. No relying on so-called friends to tip you to the best shows in town. To subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/ from time to time.

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