by Terrance Mc Arthur
Let It Go! Let it go!
It’s the call of any child who has seen Disney’s animated Frozen. Children’s Musical Theaterworks (CMT) has brought the kid version of the Broadway adaptation, Disney Frozen Jr., to Fresno’s Veterans Memorial Theater through August 13.
Frozen was inspired by, rather than adapted from, Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen. This children’s version of Frozen was adapted for young casts by Sara Wordsworth from the Broadway script by Jennifer Lee, who wrote the film script. The songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez include five songs added for the stage.
To give more children a chance to perform, CMT uses two casts of speaking parts (the Blizzard cast and the Heatwave cast) that alternate performances, as well as an ensemble of 40 youngsters. It wouldn’t be fair to only review one set of performers, so—Kings River Life reviews the cast of both groups (“B” will indicate someone in the Blizzard cast, “H” will mark a Heatwave performer).
Blizzard cast
Elsa, the older daughter of the King and Queen, has magical powers to produce cold, snow, and ice. She accidentally injures her sister, Anna, and the two are kept apart, even when their parents are lost at sea. When Elsa is old enough to be crowned Queen of Arendelle, Anna meets Prince Hans, thirteenth in the royal line of another kingdom. They get engaged. When Elsa’s powers are revealed, she is labeled a monster. Elsa runs off and plunges the kingdom into eternal winter. Anna goes to find her, helped by Kristoff, an ice seller, his reindeer Sven, and a living snowman, Olaf, who Elsa had created before the accident. Can Elsa’s powers be harnessed before they cause disaster? Will Anna marry Hans? The second act answers those questions.
Blizzard cast
As Elsa, Nina Munoz (B) has a powerful voice, and Megan McGinthy (H) has an impressive presence. As Anna, Abbey Gerard (B) is perky, and Kayley Cross (H) has a good voice. Rex McTeer (B, H) is Hans for both casts, and he is goofy and charming until he changes, which he does very well.
Kristof is a good guy, and Lincoln Boone (B) gives him stature, while James Davis (H) is puckish. Sven the reindeer is petite in a great costume when Dominic Nagy (B) plays the role, and tall and willowy when Adelaide Pope (H) takes the part. As Olaf the snowman, Mia Wu (B) and Max Ramirez (H) bounce elastically, and both perform the best melting scenes since the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (a pair of scene-stealers who hop away with the love of their audiences). Kyan Mendiola (B) and Ethan Cox (H) are each stuffy, silly, and outraged as the Duke of Weselton, a trading partner of Arendelle.
Heatwave cast
A few more performers to mention: Marin Schroeder (H) as Young Anna, Dorian Harris (B, H) as a dutiful and adorable Steward, and Tiffany Reinhart (H) as Young Elsa.
Randy Kohlruss manages to direct more than 70 actors of various sizes and ages, a Herculean act. Monica Petrucci’s choreography is simple but effective incorporating folk dances, ballet, and gymnastics. Costumers Kirsten Peters-McGrath create snowflakes, snowmen, reindeer, and trolls that look like they should, and recreate some of the well-loved costumes from the animated film.
Heatwave cast
The Veterans Memorial Theater is at 2425 Fresno St., Fresno. Tickets for Frozen Jr. can be purchased at the Children’s Musical Theaterworks website 24/7, or at the Veterans Memorial box office an hour before performances. Frozen Jr. may take place in a land of ice and snow, but it will melt your heart.
Check out more local entertainment articles in our Arts & Entertainment section. And don’t miss out on Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast where we feature mystery stories read by local actors!
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