Music Theatre Wichita gets first crack at Disney’s ‘Frozen’
Music Theatre Wichita has had a longtime inside relationship with Disney Theatrical Group, making the company among the first to produce shows such as “Mary Poppins,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
And now, MTW meets its Mount Everest – “Frozen.”
Makers of the 2013 animated movie, whose $1.28 billion box office revenue was topped only by its 2019 sequel as Disney’s biggest moneymaker, is granting five licenses to regional theater companies to produce the stage version. MTW, whose production opens Friday, July 5, for a two-week run, follows only a Utah theater company, which staged it outdoors.
“We’re basically workshopping a new musical,” said artistic director Brian J. Marcum, who is directing and choreographing the show. “(Disney) did the show in New York, and they did the tour. But for us to get this license, they have rewritten it for regional theater.”
The audience will get everything it’s expecting, Marcum said, but with some additions.
“This show is based on the cartoon, but when they rewrote the music, they tried to make it a little geared less to children and more to an older crowd,” he said. “It’s still geared to children, but they want to make it more meaningful.”
The music fits in seamlessly with what’s in the movie, he said.
“They gave introspective music to a lot of the characters, so you get to understand their feelings, but it’s also funny,” he said. “There’s some really, really beautiful choral music. It’s the most beautiful choral music you’ll hear here all summer.”
Marcum said that Disney had to give its approval to the set design and the costumes, which were completed in February and March, but gave MTW free rein to make the musical its own.
“We’re kind of an experiment for them, to do the show to see if there needs to be any changes,” he said. “We are mandated by Disney to do a totally different version of the show – nothing can look like it did in New York or for the tour – but the costumes have to look like the cartoon, the source material, because that’s what everyone wants to see.”
The set was designed by Michael Downs of Wichita with “lots of moving parts,” Marcum said.
“He’s done a great job of reimagining the set,” Marcum said. “He knows our theater and the parameters of the show as well.”
Stage projections have been created by a company from Chicago. Snowman Olaf and reindeer Sven are two life-sized puppets, created by a Kansas City company, and manned by actors inside the costumes.
“When they did the show in New York, trying to cater to a different audience, they tried to veer away from the cartoon,” Marcum said. “We came back to the cartoon to make it more kid-oriented and fun.”
The actresses playing sisters Elsa and Anna, in interviews the first week of rehearsal, say they’re already having pinch-me moments.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Kennedy Caughell, who plays Elsa. “I’ve always wanted to play a Disney princess, and it’s finally happening.”
“It’s so exciting,” said Aubrey Matalon, who plays Anna. “We all keep having little moments where we go, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re in the cartoon.’”
Caughell is a veteran of national tours of “Beautiful: The Carole King Story,” “Wicked” and “American Idiot.” Matalon covered roles in “Six,” the Henry VIII musical, on Broadway.
Both have fond memories of seeing “Frozen” for the first time – Caughell in the movie theater, Matalon watching the video with her best friend and their mothers – and said they realize they have a lot to live up to for the predominantly young female audience.
“Music Theatre Wichita is putting its heart, energy, time and soul into this project. That’s why we do it — perform for people who are not unlike our younger selves,” Caughell said. “You want to see a beautiful story unfold and see some of themselves in each character. You want to give honor to what came before but bring yourself to it because that’s the only way we can be truthful on stage. Let me tell you, the magic they are preparing is going to rock these audiences’ socks off.”
“Frozen” was praised during its cinematic run for being the first Disney movie with female protagonists, which the actresses say carries into the musical.
“I really love the fact it is female empowerment,” Caughell said. “They’ve taken the musical and really opened it up to everybody. The fact it is two-women led, about their dreams and not being rescued, they find rescue in each other.”
There are still two princes in the show: Kristoff, played by Isaiah Bailey, and Hans, played by Tyler Okunski.
Bailey, fresh off a tour of Disney’s “The Lion King,” said he is always cognizant of the movie and its impact.
“That is something I battle with, and I’d rather not have that battle,” said Bailey, whose credits include MTW’s outdoor “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” in 2021. “I want to bring something fresh to Kristoff but honor what they’ve written in his character. I remind myself I’m here for a reason, and I get the chance to do it.”
Okunski, with credits in regional theater nationwide, said he liked the twist in the iteration of the Disney prince.
“What’s fun about Hans specifically is that he gets to break that mold with a big shock moment,” he said. “There’s something really fun and enjoyable about getting to play that.
“It’s really exciting to be working on something that has such beautiful anticipation around it,” he added. “It’s a story known by so many people, so to be able to bring that to people is really exciting.”
Marcum said landing “Frozen” was the impetus for making this season “The Year of the Woman,” with shows including “Gypsy” and “9 to 5” and the upcoming “Matilda” and “Beautiful.”
“This was the catalyst for creating all the shows around it because we thought, ‘What a great way to honor all those strong female archetypes in musicals and all the great women of the world,’” he said.
‘FROZEN’ BY MUSIC THEATRE WICHITA
When: 8 p.m. Friday, July 5; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, July 6; 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, July 7; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, July 10-11; 8 p.m. Friday, July 12; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, July 13; 2 p.m. Sunday, July 14; there will also be a matinee for special-needs audience at 1 p.m. Thursday, July 11
Where: Century II Concert Hall, 225 W. Douglas
Tickets: $26-$76, from mtwichita.org, 316-265-3107 or the Century II box office
