"Frozen" hits Minneapolis with a fresh chill
Winter's snow and ice return to the Twin Cities in full force this spring, courtesy of the Children's Theatre Company.
State of the stage: A local run of Disney's "Frozen" debuts this week, bringing heart-melting magic — with a few fresh twists— to Minneapolis.
The big picture: The playhouse's spin on the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical is designed to delight both Elsa-obsessed kids and adults who have seen the movie approximately 7 billion times, director Tiffany Nichole Greene told Axios.
What to expect: The plot, music and script haven't changed. Fans will recognize their favorite characters, moments and songs, including the iconic ear worm, "Let It Go."
But Greene says her "non-replica" interpretation is layered and "a little bit more gritty," with "bread crumbs that I think will allow adult audience members to feel seen and connected with."
What she's saying: "My take is, I'm not directing a children's show at all," Greene, whose resume includes directing touring performances of "Hamilton," said. "You will absolutely feel the difference when you watch."
Between the lines: Greene's trying to make her mark on the story without changing a word, leaning into themes of love, loss and loneliness that resonate with audience members of all ages.
"The way that someone walks in a room and says hello to you will tell you everything, right?" Greene said. "They can do it with a smile, or they can do it like they don't want to speak to you."
Case in point: When it comes to Anna, one of the separated sisters at the center of the movie, she sought to create someone "who is just not immune and bouncing around and bubbly for no reason, [but] who has to wake up in the morning and choose joy because she's actually lonely."
Plus: While the costumes and hair will look familiar to the pint-sized audience members wearing flouncy blue dresses and long braided wigs of their own, adults may notice there's "a little more point to the shapes," Greene said.
Unlike in the movie, Anna's trademark white streak of hair — a remnant of being "frozen" by her sister's ice powers — sticks around until the curtain closes, as a nod to the scars that stay with us even after a happy ending, Greene says.
Zoom out: The local production features a cast from both the Twin Cities and New York, the Star Tribune notes, with an alum of the Broadway tour of "Dear Evan Hansen" stepping into the role of Elsa.
That actress, Gillian Jackson Han, told the paper that she remembers dressing as the ice queen the first Halloween after the movie debuted in 2013.
If you go: Tickets for the show, which celebrates its official "opening night" on Saturday and runs through June 15 at the CTC's UnitedHealth Group Stage, start at $20, including fees. Children 3 and under can sit on an adult's lap for free.
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