Disney’s immensely popular 2013 sing-along animated film, Frozen, is, at its heart, a story about family, and this year, Colorado Academy’s Middle School musical production of Frozen Jr. feels a lot like a family affair.
For starters, the mostly Seventh and Eighth Graders who make up the cast and crew were preschoolers when the original feature was at the height of its popularity, so the tale of sisters Anna and Elsa resonates with today’s Middle Schoolers as only a formative early childhood experience can. Explains Seventh Grader Zoe Goldstein, who plays the young Anna alongside fellow Seventh Grader Josephine Robinson’s young Elsa, “It sometimes feels like we’re little children again.”
But perhaps more importantly, notes director and theater Instructor Maclain Looper, many of those now Middle School students who bring to life beloved characters such as Olaf, the summer-loving snowman, and Kristoff, the rugged hero with a reindeer for a best friend, have performed together on CA’s Mainstage before.
“So many of the leads from last year’s Middle School musical, The Addams Family, are back to play big roles in Frozen Jr.—which in a way is what you hope for,” says Looper. “They know each other so well and project such confidence on the stage at this point.”
One of those “veterans,” Eighth Grader Saiya Langefels—who brings charm and a sense of humor to the role of the grown-up Anna—says, “Every year I come back to do this, I love it over and over again. But what’s most fun for me is getting to meet new people every time. Everybody gets the chance to learn a little bit more about the musical theater community here at CA.”
As Langefels hints, the headline isn’t necessarily the big group of returning cast and crew members. Eighth Grader Caroline Lauchli, who embodies the adult Elsa with authority and grace, has never performed in a musical before. “I was obsessed with Elsa when I was younger, of course, but my little sisters were probably the biggest reason I wanted to get involved,” she recounts. “When they heard CA was doing Frozen Jr., they begged me to try out for Elsa, who’s their favorite, too.”
Adds Looper, “At the same time that we’re grateful for the students who so clearly want to be here year after year, I also want to honor the kids who are giving this a try for the first time, like Caroline. She seemed to come out of nowhere, but brought an elegance and poise that were just right for Elsa.”
Veteran or newcomer, every CA musical inspires its own unique family vibes, Looper observes. “We are so lucky to have people like Zoe, whose older sisters (Junior Rory and graduate Avery ’23) both starred in musicals here. But the biggest lesson is that bringing together this large group of Middle Schoolers is just impressive and special in its own right.”
Frozen Jr., with a 32-person cast that includes at least 20 ensemble members, is the ideal vehicle for witnessing the pride that every student feels being part of a CA musical, no matter how small the role. “I’m so excited for these kids—they’re having a blast. With that many people singing and dancing together, you realize how beautiful it can be.”
Family vibes
Still, the theme and storyline of Frozen Jr.—a condensed version of the original film’s, in which two royal sisters must rediscover their love for each other despite what seems to be a magical curse—inevitably underscore the many family factors in play in this year’s production.
One of those is Sixth Grader Ellia Looper, the director’s own Middle Schooler, who unexpectedly fell into the position of lighting operator when her dad couldn’t recruit anyone else for the job. A Sixth Grader had never taken on a crew position of such importance, Looper points out, but with the many hours of experience she’s racked up hanging out in the theater with her dad, Ellia didn’t hesitate when she learned of the opening: “Please, please, please let me run lights?”
Just as game for a challenge was Eighth Grader Lydia Blessing, who personifies the jolly snowman Olaf using puppetry and tons of physical comedy. “I was so excited when I got the part,” Blessing says, “but at first, it was so hard.”
Throughout the musical, Blessing is Olaf’s “operator,” dancing the special-order marionette around the stage while attached to a custom harness, moving his arms and eyes like a puppet master. “I was constantly dropping his head or kicking him,” laughs Blessing, “but the whole cast was so supportive, and Mr. Looper and I worked together so I could figure out how to use Olaf.”
“I have always appreciated how Lydia is so up for anything,” remarks Looper.
The singing snowman has special significance for Blessing, who remembers every detail of the story from her own childhood. “Every time I perform ‘In Summer,’ I think of the scene in the movie where Olaf has little friends made of beach sand and he’s sitting in a hot tub melting.”
It’s no surprise that Olaf is also a favorite of the two male leads—Henry Robinson as the ice-harvesting Kristoff and Grayson Riek as the duplicitous Prince Hans. The Eighth Graders are best friends who were frequently caught practicing stage combat during rehearsals rather than their lines. “Those two are such naturals,” notes Looper. “They’re just as goofy as they are fun to watch.”
The intricate Nordic-style costumes, one of the most memorable elements of the Disney original, are a huge bonus for all involved in Frozen Jr., too. The members of the ensemble got to choose their own hats, mittens, and clothing colors for the hilarious musical number, “Hygge,” which occurs at Oaken’s Trading Post and Sauna as Anna and Kristoff trudge through the winter wilderness to find Elsa’s ice castle.
Of course, the elaborate gowns worn by Anna and Elsa play starring roles, too. “Anna’s dress is the most amazing thing ever,” attests Langefels.
Middle School magic
It turns out that the costumes, humor, songs, and family feelings still resonating as childhood memories with Frozen Jr.’s cast and crew played a big part in bringing the musical to the Leach Center for the Performing Arts in the first place. Looper shares the interesting story of how Frozen Jr. found its place on the Middle School theater calendar.
“Last year, I actually had no idea what the musical was going to be. But I had a group of Seventh Graders—in the cast of The Addams Family—who were so excited about musical theater that they kept pestering me: ‘What are we going to do next year?’” The students went so far as to present Looper with a list of possible productions like The Phantom of the Opera (an immediate ‘no,’ says Looper—school production rights weren’t yet available).
When he asked the students what they’d want to perform if they, in fact, could do anything on the list, the unanimous reply was Frozen Jr. “It wasn’t hard to take the hint,” Looper recalls. “It was obviously something that was still special for them.”
It just took a little snowmaking magic, he says, to make the dream a reality: He found a special device that dispenses dissolving glycerin snowflakes that are harmless to people, clothing, and props.
And, Looper adds, two essentials of the Frozen universe required the expertise of choreographer and dance Instructor Melissa Zaremba: the iconic blonde wigs worn by the two Elsas, which Zaremba trimmed and styled herself; and the dance numbers themselves, which bring so much comedy and fun to the stage and screen.
“To have such a pro to work with is awesome,” Looper says.
But the most important ingredient in this charming musical about kids growing up and learning about love and friendship is probably just that: the Middle Schoolers themselves, positioned somewhere between childhood and young adulthood, remembering a favorite story that seemed like magic to their preschool selves—and that now lets them create magic on their own.