Soaring August temperatures make a frozen world seem somewhat appealing.
It’s the perfect time for the Warren Arts production of “Frozen Jr.,” which debuts this weekend at the organization’s facility at 5482 Manchester Highway.
The musical is powered by the internationally acclaimed song “Let It Go,” which won an Academy Award and Grammy Award.
“It’s such a powerful song that’s so emotional to sing,” said Lauren Rogers, who plays the lead role of Princess Elsa and does her part to belt out the lyrics.
Added co-star Dylan Womack, who plays the role of Anna, “We already knew all the songs from watching the movie over and over.”
The play follows the story of the hit Disney movie from 2013 where Princess Elsa has magical powers to create ice and snow. After a childhood accident where Elsa injures her sister Anna, their parents work to hide her powers.
On coronation day when Elsa is set to become queen, her powers inadvertently erupt, plunging the kingdom into eternal winter. Emotionally fragile, Elsa flees.
Anna leaves the kingdom and sets out to find her sister. On her journey, she happens upon some strange traveling companions -- an ice harvester named Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and a snowman brought to life by her sister’s magic named Olaf.
Together they try to find Queen Elsa, return summer, and save the kingdom.
When asked about the challenge of playing Elsa, Lauren said, “She’s one of my favorite Disney characters ever. She’s not a bad person, but a good person with flaws who is complicated. It’s been difficult nailing all the nuances of the character, when to play angry, when to play vulnerable.”
Anna is less quirky and more perky.
“Anna is super bubbly, which isn’t that hard to tap into,” said Dylan, an 11th-grader at WCHS. “The toughest part to play was when she was in pain, when her heart was freezing.”
The cast is filled with roughly 30 actors ages 4 to 17. They have been practicing since auditions in mid-June.
“It’s been rewarding to see everybody develop and find out who their character is and bring that character to life,” said producer Ethan Duncan. “For a lot of the kids, this has been a very passionate project.”
Show times are at 7 p.m. this Friday and Saturday with a matinee at 2 p.m. Sunday. The show will follow the same schedule next weekend, Aug. 30 to Sept. 1.
