Crawfordsville Middle School is bringing the ice-covered land of Arendelle to the stage in a production of “Frozen Jr.”
Based on the Broadway version of the hit 2013 Disney film, the story follows the quest of a princess to find her estranged sister after their kingdom falls under the spell of a ceaseless winter.
The show runs at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the Crawfordsville High School auditorium. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students. Admission is free for children four and under.
Hawaiian Shaved Ice will be sold one hour before curtain time of each performance.
After starring as Belle in last year’s middle school production of “Beauty and the Beast,” now-eighth grader Devan Johnson returns as Princess Anna, who joins an iceman, his reindeer and a snowman to find her sister, Princess Elsa, who has the power to create ice and snow. Elsa went into exile after accidentally plunging Arendelle into winter.
Devan described Anna as a very “fun-spirited and adventurous” girl who embraces her personality to search for Elsa.
Elsa, played by seventh grader Guinevere Schmitzer-Torbert, has a costume change mid-show to reveal the character’s trademark teal and gray sparkling dress.
“Every little girl loves the blue Elsa dress,” Guinevere said.
Eighth grader Thomas Bowling plays the prince, Hans, who can’t inherit the throne in Arendelle but forms a plot to grab the crown in another country.
“He’s kind of a manipulative jerk but he doesn’t start out that way,” Thomas said.
All of the music from the movie is featured in the show along with few new songs written for the stage adaptation.
Some of the film’s special effects were recreated by choreographing dances to represent Elsa’s magic and snowstorm.
“Obviously, it’s always a challenge to take animation to real life,” director Jennie Swick said.
Before the curtain opens Saturday, the cast and crew will throw a Snowflake Party beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Souvenir swords and tiaras will be handed out and there will be a beach ball game, a photo and autograph session with the main characters, “Frozen”-themed snacks and a run-through of the curtain call dance with the cast.
Tickets are $15 each and include a ticket to the show.
