‘Frozen Jr.’ no longer on ice

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This article was published 20/05/2022 (1464 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The cast and crew of Mecca Productions are finally getting the opportunity to showcase their own version of Disney’s “Frozen Jr.,” which was originally supposed to be staged at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium in early 2020.

But due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the musical had to be shut down because of health concerns, even though the cast were in the middle of learning all their choreography and blocking.

“It was very disheartening because we had most of the show put together at that point and time,” actor Danika Robb recalled. “And we didn’t know if we would get to do the show again … because everything was so uncertain.”

However, the Manitoba government’s loosening of health restrictions has heralded the return of a lot of in-person events across the province, with Mecca Productions using the new flexibility to revisit some unfinished business with “Frozen Jr.”

Now, the musical is set to debut tonight at 7:30 p.m., with three followup shows scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

“We’re feeling really great,” Mecca artistic director Lisa Vasconcelos told the Sun Thursday morning. “The kids are really excited.”

The musical is a stage adaptation of the hit Disney animated film “Frozen,” which became the highest-grossing movie of 2013 thanks in part to its soundtrack that featured the Oscar-winning song “Let It Go.”

While “Frozen Jr.” represents a slightly condensed version of the story, Vasconcelos said the local production will retain all the music and characters that general audiences are familiar with, alongside some costumes and set decorations that can only be seen at the WMCA.

“We have a pretty amazing Olaf and Sven made by a foam artist in Brandon named Marilyn Hardy,” Vasconcelos said.

“Sven is pretty much a life-sized reindeer puppeted by one of the cast members and it can actually hold a 50-pound child up on its back.”

Talking to the Sun before going into dress rehearsal, Robb said she is thrilled to be able to reprise her role as Elsa, having originally been cast as that character for the 2020 show.

Even though her transition from a high school freshman to a junior has been fraught with uncertainty, the Grade 11 student said she has come out the side highly motivated to perfect her craft on the stage.

“It made me want to work hard just to prove that even after the two years, we’re still able to put on the show,” Robb said.

Of course, Vasconcelos admitted that not everyone in the original 2020 show were able to come back for the new production of “Frozen Jr.,” since many of them graduated high school in the intervening two years and aged out of the roles.

But she said the Westman region is in no shortage of young actors eager to perform in front of a live crowd, which made the task of filling out the new cast a breeze.

“So we’ve got high school students from all three high schools in Brandon, from Neepawa Collegiate. People travel from all over western Manitoba to do these shows with us,” she said.

“It’s really an opportunity for them to experience the magic of musical theatre and to develop their skills.”

Vasconcelos is also hoping the latest production of “Frozen Jr.” means that Mecca will be able to return to more of a pre-pandemic programming schedule that allows the company to stage productions more frequently and organize a full summer camp for youth.

But for right now, Vasconcelos is just happy that her company is able to present Westman theatre lovers with a full stage musical once again, especially after two years of being in creative limbo due to the pandemic.

“It’s been a creative wasteland, really,” she said. “It’s been hard on all of us who work behind the scenes on these shows. So it’s been really great to get back to the [WMCA] with a big musical this week.”

Anyone interested in seeing Mecca Productions’ “Frozen Jr.” can purchase tickets by visiting the WMCA box office, wmca.ca or calling 204-728-9510.

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