‘Dream come true’ as Mecca goes full ‘Frozen’

For the first time in forever, a local theatre group is performing the complete Broadway musical of Disney’s “Frozen” at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium in Brandon.

Mecca Productions was waiting to get the rights to perform the full adaptation — which includes more dance breaks, songs and in-depth character development — after previously doing the condensed, junior version in 2019.

Tiana Vasconcelos said it’s a “dream come true” to play Elsa, a character who struggles to control her magical powers of creating ice and snow as the heiress to the throne of Arendelle.

“Once we get people in the seats and laughter and applause from the audience, I know that the story is just going to come to life even more,” said Vasconcelos, who has been performing at Mecca Productions for more than two decades.

Auditions for the show began at the end of September and rehearsals started in early October.

The entire cast is feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness ahead of opening night on Thursday, she said.

Vasconcelos said the two-hour show is a “technical beast” with more than 95 light cues in Act 1 alone, which has been challenging for the cast and crew to learn in a six-day span at the auditorium.

While there were still a few kinks to work out during Wednesday’s dress rehearsal, Vasconcelos said she feels honoured to share her version of Elsa with the audience and looks forward to performing next to her longtime friend, Nadine McLachlan, who plays the role of Anna.

Vasconcelos and McLachlan have been double-cast together in other productions and have also played each other’s sister in “Little Women,” so it’s a privilege to be sisters again for “Frozen,” Vasconcelos said, while getting emotional over the phone on Wednesday.

“Everything you see on stage between the two of us — the push, the pull, the love — I feel it so genuinely. So, it’s been really, really, really special,” she said.

There are also two roles for young Anna and another two roles for young Elsa. Vasconcelos described how fascinating it is to watch the four girls double-cast as the characters bring their own flair to the performance.

“There’s one line where I’m standing off-stage and watching them — so that we can kind of connect our mannerisms together as younger and older characters — but they make me tear up every time they say it because the way they say it is just truly heartbreaking,” she said.

The musical has many moments that feel emotional and powerful, McLachlan said, who has been performing with Mecca Productions since 2016.

Her favourite moment is a duet of the song “I Can’t Lose You” between Elsa and Anna.

“They’re singing to each other about how they love each other so deeply, and they’re both so committed to helping and protecting one another, but they’re coming at it from completely different ways,” she said.

“They just can’t quite find that common ground. They’re desperate to and yet there’s a mountain in between them.”

McLachlan said it’s not lost on her and Vasconcelos of how important these characters are to so many people who see themselves reflected in Anna’s silliness and openness, and Elsa’s fear and vulnerability.

Love, family, hurt and loneliness are central themes in the musical, which have been interesting dynamics to explore, she said.

Anna also has a series of quick costume and hair changes that happen in 25 to 50 seconds.

“The costumes department and the props department, and other members of the ensemble who are backstage, are ready to help me out as I sprint off-stage to change a costume or grab something,” McLachlan said.

Show director and producer Lisa Vasconcelos said she “screamed with delight” when she saw the costume design for Elsa’s dress, which she’s keeping a surprise for the audience.

Marilyn Hardy designed Elsa’s dress and the puppet rigs for the reindeer, Sven, and the snowman, Olaf.

“Marilyn’s work has appeared in pretty much every community or high school show that stepped on the Westman stage in the past 20 years, either in costume form, sets, props or in this case, puppetry and costume,” said Lisa, who started Mecca Productions more than 25 years ago and runs it with her daughter, Tiana.

Chez Angela Bakery and Café co-founder James Chambers spoke with Lisa shortly after the movie “Frozen” was released in 2013 and said, “If there’s ever a musical made for ‘Frozen,’ I want to audition for the part of Olaf.”

And sure enough, when Mecca Productions got the rights to perform the musical, he was one of the first people lining up to audition, he told the Sun.

“It’s a part that allows us to add a touch of funny, but also some really great empathy and support,” Chambers said. He performed in theatre productions throughout high school, but this is his first performance as an adult.

“It has been such a journey learning to operate the puppet at the same time as trying to act and sing,” he said, adding that the final pieces of the puppet came together at the end of November.

Since then, he has been practising how to move the puppet through a rig that he wears.

“The feet are not attached to the body. The body’s not attached to the head. The only thing that’s really connected is the arms to the torso, and there’s rigging around that in order to make everything kind of come together,” Chambers said.

He encourages anyone who’s interested in theatre production to go out and audition.

People can watch the show tonight and Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets are available at wmca.ca, by calling 204-728-9510 or at the WMCA box office.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com