Beginning this Friday, July 17th, and spanning until Sunday, August 2nd, Frozen: The Broadway Musical will be bringing a sense of awe and wonder to the Scenic City at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre.
While it uses the official Broadway script and score, it is created locally with its own cast, director, designers, musicians, and production team.
The magical, family-friendly Broadway musical is adapted from the hit Disney film and is set to bring all the songs and animated characters to life, where the princesses of the fictional kingdom of Arendelle, Elsa and Anna, navigate saving the entire kingdom after Elsa’s magical ice powers plunge all of Arendelle into an eternal winter.
Anna embarks on a courageous journey through the winter wonderland to find her sister, who has isolated herself out of fear, with the help of mountain man Kristoff, his loyal reindeer Sven, and a lovable and goofy snowman named Olaf. What they discover is that love, courage, and the bond they share together are stronger than any forces that try to tear them apart.
Its universal themes of family, courage, forgiveness, and the enduring bond of sisterhood have led to it resonating with millions. Pairing those themes with the music, adventure, and magic of the play has made it one of the most successful stage productions for families and children of all ages. This community production is directed by Josh Ruben, with choreography by Lindsay Fussell and music direction by Vincent Hale.
Beloved hit songs that have become universal, like “Let It Go," "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?," "For the First Time in Forever," and "Love Is an Open Door,” are all brought to life with inventive staging, incredible performances, and stunning costumes.
In speaking with Kim Jackson, Executive Director for the Chattanooga Theatre Centre, about the logistical and creative challenges of bringing this show to life in our community, she discussed the number of people it takes to put on something so impressive and that while they don’t have the multi-million-dollar Broadway budget, they do have a wealth of local talent and grit.
“Staging a show like Frozen invites you to reimagine theatrical magic from the ground up. We don’t have a multi-million-dollar Broadway budget, but what we do have is an incredible pool of local talent and ingenuity. That is led by our technical director and scenic designer, Adam Miecielica; our shop foreman, MegAnn Brotzman; and costume shop manager, Keri Thomas, alongside costume designer Cole Spivey and assistant costume designer Jackie Kliner.
We also have a phenomenal team of volunteers who have brought the show's heart to life. Phoebe Gilligan built Olaf, and John Echols, who is also performing as Sven the Reindeer, designed and built the Sven puppet with the help of his incredibly supportive family. These puppets are spectacular, expressive, and full of life; I can’t wait for audiences to see the magic this community teamwork has created.”
The musical was written by the Oscar- and Tony Award-winning husband-and-wife songwriting duo Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, with the book being written by Jennifer Lee, who also wrote the screenplay for the hit Disney film, and it adds much more emotional depth and layers to the characters themselves, even incorporating twelve new songs.
In speaking with the director of the community production of Frozen: The Broadway Musical, Josh Ruben, about how the production expands on the characters and stories in the film, he discussed how evolved the character arc is and mentioned the songs and plot delving even deeper into the despair Elsa is experiencing, comparing her to another famous character in theatre history, Hamlet.
“In this show, Elsa is in such despair over the destruction she has caused that she goes through a profound existential crisis. Anna sees this and reaches out to her in the beautiful duet, “I Can’t Lose You." Later, in the powerful anthem "Monster," Elsa sings about the choice of living free or surrendering to the forces seeking to destroy her.
Audiences may pick up how questioning the nature of existence mirrors another famous character: Hamlet. In these songs, and the entire show, we see just how much love these two sisters have for each other and the empathy they have for their community.”
When asked about what she hopes people walk away with after seeing the musical, executive director Kim Jackson stated that she wants folks to remember the depth of local talent right here in the Scenic City, how community-orientated the Chattanooga Theatre Centre is, and the warmth of the production as it reminds us what the power of empathy and unconditional love can release.
“I hope our audiences walk away remembering the incredible depth of talent right here in Chattanooga. I want them to look at the actors, the set, and the costumes and think, "Our community built that, together.” The Chattanooga Theatre Centre has been producing theatre in the community, for the community, and with the community for over a century, and we’ve only just begun.
More than anything, I hope they carry home that final, beautiful image of warmth melting away the winter, reminding them that empathy and unconditional love will always have the power to conquer fear and disconnection, as long as we remember that we are on this journey together.”
Frozen: The Broadway Musical
- July 17-August 2.
- 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays
- 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays
- 2:30 p.m. Sundays
- Chattanooga Theatre Centre. 400 River Street. Chattanooga.
- $23-$35
- theatrecentre.com